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December 7, 2009 - Trucks bearing Maine wreaths bound for Arlington Cemetery
Convoy stops in Bangor and Hermon
By Rich Hewitt and Judy Harrison  BDN Staff   http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail.html?sub_id=132246

HARRINGTON, Maine — A half-foot of snow that fell Saturday night didn’t delay the convoy of tractor-trailers packed with wreaths from departing on the annual trip from Maine to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

The Wreaths Across America convoy left Worcester Wreaths in Harrington on Sunday morning and headed to Bangor for a ceremony at the Bangor Auditorium before heading south.

“This is better than last year,” Maj. Wayne Merritt of the Maine Civil Air Patrol, project manager for Wreaths Across America, said of the weather. “Last year we were right in the middle of the storm when we left. The snow may slow down the convoy a little, but it didn’t slow down anything we were doing here.”

When Karen Worcester shouted, “Gentlemen, start your engines,” the roads were clear, and by the time the trucks rolled into Ellsworth, they were traveling under a bright sun and blue skies.

This is the 18th year Worcester Wreaths has traveled to Arlington with a load of wreaths. In 1992, they took 16,000 wreaths to decorate the graves at Arlington. This year, the convoy of 32 trucks will carry more than 150,000 wreaths to the cemetery and to other locations around the country. According to Morrill Worcester, wreaths will be delivered to more than 400 sites that will participate in ceremonies to coincide with the Arlington Cemetery ceremony on Dec. 12.

The U.S. Senate last week adopted a resolution marking Dec. 12 as Wreaths Across America Day.

“I started out just wanting to pay back to the people who gave us our freedom and gave me the freedom to do what I do with this business,” Morrill Worcester said Sunday. “It’s gratifying to see that so many people feel the same way I do.”

Wreaths Across America also has been working with the 9-11 Foundation, and this year the convoy will deliver wreaths for ceremonies at the three sites that were attacked on Sept. 11, 2001: New York City near ground zero, the Pentagon and the field in Shanksville, Pa.

The convoy is being accompanied in Maine by members of the Civil Air Patrol, the Patriot Guard Riders, the Maine State Police and officers from county sheriff’s departments and police departments along the convoy route. Also joining the convoy is a delegation from the Gold Star Mothers Association who will accompany the wreaths to Arlington.

Ruth Stonesifer, national president of the organization representing mothers who have lost a child in the military, said it was very meaningful for them to participate in the Wreaths Across America convoy.

“Sometimes, during moments of panic, we fear that our children will be forgotten,” Stonesifer said. “So to see a group of total strangers paying respects to their graves gives us hope that they have not been forgotten. This is so special for all of us.”

Although the convoy left Sunday, a wreath-laying ceremony on Saturday at the Ferry Point Bridge between Calais and St. Stephen, New Brunswick, was the first in a series of events that will culminate Saturday. In addition to Arlington, wreaths are being shipped to ceremonies at more than 400 locations nationwide and another 25 overseas. On Saturday, about 2,500 wreaths will be placed on graves at veterans’ cemeteries in Augusta and Togus.

The first two of a planned 25 stops between Washington County and Arlington were held Sunday afternoon at the Bangor Civic Center and at the new Veterans’ Memorial Park at the Hermon Elementary School in Hermon.

U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud attended the Bangor ceremony. He said the arrival of the wreaths in the Washington, D.C., area has become a big event. More than 4,000 people turned out last year to greet the convoy and help lay wreaths on the graves in Arlington.

“I’m very proud that these wreaths are made in Maine,” he said before the ceremony began. “It shows that Mainers are very patriotic and don’t forget those who have served or those who are serving now.”

Karla Holland, 36, and her son, Kasey Holland, 13, both of Hermon, on Saturday placed a Worcester wreath on the marble memorial dedicated to all the town’s veterans, which was constructed this summer in front of the school on Billings Road.

Husband and father Sgt. Lawrence Holland of the Maine Army National Guard is serving with the U.S. Army 286th Supply Headquarters in Afghanistan.

“As cold as it is, it’s wonderful to see this many people out here,” Karla Holland said of the 50 or so residents and schoolchildren, who waited nearly two hours for the convoy. It arrived about 2:30 p.m., an hour behind schedule, after the ceremony in Bangor ran long.

The Holland family represented all Hermon families with relatives in the military who are deployed overseas.  “The town has worked really hard to get this memorial going,” she said. “I think it’s great, and we do appreciate everything the committee has done.”  Karla Holland, whose 18-year-old twin sons Kyle and Kevin Holland also took part in the event, said she liked the idea of having the memorial to veterans on school grounds.  “Kids need to understand why we are a free country,” she said. “They need to understand that freedom isn’t free — starting from the Revolution, up to Iraq and Afghanistan and on into the future.” 

Sunday’s ceremony was the first official event at the Hermon memorial, Town Manager Clint Deschene said, and the first time flags had been raised on its flagpoles. “If all goes well,” Karla Holland said of her husband’s tour, “he’ll be home in January.”

The convoy was also scheduled to make stops Sunday evening at Edward Little High School in Auburn and the AMVETS post on Washington Avenue in Portland.

For more information visit, www.wreathsacrossamerica.org.

Rich Hewitt reported from Harrington and Judy Harrison reported from Hermon. The Associated Press also contributed to this report.

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December 5, 2009 - Windmills near BIA help aerate water for stream
By Dawn Gagnon  BDN Staff BANGOR, Maine  http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/132110.html

Three windmills recently installed at Bangor International Airport are the latest in a series of steps the city has taken to improve the water quality of Birch Stream.

Located off Godfrey Boulevard, the windmills power an air compressor that blows air into runoff stored in an underground basin, John Murphy, assistant city engineer, said this week. Murphy said the runoff needs to be aerated because it contains de-icer fluid, which depletes the water’s oxygen supply as it decomposes. “What the windmills are trying to do is put some oxygen back into the water,” he said.

The windmill project is among several the city has conducted with $2.8 million it received this spring under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as President Barack Obama’s stimulus package, he said.  Other work included improvements to Godfrey Boulevard, the reconstruction of a retention pond and channel also at BIA, and improvements to the Penjajawoc Stream watershed near the Bangor Mall, Murphy said. 

The city also used some of the stimulus money to buy in-stream monitoring equipment and a high-efficiency street sweeper designed to reduce the amount of debris that eventually could wind up in streams.

Birch and Penjajawoc streams are among five waterways in Bangor that have been deemed impaired, or polluted, by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. The others are Shaw Brook near Birch Street, Arctic Brook along Valley Avenue and Pushaw Stream near the Glenburn town line.

The watershed improvement projects aim to substantially decrease nonpoint-source pollution, City Manager Edward Barrett said in March, when the city announced its intent to accept the federal stimulus money.

Birch Stream first came under scrutiny in 2003, when officials from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection began investigating contamination of the stream by a de-icing agent the airport was using on military and commercial aircraft.

Some residents of the nearby Griffin Park housing complex complained that the propylene glycol antifreeze used in the de-icer caused headaches and other ailments, although there were no scientific data to support those claims.

The DEP, however, did determine that Birch Stream was heavily polluted, though it also concluded that runoff from the airport and the nearby Maine Air National Guard base was only part of the problem.

The waterway runs underneath a dense commercial district along Union Street, including the Airport Mall.

The city and airport have been working with the Air Guard and numerous other stakeholders to implement a comprehensive watershed management plan designed to improve water quality in Birch Stream.

BIA and the Air Guard recently installed a de-icer collection system, which diverts the fluid from the stream to the city’s wastewater treatment facility. They also have teamed up to clean debris from some sections of the stream.

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December 4, 2009 - ROADS, BRIDGES LACK FUNDING
BY SUSAN M. COVER  Kennebec Journal, Morning Sentinel Staff Writer http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/7181407.html

Roads and bridges in Maine won't get the repairs they need because of a lack of funding -- a problem that is not expected to get better any time soon, state and national transportation officials said Thursday. Officials at the 59th Maine Transportation Conference at the Augusta Civic Center painted a bleak picture of the future of road work in the state.

Despite federal stimulus money and voter-approved bonds, the revenue coming in won't be anywhere near what's needed for the next 10 years, said Frank Moretti of TRIP, a national transportation research group based in Washington, D.C.  The gap in Maine is expected to be $3 billion over 10 years.   "I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for Washington to act," he said.

Moretti, whose organization released a report in October detailing the state of Maine's roads, said three-quarters of the freight in Maine is transported by road. He said good roads are vital to the economy and a strong transportation budget creates jobs.  On the other end of the spectrum, bad roads cost Maine drivers an estimated $250 a year per driver in repair bills, he said.

Recent state revenue projections show the State Highway Fund -- which is separate from the General Fund -- down by $14 million.

Bruce Van Note, deputy commissioner of the Maine Department of Transportation, said it's unclear what that will mean to the department. Gov. John Baldacci is expected to release a supplemental budget in December, which is when the department will see the proposal for cutting costs. "Funding will be constrained for the foreseeable future," Van Note said. "We're going to need to prioritize like we never have before."  He outlined recent cuts to the department:

• Maine DOT has cut 197 jobs in the last five years, a 9 percent reduction in the work force.
• Funding is down 6 percent over the same period.
• DOT has eliminated the need for 53 plow trucks by reconfiguring routes.

The State Highway Fund budget is about $600 million a year, which is a combination of gas tax revenues, federal money, bond money and other minor funding.  State lawmakers have discussed various proposals to increase the state gas tax in the last several months, but have not been able to come to an agreement.

The tax is currently 29.5 cents per gallon, slightly higher than the national average.  Van Note said a 1-cent increase would cost the average driver $6 extra per year. He bases his estimate on someone who drives 15,000 miles a year and gets 25 miles per gallon.

Sen. Dennis Damon, D-Trenton, chairman of the Legislature's Transportation Committee, said he's been frustrated by the lack of action on a gas tax increase. The committee is expected to continue talks in January, but Damon said the 2010 elections will make it difficult for supporters of an increase to gain traction.  "My cynicism now is we won't address the need for an increase in the fuel tax in this last session because of the election-year issue," he said.

Rep. William Browne, R-Vassalboro, a member of the Transportation Committee, said said a gas tax increase would be his "last resort."  "I'm hoping we can find some other solutions," he said.

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November 16, 2009  - Wind turbines dwarf Vinalhaven landscape
BY MATT WICKENHEISER, KJ  (photos taken from public sources by webmaster)

VINALHAVEN -- In the distance, the dark, low expanse of the island is punctuated by three white lines jutting through the horizon.
Three giant wind turbines rise from the interior of the island, visible from miles away, above pines, above homes, above Vinalhaven's granite bones.

