Furniture plant restart jeopardized
The woman who placed a winning bid for the former Moosehead Furniture plant in Monson has backed away from buying the building, citing environmental issues with the property.
Louise Jonaitis in September bid $1.05 million at a bankruptcy auction for the furniture plant with plans to restart operations in April, but afterward learned barrels of chemicals left on the property threatened its reuse, according to the Bangor Daily News. Jonaitis has instead negotiated with Machias Savings Bank, which holds the mortgage and has foreclosed on the property, to buy just the equipment and other contents. She told the paper she hopes the town will find a way to remedy the environmental problems, since municipalities are the only entities that can apply for federal and state assessment cleanup funds, and that she could reopen the plant by leasing the building rather than buying it. The Piscataquis County Economic Development Council is working with the town of Monson to complete an environmental assessment of the property and seek cleanup funds. Moosehead Furniture Co., formerly Moosehead Manufacturing, shut down in January.
Jonaitis owns Grand State O'Maine Land Co. in Newry and Hanover, and in July she and partner Steve LaFreniere bought the former Saunders Bros. dowel mill in Locke Mills and restarted operations this fall. She and her partners have also purchased wood products plants in Fryeburg and Andover.
Go to the article from the Bangor Daily News >>
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