Co. backs out of Camden 'land for jobs' deal
A Milwaukee-based film company interested in taking advantage of Camden's "free land for jobs" offer and building a movie studio has backed out of the deal, citing land restrictions and hostility from some residents.
Last month, Camden officials approved an agreement with B'D' Turman'd Entertainment LLC, which planned to build movie sound stages at the former Apollo Tannery site. Camden had marketed the 3-acre property as free for a company that would create at least 24 jobs paying about $40,000 within five years of obtaining the property. The company this week, however, backed out of the deal because the lot's size and configuration would not allow it to build two 18,000-square-foot studios, according to the Herald Gazette.
Larry Reed, chairman of B'D' Turman'd, also cited a hostile business climate, saying that a handful of people in the town launched "an aggressive and mean-spirited campaign that has crossed the normal boundaries of civility," according to the Bangor Daily News. He also said an anonymous person sent him e-mails that contained anti-Semitic and arguably racist comments directed at the company's staff members. Camden voters were scheduled to vote on May 10 whether to approve the sale to B'D Turman'd.
Town officials said two other companies, one a piano manufacturer and the other an educational institution, are interested in the property.
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