And on Tuesday, the $14.5 million Fox Islands Wind project officially goes on line with a ribbon-cutting event, marking the completion of Maine's first island wind project. It's also the largest community-owned wind project on East Coast.

Vinalhaven itself is a step back in time, a small, close community that looks out for its own. Stacks of lobster traps adorn the docks, and the cut granite that has been the island's industry for more than 100 years is everywhere.

The island has long generated its own power. Tidal waters flow under the Tidewater Motel, through the remains of a mill system that once used hydropower to run a granite cutting operation and a blacksmith's bellows with a network of belts. At one time, a coal-fueled power plant operated near where the ferry landing sits today.

But now the island is an outpost for renewable energy, and that's not lost on its residents.

"Personally, I think they're fabulous, wonderful," said Elaine Crossman, owner of the New Era Gallery in downtown Vinalhaven. "I'm so impressed with us -- I like that we're on the edge."

Sitting in the backseat of her cousin's SUV on the 8:45 a.m. ferry from Rockland, knitting a prayer shawl, Annette Philbrook said she was "tickled to death" by the wind project.

"I just think it lends a lot of energy to Vinalhaven," said Philbrook, who's lived on the island for 75 years. "We'll be one of the only islands that's got them."

Philbrook meant more than just electrical energy. Since Cianbro Corp. began building the 250-foot towers, the project has become a real attraction. People have been coming to the island just to see the turbines, said Philbrook.

Gov. John Baldacci, a strong proponent of wind power, said he wasn't surprised at the islanders' pride in the new project.

"It's almost like a Statue of Liberty -- it represents our community's, and our state's, and our country's energy independence," said Baldacci, who plans to attend Tuesday's event.

Baldacci said Maine is looking to diversify its energy sources, looking at alternatives including solar, tidal, wind, biomass and others. The Fox Islands Wind project is a good template for what could be done in other communities, said Baldacci.

Vinalhaven is the largest of Maine's 15 year-round islands, and sits about a dozen miles off the mainland. Vinalhaven and the adjacent North Haven are connected to the mainland by a power cable that runs under Penobscot Bay. But energy loss from the cable and the high cost of distributing power mean that members of the Fox Islands Electric Cooperative pay roughly twice the state average for power, with rates approaching 30 cents per kilowatt hour.

Last year, members of the Fox Islands Electric Cooperative voted 382-5 in favor of the wind power plan in the hopes the turbines' on-island power would help stabilize or even lower power prices. North Haven and Vinalhaven have roughly 2,000 year-round residents between them. That number swells to more than 5,000 in the summer.

On an annual basis, the 1.5-megawatt turbines are expected to generate more than enough power for island demand. Excess power will be sold into the grid, a transaction that could trim rates by up to 20 percent.

Benefit to notepayers

The nonprofit Fox Islands Electric Cooperative formed a for-profit subsidiary, Fox Islands Wind LLC, to take advantage of federal tax credits aimed at renewable energy projects. Portland-based Diversified Communications invested $5 million in the project in return for tax credits, and the subsidiary also received a $9.5 million loan from the USDA for the project.

There is no profit being made by anyone, said George Baker, CEO of Fox Islands Wind. The benefit goes to ratepayers. Power prices are currently low in the Northeast, said Baker, but no one expects that to last. But because of the wind project, Fox Islands Co-op members will see stable rates for the 20-year life of the project, at least, he said.

"We're not going back up," he said. In addition, the project is displacing 150 tons of carbon per week, said Baker.

Community members really embraced the project, said Baker, because they could directly connect the wind turbines to the lights going on in their own homes, and to how much they're paying for that power. It's a good model for community-owned wind projects, he said, and they're currently looking at three or four other island and coastal communities to see if something similar would work there.

Islanders are hopeful the project will at least stabilize their rates, and ideally drive them down.

"We have to look to the future, we have to do something" to lower the power bills, said Sue Chilles, bartender at The Sand Bar, a Vinalhaven pub. Sitting at the bar, Jason Mariner said he pays between $300 and $350 a month for electricity on the island. Most people in the community are supportive of the project in hopes that prices will go down, he said. "It can't be bad," he said.

But not everyone on the island agrees. 

The turbines rise out of the interior of the island, a few miles away from the more heavily populated areas. Up close on a recent day, a low mechanical sound could be heard from inside the tower, and a faint "whooshing" sound could be heard as the blades slowly turned.  "Depending on the wind direction, they can be very noisy," said Bill Haley, an Aroostook County native who's lived on Vinalhaven for 18 years. "The people who live around them are not happy."

The nearest tower is a couple of hundred yards from his house. He and his wife can hear the turbines inside on some days, even with the windows closed. It's sort of like hearing the Maine Turnpike or the Portland Jetport in the distance. While that may not sound like much to city dwellers or suburbanites, it's a different story for people who have been accustomed to hearing nothing.  "This used to be a nice quiet little island," said Haley. "(Now) it's quiet for everybody else ..."

The turbines began turning for the first time right around Halloween, said Cheryl Lindgren and her adult daughter Britta Lindgren, who live less than a mile from the turbines.

The Lindgren family moved to Vinalhaven in 2000, after vacationing on the island since 1973. They have extensive gardens and raise goats and ducks. The ducks have been off their feed since the turbines began spinning, said Britta Lindgren.

The Lindgrens said the noise can be more intrusive then they were led to believe it would be. The noise is constant, said Britta Lindgren, like a jet passing overhead, "but it never passes." And there's an odd pressure in the air, indefinable, like low-frequencies that have begun since the turbines started.

Both Britta and Cheryl Lindgren said they supported the project, and are supportive of alternative power in general. They knew their environment would change, they said, but didn't think they'd be affected so much.  "We have to hope there's a solution," said Cheryl Lindgren.

Looking for solutions

A community meeting was planned Sunday for neighbors and power cooperative officials to meet and discuss concerns. The Lindgrens said they'd be there.   They also said they'd be at the Tuesday events celebrating the project.

Baker, the Fox Islands Wind CEO, said he's visited each house in the neighborhood.  "A small -- but not insignificant -- number of neighbors are concerned about the sound," said Baker, who estimated that 10 or 15 houses are in the area. "Different people have a very different reaction to it."  About half the households didn't have any problems, he said.

On Wednesday, Baker said, the company would be setting up microphones and numerous sensors to measure wind speed, direction and other environmental factors. They plan to work with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and General Electric, the turbine manufacturer, to understand how the wind towers are affecting the neighborhood, and hopefully mitigate any problems.

This isn't a typical wind development where a private company can just slow down turbines to make less profit and reduce noise, said Baker. It's a straight cost-pass through -- less power generated from the turbines means the rates will go up. More power equals lower rates.

"There are 2,000 households on Vinalhaven and North Haven," said Baker. "This is going to be an issue the community is going to have to grapple with and figure out how to make it be OK."

Others on the island were skeptical about the noise complaints, and about the potential electrical bill benefits of the project, as well.

"I was right up aside them - didn't hear them at all," said Jon Bickford Sr., who's been on the island for 75 years. He was talking to lobsterman Wayne Young, standing by a stack of lobster pots. Young noted that the old coal power plant that used to grace the waterfront made a lot of noise, as does a granite quarry near the wind turbine site.

Young wasn't necessarily convinced that the project would result in lower power prices.  "Supposedly -- that's what they say," said Young. "Time will tell." 

Young makes his living on the water, around the island. The new additions to the skyline don't bother him at all, he said. In fact, they can be helpful at times, he said, in terms of navigation.  "Running at night, the strobes give you something to shoot for," he said.

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November 16th, 2009 -$2 Million Correll Gift to Boost UMaine Efforts in Energy Research, Graduate Education and Literacy
Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571

ORONO — Alston D. “Pete” Correll and Ada Lee Correll of Atlanta, Georgia, have provided a $2 million gift to the University of Maine. The gift will be directed to four key areas at UMaine, where Pete Correll received two master’s degrees in engineering, one in 1966 and one in 1967.

The Corrells are highly respected community leaders and philanthropists in their home state of Georgia, where they were recognized last week as “Philanthropists of the Year” by the Atlanta chapter of the Association for Fundraising Professionals. That award recognized their work to enhance Atlanta’s healthcare, cultural and educational resources.

The Correll gift will support four priority areas at the University of Maine:

• a new Presidential Chair in Energy which will enable UMaine to recruit a leading national expert in offshore wind and tidal energy development. Together with the university’s recent $8 million federal grant supporting the development of this new technology, this gift will fortify UMaine’s position as an international leader in the field;
• new graduate fellowships (scholarships) for each of UMaine’s five colleges and scholarship funds in the Dept. of Ecology and Environmental Science;
• a new Professorship in Early Childhood Literacy in UMaine’s College of Education and Human Development;
• an unrestricted “excellence” fund allowing UMaine President Robert Kennedy to address immediate priorities and enhance programs not covered by state funding, tuition or endowments.

“It’s so much more fun to give money away than it is to earn it,” Pete Correll says. “It makes us feel really good if we can have an impact on a certain number of people and give them a chance they wouldn’t have had otherwise. That’s as good a feeling as you can have in life.”

“This extraordinary gift will have a significant positive impact on the University of Maine, and we are most thankful to Pete and Ada Lee for their generosity,” Kennedy says. “It will help us to enhance our teaching and research activities in areas of critical importance to our state and its future. This gift represents a landmark moment for UMaine and we look forward to using it to reinforce the institution’s unique and vital role as the state’s research and graduate education university.”

Pete Correll, chair of Atlanta Equities, a new company he founded, retired recently from a 40-year-career as a highly respected and visionary international leader in the forest products industry. During his tenure at Georgia-Pacific, he transformed that company into a global consumer product powerhouse. Under his leadership, G-P garnered the best safety records in its industry sector, became a better environmental steward, and greatly expanded opportunities for women and minorities.

Ada Lee Correll began her career as a school teacher in Old Town, where she started a lifelong commitment to children and young people. In addition to raising the Corrells’ two children, she has devoted her life as an effective community leader, working to enhance the quality of life for all Georgians. She currently chairs the Emory University School of Medicine’s $500 million fundraising campaign.  “We are passionate about education and children. That’s why the educational component was included in the gift,” says Ada Lee Correll, who also noted that their time living in Maine had a transformative impact on their lives.  “We left Maine a whole lot more prepared to deal with the world than when we moved there, and we remember our time at the university and in the community fondly,” she says.

Several UMaine officials also applauded the gift and praised the Corrells’ generosity and foresight in helping to advance the university as the state’s premier research and teaching institution.  “Hiring a Correll Presidential Chair in Energy is critical to the University of Maine’s research efforts and the future economy of Maine,” says College of Engineering Dean Dana Humphrey. “It will help us move forward in the effort to develop offshore wind and tidal energy and develop a cost effective source of power to further the state’s economy,” he says. 

