Rumford could get $400K under proposed land sale to Poland Spring
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Voters in Rumford next week could ratify a measure that would give Poland Spring Water Co. time to consider siting a bottling plant on 150 acres of town land and allow the company to pay $400,000 for the parcel.
Voters in Rumford next week could ratify a measure that would give Poland Spring Water Co. time to consider siting a bottling plant on 150 acres of town land and allow the company to pay $400,000 for the parcel.
The town will hold a special meeting Oct. 9 to consider the purchase option, which was approved Sept. 6 by the Board of Selectmen, the Rumford Falls Times reported Monday.
If authorized by voters, the deal would give Poland Spring purchase rights to the vacant Puiia Business Park and an adjoining undeveloped lot off Route 108. Poland Spring would pay $25,000 for a one-year option, with the amount being applied to subsequent purchase at the $400,000 price. The option would be renewable for a second year at a cost of $20,000, which would not be applied.
But it’s far from clear whether or not the water bottler, owned by Stamford, Conn.-based Nestle Waters North America, will build a plant on the site.
“By no means are we making a decision, anything final. We’re just taking that next feasibility step to see if that would work out,” Poland Spring Natural Resource Manager Mark Dubois told the newspaper.
The company still needs to study the parcel, examining its wetlands, accessibility, geologic makeup and other characteristics, according to Dubois.
Poland Spring announced plans in 2017 to construct a $50 million to $60 million bottling plant, employing 40 to 50 workers, in the next few years. Lincoln, Rumford and the Fryeburg area are being considered as sites.
Since 2000, the company has constructed plants in Hollis and Kingfield.
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