The owners of Rockland-based Maritime Energy fuel and heating oil company, based in Rockland, are developing a 64,000-square-foot sports center in Thomaston.
The owners of Rockland-based Maritime Energy fuel and heating oil company are developing a 64,000-square-foot sports center nearby in Thomaston.
The WareHouse Sports Complex is a mission-driven project, designed to both create a wellness hub for the community and provide facilities that are in short supply in the region.
“There is definitely a shortage of basketball courts in the area," developer and owner Susan Ware Page, who is president of Maritime Energy, told Mainebiz. "With so many school and travel teams, there is always demand for court time."
The steel framing is up and the project is slated to open by spring 2027. It is on the corner of Buttermilk Drive and U.S. Route 1 in Thomaston.
The complex will feature three high-school size basketball courts, along with three pickleball courts, two batting cages, a weight room, a walking track and sprint lanes for runners and two golf simulators.
The second story will include a community room that can be rented for parties or meetings, an arcade room, a wellness room for fitness classes, and a 135-seat cafe — to be named Benchwarmers — which will include a glass viewing wall overlooking the game courts.
“We want to attract all generations and have something for everyone,” Page said. “We’ve had this vision for several years and have done a lot of research.”
She said the goal is to be different from other facilities in the area, which focus on soccer and ice hockey.
"We feel we will be a great addition to the community and compliment these other wonderful facilities," she said.
“We also feel we’ll be pulling people from a different market,” Page said. “Instead of midcoast Maine families travelling out of state, it’s time for people to travel to midcoast Maine.”
The 64,000-square-foot WareHouse Sports Complex is being built by Fairfield-based Sheridan Construction Corp. PHOTO / COURTESY SHERIDAN CONSTRUCTION CORP.
Page said a focus of the project will be on the development of youth, with skills training. “There is a deficiency in sports these days where kids are not learning the fundamentals. It’s time for more skills training, and to get back to basics.”
How it came together
The project is being funded with private money.
Page declined to share the total cost, but said, “We sold our 13 Maritime Farms convenience stores in 2022 and we are using money from that to fund this project. It’s a great way to give back to our community.”
The project is being managed by Fairfield-based Sheridan Construction, which broke ground on the building in December and worked on the site through the winter.
Jason Merriam with Rockland-based Merriam Architects is handling design.
“All of our contractors are from Maine, except the one who will be doing the basketball courts; there is no one in Maine to do that," Page said. "It was important for us to use Maine-based companies and keep the business within the state.”
The complex is named to honor Page’s parents, John and Karen Ware.
“I was very blessed with two amazing parents," she said. "They are both gone and it is a way for me to honor them. I’m one of the lucky ones, who has been blessed by wonderful parents, who I miss dearly every single day.”
Page’s parents took over running Maritime Energy from her grandfather, who founded the company in 1939. Page joined the business in 2001 and is now president.
The company services customers in Knox, Lincoln, Waldo, Hancock and Kennebec counties, and is headquartered at 234 Park St. in Rockland.