The gift will go a long way in attracting more high quality graduate students, says Daniel Sandweiss, dean of the Graduate School. Because the graduate fellowships are funded for five years rather than the typical three and because they come with a higher than average stipend, “we will be able to recruit really excellent students – most of whom will be doctoral students – who will contribute to the research and education mission of UMaine,” he says.

The Correll Professorship in Early Literacy will be the first named professorship in the College of Education and Human Development.  “This is a significant development, which will enhance UMaine’s leadership role in research and scholarship in this important field of study,” says College of Education and Human Development Dean Anne Pooler. “We have faculty members with international stature in literacy studies, the Correll Professorship will provide important new opportunities.”

The University of Maine System Board of Trustees formally accepted this gift at its meeting today in Bangor.

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November 14, 2009 - UMaine Civil Engineering student Julia Clukey takes aim at U.S. Olympic luge team berth
BY GARY HAWKINS, KJ Staff Writer,

Julia Clukey proved this fall you don't have to be able to walk to be a successful slider. While still on crutches, the Augusta native won her third USA Luge Start Championship this fall. Clukey tore the medial collateral ligament in her right knee during training and underwent surgery Sept. 28. Two weeks later, she was back on the sled despite the fact she couldn't walk.

"My teammates would help me get on the sled," Clukey said. "I didn't want to miss that much training."

Clukey has invested nearly a dozen years in her training and stands on the cusp of earning a berth in this winter's Olympic Games in Vancouver, British Columbia. She's already earned an automatic berth on the U.S. World Cup team and will compete in four races before the team is selected around Christmas.

"I feel like I'm in a really good place in my sliding," she said.

Clukey's task doesn't appear so difficult when one considers there are only four contenders for three spots on the U.S. Olympic team, but it's taken years for her to reach that status. Her automatic selection to the World Cup team is based on her fifth place finish at last winter's world championships.

Should she finish fifth or better in a World Cup race in the next few weeks, she'll earn a spot on the Olympic team. Otherwise, her times and finishes will be compared to those of her teammates.

Her run up the luge ladder has been steady if not meteoric. She was part of a gold medal winning team as a junior in 2003 and made her first World Cup team as a senior in 2006. Following the death of her father that year, she took a few months off to reassess her career.

Since then, she's risen steadily.

"This is everything I've been working for the past three years," she said. "I definitely am ready." Clukey, 24, is training at the Olympic site in Vancouver along with the top sliders in the world.  "Every athlete that could potentially make the Olympics is here right now," she said.

The Olympic course at Whistler Mountain is known as a glider's course with high banks where sliders need to pick a precise line for optimum speed. When Clukey needs a little inspiration she looks to two-time Olympic gold medalist Armin Zoggler of Italy.

"He just has the technique and position," Clukey said. "He's really fluid on the sled. We train with the Italians."

One of Clukey's strengths is her fast start. She's won four international start championships, including this year's in August. During the start, sliders paddle along the track with spiked gloves. Once the race begins, they lie flat on the sled and steer through the turns, negotiating the fine steering with their shoulders and power steering with their legs.

Speeds on the 50-pound sled reach more the 80 mph and an average run last just 45 seconds. In races often decided by thousandths of a second, any mistake is costly.  "It's really fast but it's really fun," Clukey said of the Olympic course. "There's some neat transitions."

Much of the training takes place away from the course. Clukey spent all but eight days last summer at Lake Placid, N.Y., home of the USA Luge. A lot of her training took place in the weight room and she not only increased her strength this year, but her weight as well. She has added a solid 10 pounds to her 5-foot-9 frame and weighs between 150 and 155.  "Gravity is a big part of our sport," she said. "A lot of the women who compete are heavier than I am."

With only a couple of tracks in the United States, actual training on a course is tough to come by. In Vancouver this week, competitors only get 18 runs which amounts to a total of about 12 minutes. "It's just a sport that really takes awhile," Clukey said. "It's a sport where you need years and runs." 

Clukey, who graduated from Cony High School, has pursued a degree in civil engineering at the University of Maine during her off-seasons, but she hasn't thought much about that lately. "Everything's on the back burner now," she said.

Gary Hawkins -- 621-5638 ghawkins@centralmaine.com

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November 13, 2009 - Colonial Theater report: Loose bricks pose imminent danger
BY KEITH EDWARDS  Staff Writer

AUGUSTA -- Water Street pedestrians could get hit by loose bricks from atop the old Colonial Theater if repairs are not done immediately, an engineer's report reviewed Thursday by the City Council warns.
In general, the report indicates the structure does not appear in danger of collapsing anytime soon.

Councilors told a representative of the nonprofit corporation that owns the former theater fixing the loose bricks on a parapet on the front of the building -- as well as seven other pressing repairs recommended by the report -- must be done immediately.

If not, city officials have suggested the building could be deemed a dangerous building and demolished. "This document can't say it any clearer. There is a real possibility of bricks falling off and injuring pedestrians below," Councilor William Stokes said. "Depending on how they hit, that could kill someone. We now have a warning, a red flag that is being waved in front of us. What's being done about it, immediately?"

The report -- by Peter Lincoln, a structural engineer with Lincoln/Haney Engineering in Brunswick -- recommends eight urgent repairs be undertaken within the next two months, including fixing the front brick parapet, covering the wall openings that are without windows with plywood to prevent additional water infiltration, and repairing the roof to eliminate all leaks.

Mayor Roger Katz and City Manager William Bridgeo said progress must be made on those eight steps for the city to be satisfied. Katz said progress would be reviewed in two weeks, the council's next informational meeting.

David Barnard, president of Colonial Theater Inc., which owns the 1913 former theater, said theater supporters would work "with every available resource we have" to fix the eight problems, starting with the highest priority. He said it is their intention to accomplish each of the tasks.

Overall, the report presents a mixed bag. It cites numerous areas of the building, including the roof, as in need of major repair or replacement. But it also states the building appears to have been fairly well constructed and, regarding the building's four exterior walls states, "the general impression that these walls do not exhibit significant signs of distress leads us to conclude that it is not necessary to take immediate steps to improve the lateral stability of these walls."  The report also states the roof structure "feels solid." The report paid particular attention to the north wall of the theater, which was part of a shared wall until 1998, when the adjacent building was demolished. The wall has visible gaps between some bricks. The report states the open joints in the wall allow water to easily enter.  That could compromise the north wall, which provides support for the roof, balcony and main floor structures.   But the report concludes the north wall, "as it currently exists it does not appear to be unstable or in danger of imminent collapse."

Greg Paxton, of Maine Preservation, a statewide nonprofit historic preservation group that helped pay for the structural review, said other rundown theaters have been renovated elsewhere and been catalysts for successful downtown revitalization.

Tearing down Colonial Theater, he warned, could help confirm a negative view some people have about that part of Augusta.  Yet he warned rehabilitating a building that has been vacant for some 40 years is no small project.  "The question before you is this: Is there the civic interest and will in Augusta to take on this project?" Paxton said.

Keith Edwards -- 621-5647  kedwards@centralmaine.com

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November 13, 2009 - Ground broken for Winterport sewer project
By Heather Steeves  BDN Staff

WINTERPORT, Maine — Federal, state and local officials gathered Thursday to break ground on a $1.89 million project to build new sewer lines in Winterport to replace century-old ones.

The 6,100 feet of the 100-year-old sewer lines are so corroded that groundwater runs into them. The excess water brings the treatment plant to capacity, causing raw sewage to flow into the Penobscot River.

“This groundbreaking today represents an important investment in public health,” said Democratic Rep. Mike Michaud at the ceremony Thursday. “As a result of this project, partially untreated wastewater will no longer enter the Penobscot River.”  Michaud was joined by state and town representatives, Environmental Protection Agency officials, and the engineers who helped plan the project.

The nearly $2 million sewer system is being funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The Winterport Water District will have to borrow $250,000 to invest in the project.  The 300 Winterport residents who pay for sewage services should expect to see an increase in their sewer user fees to help pay off the loan.

“This had to be done,” said Steve Lane, superintendent of Winterport Water District. “The district was under a consent order from the EPA to mitigate sewage overflows from the Penobscot River.”

Annaleis Hafford, a senior process engineer with Olver Associates, the company designing the project, said that although excess sewage disposal into the river is not good practice, Winterport Water District was doing it legally. This river is pretty big, so it probably had a minimal impact,” Hafford said.  According to Hafford, the groundwater entering the sewer lines diluted the waste, which helped reduce the environmental impact. 

The project, started in October, has created approximately 44 jobs and caused traffic slowdowns. It will shut down for the winter and is expected to be completed by fall 2010.

Hsteeves@bangordailynews.net

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November 11, 2009 - Four men with Penquis ties rendezvous in Iraq
By Diana Bowley, BDN Staff   http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/129017.html

MILO, Maine — Having their paths cross in Iraq for four hours one Sunday earlier this fall gave four servicemen from the Penquis area time to catch up on one another’s lives and families.

Maj. Robert Kinney, formerly of Atkinson; Tech. Sgt. Scott Coy, of Dover-Foxcroft; Tech. Sgt. Joseph Baker, of LaGrange; and Master Sgt. Douglas Robinson, of Orneville Township, found it comforting to see familiar faces so far away from home.

“I certainly was thrilled,” Kinney said in an e-mail this week. “Deployments are dangerous, they are lonely being so far from home,  and can be mundane at times, therefore, it was wonderful to see some familiar faces from back home. I certainly will not forget it.”

Kinney, now an intelligence officer with the Massachusetts Air National Guard, said in the four “short” hours together, the foursome talked about their families, their friends and their jobs back home, as well as the war and Maine’s economy.

There was a round of chuckles about the fact that Coy’s house on Mayo Street once was owned by Aaron Kinney, Kinney’s relative. Coy noted that while renovating his house, he found Kinney “artifacts” in the walls and in the yard buried behind the house, according to Kinney.

While Kinney said he met Robinson for the first time that Sunday morning in Iraq, the pair knew a lot of the same people, Kinney’s dad being one of them. In fact, Coy, Baker and Robinson all had served with Kinney’s father, now retired Master Sgt. David Kinney of Atkinson, in the 101st Air Refueling Wing of the Maine Air National Guard.

A former member of the 101st ARW, Kinney said he has always kept tabs on what the Maineiacs of Bangor were up to, so he was aware the 101st Civil Engineering Squadron, part of the 101st ARW, had deployed.

“Because I knew these guys and hadn’t seen them for years, I made up my mind before leaving for overseas that if I was even remotely in the same area of Iraq, I would find them,” Kinney wrote.

When Kinney arrived in Qatar, he had figured out where the men were and knew they would be traveling in his area, so he contacted Coy by e-mail to set up a time when they could meet. Kinney, a 1989 graduate of Penquis Valley High School in Milo, and Coy, a 1988 graduate of Foxcroft Academy, knew each other from attending the same Dover-Foxcroft church.

Kinney said he and Baker, a Penquis graduate, were classmates at the University of Maine. Kinney is now full time with the Massachusetts Air National Guard attached to the Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts. The other three men are part-time Maine Air National Guard members who have full-time civilian jobs. Coy works at Hardwood Products Co. in Guilford, Robinson is Charleston’s postmaster, and Baker is employed at Charleston Correctional Facility. Their employers have been extremely supportive, according to Kinney.

In fact, Kinney said the support of the American public has been phenomenal. “It is humbling to be thanked so regularly for my service,” he said. “Having been stationed in different parts of the country and having traveled the world, I’m most proud when service members single out the receptions they get when they pass through Bangor. Those visits go on to this day and are a shining example of the support the people of Maine continue to give to our military.”

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November 3, 2009 - PPL Corp. announces sale of 6 dams
By Kevin Miller BDN Staff

AUGUSTA, Maine — PPL Corp. announced Monday that it has completed an $81 million deal to sell six Maine dams to another firm.   Under the terms of the deal first announced in July, PPL will sell its stake in the dams the company now operates at Milford, Orono, Stillwater, Ellsworth, Medway and West Enfield.  The company purchasing the dams, Black Bear Hydro Partners LLC, is a subsidiary of Boston-based ArcLight Capital Partners, which has a stake in energy generation, transmission and infrastructure throughout the United States and Europe.

Black Bear Hydro Partners already owns a 50 percent stake in the West Enfield facility. Collectively, the six dams produce 36 megawatts of hydropower.

Officials have said in the past that the sale would not affect power production at the dams and that staff working at the facilities will remain on the job.The deal involving the six dams also is not expected to affect the separate sale of three other PPL dams along the Penobscot River that is part of a historic river restoration agreement.

A coalition working together as the Penobscot River Restoration Trust is awaiting state and federal regulatory approval of plans to purchase the Veazie, Great Works and Howland dams from PPL.  The trust plans to remove the Veazie and Great Works dams and build a state-of-the-art fish bypass around the Howland dam, thereby reopening nearly 1,000 miles of watershed to Atlantic salmon, shad, alewives and other sea-run fish. As part of the deal, PPL was allowed to offset the loss of the three dams by increasing power generation at the facilities sold Monday.

“PPL believes strongly in this important project and remains fully committed to obtaining all approvals necessary to transfer these three facilities to the trust,” William Spence, PPL’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, said in a statement.  PPL said it is selling the six dams to Black Bear Hydro because the facilities are outside of the company’s core areas in the mid-Atlantic and the Northwest. Based in Allentown, Pa., PPL controls or owns more than 12,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S.

ArcLight Capital Partners, the parent company of Black Bear Hydro, manages more than $6.8 billion in energy investments, according to the company’s Web site.

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October 31, 2009 - Federal bill pumps $10M into Maine wildlife, water projects
By Nick Sambides Jr.  BDN Staff   http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/127583.html

Wastewater treatment improvements in Limestone and Machias and land purchases crucial to sportsmen’s access to the Katahdin and Seboeis Lake regions are among the things paid for next year by a $10 million federal bill passed Thursday, the state’s congressional delegation announced.

Congress has approved the fiscal year 2010 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, both R-Maine, and U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud, D-Millinocket, said in statements Thursday.  “The bill includes important funding for Maine’s lakes, parks, national park and national wildlife refuges, water and sewer infrastructure, and land preservation,” Collins said. “This funding will help protect and preserve the natural beauty of our state.”

Funding for Maine includes:

• $3.7 million to buy 19,647 acres as part of the Katahdin Forest Expansion, which will build upon Maine’s largest contiguous block of conservation lands and maintain working forest landscapes and recreational access in the Katahdin and Baxter State Park regions.
• $500,000 for the design and construction of new wastewater pipes and pumping stations in the Limestone Water and Sewer District.
• $500,000 for sewer system upgrades and extensions in the eastern part of Machias.
• $500,000 to address the threat of invasive species to Maine lakes and ponds.
• $1 million to buy nationally significant seabird nesting islands for the Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge.
• $1.25 million to the city of Portland for design and construction of infrastructure improvements to fix sewer overflows and stormwater runoff which pollute Deering Oaks Park and Pond.
• $3 million to buy a 110-acre property to become part of the Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge. The property includes undeveloped coastline, upland forests, wetlands and marshes that provide critical habitat for a wide variety of wildlife in Kennebunkport.
• $500,000 for a Saint Joseph’s College-Maine Lakes Invasive Species-Habitat Restoration Initiative. The focus will be on the milfoil infestation threat in Little Sebago Lake and six other lakes as a “test bed” for the development of action plans against the invasive plant species at other Maine lakes.

“This bill provides support for community water infrastructure and environmental protection needs, such as the water projects in Limestone and Machias,” Michaud said. “With over 6,000 lakes and ponds, the task of preventing the spread of invasive aquatic species in Maine waters is one of the most difficult environmental challenges facing us today.”

The $3.7 million allocation, the bill’s largest, will complete the purchase of the Katahdin Forest Expansion project area, five parcels that will connect to existing recreation and conservation lands north and south of Millinocket.

Among other things, the purchased land complements and enhances previous federal investment in land protection around Baxter State Park; the view-shed from the summit of Mount Katahdin and the federally designated Appalachian Trail.

The tracts include portions of popular snowmobile and all-terrain vehicle trails important to the economy of the Katahdin and Seboeis Lake regions and northern Maine, said Alan Stearns, deputy director of the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands.

“This funding is a key part of our effort to build a new balance for recreation in the North Woods,” Stearns said Friday. “We are managing to support backcountry wilderness while also supporting snowmobiling and sportsmen.”

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October 30, 2009 - Northern border panel awarded $1.5M
By The Mainebiz News Staff

President Obama has signed a measure that will funnel $1.5 million to the northern reaches of Maine and three other Northeast states to spur economic development.

The funding for the Northern Border Regional Commission - made up of federal appointees and state officials from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York - was part of an appropriations package the president signed Wednesday, the Associated Press reported. The money will support job creation in the northern regions of the four states by investing in infrastructure improvements, high-speed Internet access, health care and renewable energy, among other areas.

Earlier this year, the governors from the four states sought $30 million in federal funding for the commission to support sustainable forestry, economic development and land conservation in their states. The commission grew out of legislation sponsored by Rep. Mike Michaud.
 

October 29, 2009 - $71 Million Transportation Bond Needed, Supporters Say, But Opponents Disagree
 Reported By: Keith Shortall

It's not the most controversial issue on next week's ballot, but supporters of Question 6 say it's critically important for the state's economy. If approved, Question 6 would allow the state to borrow more than $71 million dollars to fund improvements to Maine's transportation infrastructure.

Supporters of Question 6 say while Maine voters have historically been generous in their approval of tranpsportation bonds, they're not taking next week's vote for granted. The state of the economy, they acknowledge, may make voters think twice about adding to the government's debt. And some might question why the state can't simply pay for capital improvements out of the revenue it brings in from taxes.

"I know of few places, if any, that can rely upon their income to make those investments and to capture the federal match that's available out there without using bond issues," says Dana Connors, the former commissioner of transportation who now heads the state Chamber of Commerce.

Connors says the $71.25 million would bring in an additional $148 million in federal and other matching funds. In addition, says Connors, it would create about 4,600 jobs.

"And that doesn't mention the fact that these projects generate revenue that gets rolled over two or three times in our economy by suppliers or other people," he says. "It does something for the economy, it's a very positive ingredient in our economy. It's like a stimulus package that's intended to meet the very essence of our problem at this time."

And, say supporters, it comes at a time when the state's transportation system is in need of repair. Erik Wiberg is past-president of the Maine Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers, which last year issued a report card on the status of Maine's infrastructure. "And the grades ranged from a B- for airports down to a D for roads and D+ for bridges. There's definitely a need to invest in and maintain our infrastructure."

Connors says most of the $71.25 million -- about $55 million -- would go to highway and bridge improvements. "And of that $55 million, it addresses 125 bridges, 228 miles of capital paving, and 34 highway construction type projects."

The rest of the funds would go rail projects, ferries, ports, channel dredging, airports and equipment updates for the rescue helicopter service, LifeFlight of Maine. Over 10 years, the bond would cost the state nearly $20 million in interest.

"Someone has got to stand up and say 'enough is enough,'" says state Rep. Doug Thomas of Ripley, a Republican member of the Legislature's Transportation Commitee. Thomas says the Maine DOT already has millions of dollars in funding from other bonding sources, from taxes and fees, and from $130 million in federal stimulus money.

"The DOT has more money than they've ever had and our roads are in worse shape than ever," Thomas says. "They're mismanaging our money. I've compared many, many times the DOT to a bucket with holes in it, and we need to fix the holes before we put any more water in that bucket."

Thomas has been openly critical of what he says has been DOT's failure to control expenses, and of the Legislature's practice of using too much money from the highway fund to cover general fund expenses. Thomas says that altogether, misdirected transportation revenue alone could pave more than 500 miles of highway in Maine every year.   Click here for mp3 of story

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October 29, 2009 - PUC staff: Power grid upgrade is too costly
Analysts say CMP overstated the need based on outdated forecasts for power usage.
By TUX TURKEL, Staff Writer  http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=292747&ac=PHnws&pg=1

Maine can have a reliable power grid for substantially less money, and with far fewer transmission towers and substations, than the $1.5 billion project Central Maine Power Co. is proposing, the staff of the Public Utilities Commission has concluded.In an analysis made available late Tuesday, the PUC staff said CMP has overstated and accelerated the need for its Maine Power Reliability Program, in part by using forecasts for growth in electricity use that have become outdated since the recession started.

The analysis is the latest development in CMP's landmark request before state regulators to upgrade its transmission system from Orrington to the New Hampshire border.

The upgrade would include 500 miles of new or rebuilt lines, new substations and other equipment. It would be among the largest energy projects in state history and create thousands of jobs. The project has the strong support of Gov. John Baldacci and many business leaders.

CMP says the work is needed to keep the grid reliable, and to handle power from future wind turbine developments. But many landowners don't want expanded corridors running near their homes, and critics question whether such a large and costly project is really needed.

The PUC analysis will add ammunition to calls to scale down the project. It's sure to be a factor in ongoing, confidential talks between CMP, the PUC staff and intervenors in the case who are trying to reach a settlement outside the formal proceedings. And it's likely to be referenced during public hearings across the state, expected to be held in early December.

CMP said Wednesday that it was reviewing the document and would file formal comments in the case to rebut specific points. But overall, the company disagrees with the staff's conclusions and plans to keep pushing for the full project.

"We still believe the system we designed is the right system for Maine," said John Carroll, a CMP spokesman.

The 46-page document is meant to serve as an impartial, advisory report for the three-member commission. The PUC staff, as a matter of practice, declined comment on its findings Wednesday.

While some cost information has been removed from public copies of the report, the staff concludes that the grid could be upgraded for $667 million under a basic plan, and for $852 million under a more extensive upgrade, depending on what is done.

The staff and its expert consultant do agree with CMP on some things. For instance, they see a need for a second 345-kilovolt transmission path from Orrington to South Albion. Additional 345-kilovolt capacity also is needed in the Buxton-South Gorham area, as are upgrades in northern and western Maine.

However, the staff says CMP could do without a third 345-kilovolt line from South Gorham to the New Hampshire border. Also, it doesn't need more 345-kilovolt transmission in central Maine, or more 115-kilovolt lines between Orrington and central Maine, or between Lewiston and Rumford. It also could do without several new substations and transformers, the staff said.

One big reason: load levels, the forecasts for how much power will be needed to reliably meet demand during peak use periods and under various circumstances. CMP's load forecasts were first developed in 2006, when the economy was booming. They form the basis for how big a project to build and when to build it.

But electricity use has since fallen sharply in New England, and there's debate over when it will return to past levels. The PUC staff estimates it will take until 2018 to reach the load forecasts that CMP was projecting for 2007.

The staff also questions the scenarios that CMP uses for what would happen if certain power plants went off line. CMP's scenarios represent an "extreme worst" case, the staff said, rather than what has a reasonable probability of occurring.

Building the project as proposed would be very lucrative for CMP, increasing its net income through wholesale electricity rates by $100 million a year. The cost would be shared by New England's ratepayers, with Maine paying about 8.3 percent.

As part of the case, the PUC asked CMP to study the price of meeting reliability needs with nontransmission alternatives, such as conservation, efficiency and cheaper technical fixes. The assessment shows those alternatives could provide a solution for 10 percent of the full project cost, but would be fully paid for by Mainers.

Two key intervenors in the case said the analysis points the way to a smaller, less costly grid upgrade.

"We think CMP's standards are too strict," said Richard Davies, the state's public advocate. "What they're using is a guarantee for the transmission line."

Davies said he has reservations about whether electricity demand will really take 10 years to catch up with projections, but the urgency to build the project as proposed is gone for now.

It's also unclear, he said, that upgraded lines south of Portland are needed in the next decade to carry wind power out of state. If much of that power is generated at night, when demand is lower, the existing grid might do the job, he said.

The analysis also supported the views of Richard Silkman, a partner in Competitive Energy Services in Portland. Silkman heads an unconventional project to meet the system's reliability standards with networks of solar collectors. His Grid Solar plan is covered by a separate case before the PUC.

"Every time there's a choice to be made to stress the transmission system, CMP chose to use a standard above every other one," Silkman said. "They put their thumb on the scale and said, 'Yes, we have a system that's unreliable.'"

Silkman, the public advocate, and other intervenors are expected to meet with the PUC staff within the next week to continue settlement talks. They have until Dec. 4 to file formal rebuttal testimony to the analysis.

Staff Writer Tux Turkel can be contacted at 791-6462 or at:  tturkel@pressherald.com
 

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October 28, 2009 - Parallel 44: Tidal power takes two steps forward
by Colin Woodard  http://www.workingwaterfront.com/online-exclusives/Parallel-44-Tidal-power-takes-two-steps-forward/13496/

When it comes to renewable energy production in this part of the world, wind has been stealing the show.  The governor of Maine and the premiers of New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island are big boosters and wind farms have been erected from Mars Hill to PEI's eastern cape using off-the-shelf technology. PEI plans to use wind to charge hydrogen fuel cells to kick the fossil fuel habit, while there's talk here of building offshore wind farms, much as Denmark has.

But under the radar and beneath the waves, a rival technology has been taking shape: "in-stream" turbines mounted to the seafloor and spun by the Bay of Fundy's massive tides. Unlike older tidal technology, the new devices don't require dams and promise to generate power unseen and unheard from the surface, and with little or no ecological damage.

Tidal power is taking two significant steps forward this fall. By the time you read this, an Irish company will have set a six-story tall device on the floor of Nova Scotia's Minas Basin, where tides reach 53 feet, the world's tallest. And in early December, a Portland-based company plans to deploy what they say is the largest tidal turbine ever placed in U.S. waters off Eastport's Cobscook Bay shore.

"Everything except the power electronics and the generators are being manufactured in Maine," says Chris Sauer, president of Ocean Renewable Power Co., Ltd, which will suspend their 60 kilowatt device from a barge in the channel near Shackford Head in Eastport. The dual turbine unit will charge batteries for use by the local U.S. Coast Guard station.

But the Minas Basin project has stolen much of the attention on account of its size and government backing. After an extensive environmental and technical review, Nova Scotia's provincial government designated the site near Parrsboro, Nova Scotia for the testing of three rival devices, all of which will share monitoring and distribution infrastructure and a soon-to-be-constructed visitors' center.

The first of the devices-a 30-foot wide, 16-fin OpenHydro turbine mounted on a large steel frame-was to be deployed November 10 or 11 and is expected to deliver a megawatt of power. Two competing designs-from UEK of Annapolis, Md. and Clear Current of Vancouver, B.C. -are to be deployed next summer.

The devices are to be mounted to the seafloor well beneath shipping traffic and will be connected to the provincial power grid via underwater cables. "There's so much energy coming up that channel, it's quite remarkable," says John Woods, vice president of Minas Basin Pulp and Power, which is building the shared infrastructure and has partnered with UEK to test their technology. "I have confidence we'll be successful."

The three designs at Minas Basin all loosely resemble the fronts of oversized, slowly spinning jet engines. Each features a multi-finned fan mounted in a rounded cowling which can turn in either direction depending on which way the tide is moving.

The turbines Ocean Renewable Power Co has been testing off Eastport work on the same principle, but feature long helix-shaped fin assemblies that resemble the blades of an old-fashioned push lawnmower, only many times larger and with the butt ends exposed to the current. The company tested a smaller-scale prototype in Eastport's Western Channel for much of 2008, a device that now sites in front of the Husson University Boat School, where the devices are assembled.

"We've shown the technology works, and with the new device we're using less steel and wood and more composite materials and a generator casing we believe will have less drag," says Bob Lewis, general manager of the company's Eastport office, as he points out the very un-hydrodynamic generator box on the original prototype.

Tidal power has a big advantage over wind energy: the world's moon-driven tides may be variable, but they are entirely predictable both in terms of timing and force, allowing utilities to know years in advance exactly how much power will be generated at a particular time. But unlike wind turbines, tidal devices are still in the development phase, with designs needing further testing before they will be ready to market.

"There are a dozen different technologies out there and they're all still in the infancy stages of their development," says New Brunswick's energy minister, Jack Keir, whose province has moved aggressively to develop wind, liquefied natural gas, and expanded nuclear power to feed the U.S. Northeast's thirst for energy. "When you're building a 200-megawatt wind farm you can buy the equipment right off the shelf and you know what you're getting. Tidal power is not there yet."

Tidal power also has to prove what most have assumed: that devices will have no discernable effect on the environment or fish populations. Mr. Sauer says video monitoring during the year-long testing of their prototype indicated marine life never attempted to enter the turbines. "Fish can sense a sold object ahead and appear to swim around it," he says.

Not everyone is convinced, least of all Mike Dadswell, a professor of biology at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, which is located near the Minas Basin test area. In July he wrote Nova Scotia officials that the test project there had the potential to kill large numbers of fish that migrate to the head of the Bay of Fundy. "Tidal energy will not be ‘Green Energy" but rather ‘Red Energy' from the blood of its victims," he wrote.

"It's literally impossible to turn a blade in the water and not kill, maim, or harm some fish," says Dadswell, who has conducted extensive monitoring of fish kills at an old-fashioned dam-based tidal power plant at Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. At that 25-year old facility, sturgeon, herring and other fish wishing to travel to and from the Annapolis River are forced to swim through concrete tubes and the spinning generator blades, which kill by impact and pressure changes.

He says the Minas Basin turbines operate on the same physical principles and will also kill many of the fish that swim through them. If 200 to 300 devices are eventually deployed as supporters hope, the damage could be devastating to fisheries throughout the Bay of Fundy. "The fish aren't forced to go through the turbine there, so it all comes down to fish behavior, whether fish approaching these machines will know to turn away," he says. Proponents say Dadswell's conclusions drawn from an old dam-based system don't apply to the new devices, which fish are free to swim around. "With these devices there's no sucking and none of that-the physics are totally different than at Annapolis Royal," says Sauer. "You have a little itty-bitty piece of equipment in a huge area of water with no physical pressure pulling things into it."

Nova Scotia officials say the point of testing the devices is to determine if there are any baleful effects. "To answer any of these questions, we have to go out and have this project tested in the real world because we're not going to get the answers in the conference room," says Nova Scotia Environment Minister Sterling Belliveau, who was a fisherman for three decades before entering politics. "We are doing this with a very cautious approach and we can shut it down immediately if there are any environmental effects of any kind."

-Colin Woodard is an award-winning journalist and author of The Lobster Coast, Ocean's End, and The Republic of Pirates. www.colinwoodard.com

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October 27, 2009 - Offshore wind list narrowed to four sites
By Bill Trotter  BDN Staff

AUGUSTA, Maine — Having considered seven sites along Maine's coast for offshore wind demonstration projects, state officials on Tuesday named four locations where researchers might be able to explore the potential for wind power facilities.

The University of Maine, which earlier this month received an $8 million grant from U.S. Department of Energy for wind energy research, and commercial developers will be able to test deep water wind turbines in each of the selected sites, according to a prepared statement released Tuesday by Maine Department of Conservation. The final selection on which sites will be available for testing won't be made until mid-December.

The locations still being considered by the state include sites off Boon Island in York County, Damariscove and Monhegan islands in Lincoln County, and Cutler in Washington County.  The total area in the four sites equals about seven square miles of ocean surface, Robert Marvinney, state geologist, indicated in the release. 

Marvinney said that the public can comment on the four proposed sites until Nov. 30. "We're far from done," Marvinney indicated. "This process is transparent, and I urge anyone who wants to submit an opinion or technical data to write to the Department of Conservation."

Other sites that were mentioned earlier this year as possibilities but did not make the cut include areas near Matinicus Island, Isle Au Haut, and Jonesport. State officials and others held a series of public meetings along the coast in over the past two months to gather feedback on all the the sites.

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October 26th, 2009- Mi casa es su C.A.S.A.; UMaine Service group creates unique connection with Central America
By Jessie Darkis  http://mainecampus.com/2009/10/26/mi-casa-es-su-c-a-s-a/

Concrete, global change is the mission for the Central American Service Association (CASA). Anyone can volunteer time, but CASA has a different goal.

The group consists of students who are looking to utilize their own interests and concentrations for the betterment of others. The group was derived from a Spanish service course taught by Kathleen March, the club’s current advisor. In the spring of 2004, the class traveled to Honduras after a semester of fundraising and decided they wanted to create a student group that could be active year-round. They decided to keep a focus on Honduras in order to create a stronger connection with the community.

The idea of global service work is not new, but with the close-knit bonds created by CASA in Honduras, students are able to develop their own projects based on what peaks their interest or something related to their field of study.  “We’re very involved in the community, and we have community contacts down there,” said Darlene Bergeron, CASA’s treasurer. She is currently working on her master’s degree in sociology, Spanish and women’s studies.  “We do things that a lot of people don’t do if you’re going down as a tourist. … We really get into the community and find out what their issues are,” she said.

Not all CASA members travel to Honduras or speak Spanish. Since many of the club members do speak fluent Spanish, there are enough people to translate for anyone who cannot speak the language or who aren’t as experienced. For those who do know Spanish, the immersion can be beneficial for learning and understanding the culture.  “Students really get to practice their Spanish and apply it. … It challenges the students to think, and to look, to evaluate and to ask questions,” Bergeron said. 

Since the group has contacts in the area, it is able to see what is in immediate need and are able to have projects brought to them. Since the group comes back year after year, these are things it has been able to assist with continuously. One of these projects was building a library.  “We have spent, over the years, a lot of time raising money, gathering books and helping to support the construction of the library in the town of Dulce Nombre, and that library became a reality,” March said.   Throughout the year, CASA participates in continuous fundraising. On Wednesday, Oct. 21, the group made cards, which they plan to sell at the University of Maine’s annual Culturefest Nov. 7. They often table in Memorial Union and try to bring awareness of their efforts as a group and Central American issues.

Not only has CASA created a network of their own in Honduras, they also inspired volunteerism throughout the UMaine community. The UMaine student group Engineers Without Borders began work in Honduras after two civil engineering students, Heather Martin and Lee Rand, joined CASA on one of its trips. Engineers Without Borders has strived to help with water and sanitation improvements in the towns of Ducle Vivir and Dulce Nombre.

Hannah Hudson, CASA’s new president this semester, hopes to be able to help build the group up and spread knowledge of what it does. Hudson, a second-year international affairs and Spanish student, has yet to travel with CASA but participated in a mission trip to Honduras in high school. Hudson explained most mission trips are comprised of a lot of people with organized tasks. Sometimes missionaries go to an area once and might not go back. Since CASA goes year after year, it allows for individual projects students decide upon and can work on overtime and creates a close-knit connection with the contacts in the area.

“I think a lot of eyes are open,” March said. “Sometimes tears are shed, sometimes people are very upset, sometimes people are sad, sometimes people are angry and sometimes people feel very, very fulfilled by what they do. It’s not therapy. It’s not a ‘feel good’ type of thing. It’s ‘What did you learn from doing this work?’ It’s always ‘What did you learn?’”

Since the group allows for individual projects, the learning experience is unique for everyone. Bergeron is currently working on her thesis and is incorporating it into the group’s work in Honduras. Bergeron worked with the Safe Campus Project for eight years and is familiar with domestic violence and sexual assault issues. She plans on using her knowledge to find out what women in Honduras have for services and assistance and to aid where she can.   “You’re not doing charity,” March said. “You collaborate, you help maybe develop something … That is a service, but everybody participates. And I really love doing it. … It’s meaningful, active learning.”

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October 21,  2009 - Use of 3-D software nets Cianbro award ; Technology helps tout Brewer project
By Nok-Noi Ricker BDN Staff  http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/126088.html#

BREWER, Maine — When Cianbro unveiled plans in the spring of 2007 to change the abandoned Eastern Fine Paper Co. mill into a modular manufacturing facility that would employ 500 skilled labors, it used 3-D displays to show people what the facility would look like.

And when its engineers designed the piping that would go into the first order of modules — heavy-duty industrial steel frames filled with pipes, pumps and wiring for a $7 billion refinery expansion in Texas — they used the same ConstructSim 3D visualization software.

Bentley Systems Inc., which created the software, awarded Pittsfield-based Cianbro a 2009 Be Inspired Award last week at its annual convention in Charlotte, N.C. A total of 17 companies from around the world were selected for the honor in various fields from among more than 250 nominations.

“ConstrucSim allowed Cianbro to visually communicate the project at all levels — from the media, engineers and production team to the construction crews themselves,” the Bentley Web site says. “The visuals were instrumental in getting buy-in from local communities, educating the public about the project, and showing train-ees what they would be building, which allowed Cianbro to work more efficiently with fewer people.”

Cheryl Brackett, Cianbro’s lead work package engineer, represented the company at the Charlotte event.

Using a 24-inch computer screen at Cianbro’s Eastern Manufacturing Facility in Brewer, Brackett could demonstrate how the 3-D software allowed her to design and highlight different components of the modules.

Cianbro workers have finished building about 40 percent of the parts ordered by Motiva Enterprises LLC for its massive refinery expansion in Port Arthur, Texas.

The latest load of refinery modules left Brewer on Oct. 3 for a 2,300-mile trip to the Gulf of Mexico and is scheduled to arrive on Thursday, Cianbro spokesman Alan Grover said Tuesday.

Every piece of steel or piping for the refinery’s modules has been designed using the 3-D software and formed in Brewer. Those pieces are checked and double-checked to make sure they are exactly right before being given a bar code. The bar codes are used in the building process to ensure the right piece is used.

“The theme for the conference was ‘Innovations in Infrastructure,’” Brackett said in a news release. “The ability to use our technology to pass our information to trainees, production, and crews while creating 500 plus new jobs clinched the award.”

Cianbro took first prize in the “Innovation in Oil and Gas” category and competed against a liquefied natural gas facility in Papua, New Guinea, and an oil platform in the Caspian Sea off the coast of Turkmenistan.

First-place prize includes a $1,000 honorarium, which will be donated to an area home heating assistance program to help out people in the Brewer area, Grover said.
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October 12, 2009 - Building a Bridge of (and to) the Future
By HENRY FOUNTAIN
Published: October 12, 2009

PITTSFIELD, Me. — The Neal Bridge is barely a bump in the road for motorists roaring down Route 100 south of this central Maine town. It’s a modest bit of the nation’s infrastructure — two lanes wide and 34 feet long, enough to span a small stream.
The bridge is newer than most, as suggested by the still-black asphalt and the fresh galvanized gleam of the guardrails. But it’s what is underneath that really makes the bridge stand out.

Rather than steel or concrete beams, the structure consists of 23 graceful arches of carbon- and glass-fiber fabric. These are 12-inch-diameter tubes that have been inflated, bent to the proper shape and stiffened with a plastic resin, then installed side by side and stuffed with concrete, like giant manicotti. Covered with composite decking and compacted soil, the arches support a standard gravel-and-asphalt roadway.

The bridge is the first of what its designers, about 50 miles up the road at the University of Maine in Orono, hope will be many of its type, combining composite materials with more conventional ones like concrete. With an estimated 160,000 of the nation’s 600,000 road bridges in need of repair or replacement, if it or other hybrid designs catch on, they could mark a breakthrough in the use of fiber-reinforced plastics, known as F.R.P., on highways.

“This was an experiment for us,” said Habib J. Dagher, director of the university’s Advanced Structures and Composites Center, where the design was developed over seven years. “It was time to get out of the lab and see if it really works.”

The bridge, built last November for about $600,000, is being monitored with deflection sensors and other instruments, and so far is holding up under the daily onslaught of traffic. “It went amazingly well,” Dr. Dagher said. “We learned a lot. It turned out to be $170,000 less expensive than a precast bridge.”

It worked so well, in fact, that it attracted the attention of the Obama administration; Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood toured the center in August. And a second, similar bridge was completed in late summer, farther north, in Anson. The fiber-arch design was the lowest of seven bids.

Long the stuff of surfboards and pleasure boats, and more recently used in aircraft wings and other components, plastic polymers reinforced with fibers were first researched for use in bridges in the 1980s. Civil engineers were attracted to them for the same reasons other designers were — their strength, light weight and corrosion resistance.

But the materials have not exactly revolutionized highway infrastructure. F.R.P. strips and sheets have been used to repair concrete or steel on existing bridges, or to strengthen structures against earthquakes. Glass-fiber rods have replaced steel in some reinforced concrete work, because corrosion of steel rebar from road de-icing chemicals destroys concrete.

When it comes to larger-scale structural components, however, fiber-reinforced plastics have had less of an impact. They have mostly been used in bridge decking, where corrosion resistance is critical and the lighter weight allows for a higher “live” load of vehicles. Only a handful of bridges have major support beams made from them.

One reason F.R.P. components haven’t caught on, experts say, is that engineers and contractors have little experience with the materials, and full standards guiding their use in highway construction have not been developed.

Engineers “have to deal with life-safety issues,” said John P. Busel, director of the composites growth initiative of the American Composites Manufacturers Association. “They have a desire to understand how materials fully develop and how they fully last before they specify them.”

The materials also do not always interact well with others. One problem with F.R.P. bridge decks, for example, is that the road surface — asphalt or concrete, applied as an overlay — can wear out quickly, said Lijuan Cheng, an assistant professor of engineering at the University of California, Davis.

But the main argument against using fiber-reinforced plastics has been economic.

“No. 1 is the upfront cost issue,” said Paul Ziehl, an associate professor of engineering at the University of South Carolina. “That’s a tough one to get around.”

Dr. Ziehl, who helped design and test F.R.P. beams used on a small bridge in Texas, said the problem was that no two projects were the same. “If you’re going to design things that really make sense from an optimized engineering standpoint, they are going to be one-of-a-kind items at first, until economies of scale kick in,” he said. The beams for the Texas bridge, for example, were custom designed and built using a labor-intensive method.

“The construction industry is very persnickety about cost,” Mr. Busel said. With F.R.P. decks, he added, “we’re more expensive, sometimes twice as expensive,” as conventional ones. What contractors need to understand, he said, is that there are transportation, labor and equipment savings from using lighter components, and potential maintenance savings, too.

Such savings were all part of the goal for the University of Maine’s design, Dr. Dagher said. Little costly F.R.P. material is used — it serves largely as a shell for the concrete, which is cheaper. The tubes help protect the concrete from de-icing chemicals, potentially reducing maintenance costs, and no internal rebar is needed. “It’s exoskeleton reinforcement,” Dr. Dagher said.

The arches are not the only hybrid design in use. John Hillman, an engineer and president of HC Bridge Company in Wilmette, Ill., has developed straight beams that combine polymers with concrete and steel. The basic beam consists of a rectangular F.R.P. tube with an arch-shaped conduit formed inside it. The conduit is filled with concrete, which provides compressive strength, and steel rods along the bottom of the tube provide tensile strength. The beams have been used on a test railroad bridge in Colorado and several road bridges in Illinois and New Jersey.

“Everything about the beam is designed to be compatible with conventional means of construction,” said Mr. Hillman, who has been working on the design for 14 years. “We’re very close right now to parity with concrete and steel on an installed-cost basis.”

Mr. Hillman’s beams still have to be delivered by truck, although they are light enough that several can be carried on one flatbed. The University of Maine arches, on the other hand, can be fabricated on site — the fabric inflated, bent around a simple form and infused with resin using a vacuum pump. Before they are filled with concrete they are light enough to be installed quickly, without the need for large cranes or other heavy-duty equipment. The second bridge was built in nine working days, Dr. Dagher said.

A spinoff company is working on more plans, including an 800-foot project that consists of multiple short spans. “We see single 300-foot spans in the future,” Dr. Dagher said. “We’re excited about taking this to the next level.”
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September, 14, 2009 - Sewer, water systems need aid State supports trust fund plan
By Mal Leary Capitol News Service   http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/120555.html

AUGUSTA, Maine — The numbers are huge.  Maine’s sewer and water systems need more than $500 million in repairs and expansions, according to state officials, and more than half of those projects need to be addressed in the next five years. To come up with funding for the projects, a national trust fund has been proposed to help pay for the needs across the country. The proposal has state support and the interest of Maine’s congressional delegation.

“It is a good proposal,” said Maine Environmental Protection Commissioner David Littell. “But I am reluctant to place the future of the program on the hopes that something will pass in Washington.” He said the federal Recovery Act has provided some one-time funding for projects, $6 billion nationally and about $30 million in Maine, but said the backlog of needed projects is growing as are the costs. The state uses bonds, federal loans and grants and local sewer and water district revenues to pay for repairs and upgrades.  “This is an economic development issue,” Littell said. “For developers to move forward, they need to make sure there is the capacity to handle their projects.”

The concept of a trust fund to ensure adequate funding for projects has support in Congress, with a House measure sponsored by both Democrats and Republicans.  Second District Rep. Mike Michaud, D-Maine, is a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee that is considering the measure. “We definitely have to look at setting up some sort of long-term trust fund to deal with this,” Michaud said. “How we fund it will be a contentious issue, I am sure of that.” 

Michaud said the federal Environmental Protection Agency has done a study showing that over the next 20 years there are more than $534 billion in projects that should be funded. He said the trust fund proposal is sure to run into opposition from those who do not want to implement new taxes to pay for the projects. “I’m not ready to say I will support new taxes, and I am not alone,” he said.  The House bill suggests a wide array of new taxes, from a tax on pharmaceuticals to taxes on a variety of household goods such as detergents, toothpaste, toilet paper and cooking oil. In all, the taxes are supposed to raise $10 billion a year for the new trust fund.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said there is no dispute that the nation needs to do more to address its aging infrastructure. But she also said that with the nation’s deficit increasing, there would be great reluctance to add any new taxes to meet even a clear need.  “I am open to new financing means,” she said, “but I am leery of new taxes for a specified trust fund because we have seen the highway fund, which takes exactly that approach, go broke.”  Collins said the current revolving loan fund is a good approach, where money is lent at low or no interest and as it’s repaid, additional loans are made. She said the problem is the needs across the country are growing faster than the ability of the fund to meet the needs.

First District Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, said taxes are always an issue, but without taxes, infrastructure projects can’t get built. She said the taxes might be made more acceptable by adopting different rates based on a public policy goal.  “If the kind of detergent that’s doing more polluting is taxed differently than one that allows us to have cleaner water, I don’t think that’s a bad way to get us to change our cleaning habits,” Pingree said.  She said with so much of the state’s water and sewer systems a century or more old, Maine would benefit greatly from an increased level of federal aid for projects.

Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, said Congress needs to do more to help local water and sewer districts upgrade facilities. But she doubts the trust fund proposal will find the support it needs for quick passage,  “This sort of permanent approach needs to be thoroughly reviewed,” she said, “and clearly, any new taxes are going to be controversial and a difficult battle.” Snowe said an incremental approach to the problem might be more successful, where Congress increases funding to the revolving loan fund and later considers some modest taxes to further bolster the fund.

Littell said there have been some discussions at the state level that additional resources are needed. He said those talks have included larger bond issues and some have suggested additional user fees.

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September 2, 2009 - Maine Wind Farm Gets Stimulus Funds [Stetson Mountain]
By Nick Sambides Jr., BDN Staff

Washington County industrial wind site was awarded $40.44 million of $502 million in federal stimulus money issued Tuesday in an unprecedented effort to spur private sector investments in clean energy and create new jobs nationwide.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced that a 57-megawatt facility on Stetson Mountain in Danforth in northwestern Washington County is among 12 to benefit in a first round of grant awards from an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act program.

“The Recovery Act is investing in our long-term energy needs while creating jobs in communities around the country,” Geithner said Tuesday. “This renewable energy program will spur the manufacture and development of clean energy in urban and rural America, allowing us to protect our environment, create good jobs and revitalize our nation’s economy.”

Operated by parent company First Wind of Massachusetts, the sole Maine project consists of 38 11/2-megawatt General Electric turbines, a substation, access roads and a 34.5-kilovolt collection system. As part of the project, a 38-mile transmission line was built to connect Stetson Mountain to the regional electricity grid.

The Stetson I project was eligible for stimulus funds because it came on line this year, said John Lamontagne, a spokesman for First Wind and its subsidiary, Evergreen Wind Power LLC.

The 12 selected projects are all now operational, said Tiffany Edwards, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Energy.

The federal grant effectively gives First Wind the benefits of tax credits that would have been spread over the life of the Stetson Mountain project, but instead provides those credits as upfront money.

“Our plan is to reinvest the funds so that we can accelerate the development of new renewable energy projects that will create jobs and increase the level of clean energy in this country,” Lamontagne said Tuesday.

Company officials have yet to decide which project will be funded, Lamontagne said.

The Recovery Act program is expected to provide more than $3 billion in financial support for clean energy projects by providing direct payments. These payments will support an estimated 5,000 biomass, solar, wind, and other renewable energy production facilities nationwide.

The first round of funding supports the creation of more than 2,000 jobs in the renewable energy industry — in construction and manufacturing — while moving the nation closer to meeting the Obama administration’s goal of doubling renewable energy generation in the next few years, according to the administration.

Anti-wind activists questioned why so much money was being lavished on windmills, which they describe — and wind activists concede — is an erratic source of energy, given the intermittent nature of wind and the lack of battery cells large enough to house the power they generate.

“One has to ask why energy sources such as wind need so much help if they are so viable an alternative,” said Eric Rosenbloom, president of National Wind Watch Inc. “Perhaps they are not so viable at all but rather just a politically popular symbol of a certain strain of ‘green’ thinking.

“Twenty years of grants and tax breaks haven’t worked yet,” Rosenbloom added, “so it is unlikely that this latest round will have any effect on our energy mix — but it will cause more wind energy facilities to be built, irreparably destroying yet more rural and wild areas of this country.”

First Wind has one operating wind farm in Maine besides Stetson — a 42-megawatt project at Mars Hill — and six projects in advanced or early development.

The six in development include Stetson II, a 25-megawatt project also located in Danforth; the 60-megawatt Rollins Mountain project on ridgelines in Burlington, Lee, Lincoln and Winn; a 55-megawatt project in Oakfield; and the 40-megawatt Longfellow project in Rumford. The locations of two other projects totaling 230 megawatts have yet to be announced.

First Wind also has 29 other projects in what the company terms early to advanced development, or under construction, in Canada, California, Hawaii, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wyoming.

Three other First Wind projects, two in New York and one in Hawaii, already operate.

By leaving open the possibility that the federal money could go into projects outside Maine, Lamontagne’s statements conflicted somewhat with those from Maine’s federal legislators, who presumed the money would stay local.

“This money is going straight into the Maine economy to create jobs and stimulate business across the state,” said U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree.

“First Wind is part of the growing clean energy industry in our state,” Pingree said. “It is an industry that is going to create new jobs and new sources of clean, renewable energy to Maine. I’m committed to helping develop this industry, and this grant is going to give those efforts a big boost.”

“Investment is critical if Maine is to become a leader in the development of wind power,” U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins said in a joint statement. “This funding will assist Evergreen Wind Power to tap this potential and will help create good-paying, clean energy jobs in Maine.”

Lamontagne hinted strongly that the grant would be expended in Maine, which he called “one of our priority states.”

nsambides@bangordailynews.net

794-8215

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August 28, 2009 Coal Tar Cleanup Begins in BANGOR, Maine
By Eric Russell - BDN Staff

After nearly a decade of study and legal wrangling, the city is set to begin removing deposits of coal tar — a known carcinogen — from the Penobscot River.

A crew from a Wisconsin environmental consulting and engineering firm already has begun prep work this week, drilling into the riverbed to create an apparatus that will keep fish away from the site. As soon as the American Folk Festival wraps up this weekend, the crew will resume work with the hope of finishing in November.

The exhaustive cleanup project is expected to cost about $7 million, which will be paid for by settlement money from Citizens Communications Co., a group of third parties a judge ruled was responsible for most of the cost. Any additional cost will be paid by the city through its downtown tax increment financing district funds. 

“The issue of coal tar is long-standing, going back literally decades, so certainly getting this done is a major step forward,” City Manager Edward Barrett said Thursday. Initial studies done by the city early in this decade determined that Bangor Gas Works, which operated from 1881 to 1963 on land where the Main Street Shaw’s Supermarket is now, was the source of the coal tar. The substance is a byproduct of gas manufacturing and likely was deposited in the river through a sewage outlet that began at the gas plant.

For most of the year, coal tar is not really a problem, but when the water warms in August, the deposits rise to the surface in small blobs that stick to objects such as boats and animals. When absorbed through skin, coal tar is known to cause cancer.

City Engineer Jim Ring, who has worked closely with the Wisconsin firm RMT Inc., and with state and federal regulatory agencies, said the cleanup project is unique.

Once the contractor resumes work next week, it will erect a containment curtain on 1.3 acres of riverbed to disrupt the ecosystem as little as possible. Then, roughly 6,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment will be removed and trucked to a landfill. Next, the firm will construct a sloped stone cap that will divert any additional coal tar away from the river to the shore, where it is no longer problematic.

During the remediation, Ring cautioned, the initial dredging will produce some foul odors throughout that part of the city. He said those odors would be monitored closely but are unavoidable.

The legal battle over the coal tar contamination began in 2002 when the city sued the Stamford, Conn.-based Citizens Communications, the successor of a series of corporate entities that owned and operated Bangor Gas Works. Citizens denied it was responsible for the pollution in the section of the river known as Dunnett’s Cove. The company in turn sued a dozen companies alleging that others, including the city, should pay for the cleanup because they, not Citizens, were responsible for the plume-shaped coal-tar deposit. Some of those companies then sued fourth parties.

In July 2008, a federal judge ruled that Citizens must pay about $7 million toward the cleanup. However, the group could still pursue claims against Barrett Paving Materials Inc., Dead River Co., Honeywell International Inc. and others to recoup some of that total. Barrett said that process is ongoing, but last summer’s settlement allowed the city to move forward with the cleanup.

With all the improvements to the city’s waterfront area, Barrett said, the timing is right.  “As we continue remaking our waterfront and attracting private development down there, it certainly benefits us to have this done,” he said. 

Picture:  Rockland-based Prock Marine employees work on the steel structure that will hold a containment curtain around a 1.3 acre area of the Penobscot River bottom on the Bangor waterfront.,

erussell@bangordailynews.net 207-990-8167

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August 27, 2009 MDEP approves Record Hill wind farm
By The Mainebiz News Staff

State environmental regulators have given final approval to a 22-turbine wind farm in western Maine being proposed by the company founded by former Gov. Angus King.

The Maine Department of Environmental Protection has approved Record Hill Wind LLC's environmental permit application for the $120 million wind farm it wants to build along Record Hill, Flathead Mountain and Partridge Peak ridgelines in the Oxford County town of Roxbury, according to the DEP's 63-page decision. As a condition of Record Hill's permit, the company must hire a third-party inspector to monitor compliance with permit conditions during construction, which is expected to begin next year.

Record Hill Wind is a joint venture formed by Lyme, N.H.-based Wagner Forest Management and Independence Wind, the company King founded in 2007 with former Maine Public Broadcasting Network President Robert Gardiner. (Read a 2007 interview with King about Independence Wind.)

The project will have the capacity to generate 50.6 megawatts of electricity annually, but the company estimates it will operate at around 34% capacity on an annual basis. Colorado-based CoBank is expected to finance the project.

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July 20, 2009 - Maine Engineering Graduate recalls role in key Apollo 11 systems' construction
Retired Meredith engineer recalls role in key Apollo 11 systems' construction
By VICTORIA GUAY, vguay@citizen.com 

Merideth, NH — In 1961, Ralph Martin, then a young engineer, said he laughed when he heard newly inaugurated President John F. Kennedy say America would put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.  Little did he know that just two years later, he would play a role in making the Apollo 11 mission a success. "Everyone thought he (Kennedy) was joking," said Martin, 81, the former manager of engineering for the Massachusetts-based Raytheon Company. Martin is now retired and living in the Lakes Region.   He, along with other engineers and production workers at Raytheon's Waltham plant, were responsible for the manufacturing of the guidance and navigation system computers for the Apollo 11 spacecraft and lunar landing module. The computers performed all the navigational computations required throughout the course of the Apollo 11 mission.

Martin said Raytheon's involvement with NASA occurred because Brainard Holmes, a former NASA director, decided to go into the private sector and became executive vice president at Raytheon. "He immediately established a new Space and Information Systems Division, which was headquarter in Sudbury, Mass.," Martin said, adding that shortly thereafter, he was asked to be the division's manager of engineering.

The Apollo 11 system had been designed by the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory (now the Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.), and Raytheon worked with MIT to manufacture the system, Martin said.

According to Jon Kasle, media relations director at Raytheon, NASA instructed Raytheon in 1963 to proceed with plans to produce 14 computers, or seven sets, meant for earlier Apollo spacecraft and testing as well as for the actual Apollo 11.   "The Apollo Guidance Computer gained a worldwide reputation as the most reliable digital computer of its time," Kasle wrote in an e-mail. "The system was used to guide, navigate and monitor the movement of the Command and Lunar Landing modules of the Apollo spacecraft, and there were no reported failures during the mission."  He added that the computer made flight and landing calculations before, during and after the mission.  Referring to Raytheon's 1969 annual report, Kasle said the system proved to be so accurate that, during the mission, only two minor mid-course corrections were made during the long translunar and transearth coasts.   The lunar landing was well within the designated area, Kasle said, and the lunar landing pod's return to the main ship worked like clockwork.  

The report contains a quote from Astronaut Mike Collins. In describing the lunar orbit rendezvous, Collins said the returning module "came up from below absolutely as if they were riding on a rail."  Splashdown in the Pacific was just 6,000 yards from the prime recovery ship.  Kasle added that the Raytheon computers aboard the command and lunar modules performed equally well during the other three Apollo missions in 1969 — Apollo 9, during which rendezvous and docking maneuvers were tested in earth orbit; Apollo 10, which sent its lunar module close to the surface of the moon; and Apollo 12, the second lunar landing.

Kasle said Raytheon made other contributions to the Apollo program, including manufacturing the microwave tube that also sent radio and television signals to earth, enabling millions to witness the historic moment.  Hughes Aircraft Company, a business Raytheon later bought, built the surveyor spacecraft that completed the first successful soft lunar landing earlier that decade, paving the way for future Apollo flights.

Martin said the Apollo guidance and navigation system computer project was one of a few he managed during his time at the location, which ended in 1965 when he was promoted to become the general manager of Raytheon's submarine plant in Rhode Island.

Martin worked for Raytheon for more than 40 years overall, retiring as president of the Raytheon's European division.   While managing the Apollo project, he said Raytheon's role was to convert the initial designs and prototypes MIT had designed into something that could be manufactured.  "The part Raytheon played was significant, but it was just an itty bitty part," he said.  Martin said they had to build several computers because NASA wanted to make sure the computers for the Apollo 11 would work properly. "NASA wanted something that was 100 percent reliable," he said. "Everything was done and redone and checked and rechecked."

Martin said he worked in Sudbury, Mass., and the assembly work was done at the Waltham plant.  At various times during production, the astronauts involved in the various Apollo missions visited the workers at the Waltham site, said Martin, who recalls briefly meeting Buzz Aldrin.

Martin said for the manufacture of the memory system of the computer, they hired women, who had in general, smaller, more nimble fingers to be able to thread wires through magnetic rings with holes in the middle. He said the memory system MIT developed using magnets was ingenious because it did not depend on electrical power but rather magnetic energy and therefore was foolproof.

Martin managed the Apollo guidance and navigation system computer project in its beginning and middle stages, from 1963 to 1965.  In 1969, Martin, with hundreds of others who had played a key role in making the Apollo 11 Mission possible, was invited to Cape Canaveral to watch the launch. The launch took place on July 16, 1969. Martin called it "spectacular"  "You can't imagine the flame, the fire and the steam that came out," he said. "It looked like the whole world was on fire. Then the rocket just sits there and shakes for a moment before liftoff."  Four days later, on July 20, 1969, he was home in Rhode Island with his wife, Guida, and children watching television to see the lunar landing and the first steps being taken by man on the moon.  He said he, like hundreds of others who had a hand in the mission, watched the events unfold with bated breath.  "Everyone was pretty nervous," he said. "Nothing could go wrong."  He said he was particularly interested to see that first of all, the lunar module landed upright and did not fall over.  If it had, Martin said, then the rockets that were supposed to propel it back up to the main ship wouldn't work. Second, he was concerned that the module guidance and navigation system would do its job and guide the module back to the main ship properly.  "If it hadn't worked, we'd have two astronauts on the moon still," Martin said.

He worked at the Rhode Island submarine plant until 1981, when he became president of Raytheon Service Company, which oversaw international projects, one of which was managing teams stationed at various points on the globe to track NASA's new spacecraft, the shuttles.   In 1991, Martin was named president of Raytheon's European Division, and lived in London for a few years before retiring.

Martin, a Maine native and graduate of the University of Maine, originally retired to Maine Coast, but in wanting to be closer to his children and grandchildren, some of whom live in New Hampshire and others who live other parts of Southern New England, he deduced to settle in Meredith, where his home, which he shares with his second wife, Linda, commands a view of Lake Winnipesaukee.

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July 14, 2009 - Universities win big grant for 'green' research   -  Colleges in Maine will use the funds to hire up to 300 people who will help plot the transition to a more sustainable economy.
By JOHN RICHARDSON, Staff Writer, Portland Press Herald

The University of Maine and University of Southern Maine are launching a broad new education and research effort to create a greener society. The schools have received a $20 million, five-year federal grant to create the Sustainability Solution Initiative, which will be based at UMaine in Orono.

Gov. John Baldacci is scheduled to formally announce the grant Wednesday at the campus, according to an advisory sent by the school Monday. It is believed to be the largest research grant ever received by the university system, and comes from the same federal grant program that launched UMaine's Advanced Structures Composites Center and Climate Change Institute, among other efforts.

The funding will pay for new faculty positions, research projects and a variety of academic courses focused on understanding environmental threats and how to make the transition to a more sustainable society. Ultimately, the initiative could help make the transitions to renewable energy, alternative transportation and improved water management.  The project will directly support as many as 300 research-based and other jobs – most of them new positions – and will expand education initiatives at all grade levels in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, according to the advisory.

"Everybody's talking about the green economy and how the economy is going to have to change to adapt to climate change," said Charles Colgan, an economics professor at USM's Muskie School of Public Service. How to make that transition is not well understood, he said.  "We're going to have to change not just where we get our energy from, but there's the whole question of are we going to continue to sprawl outwards" and what kind of housing we should build, said Colgan, who is one of the core faculty working on the initiative. "The whole question of sustainability is a lot more complicated than wind power. That's what this initiative is about," he said. "We want to create computer models of the Maine landscape that will allow us to see in much greater detail what's going to happen over the next 50 years."

A UMaine Web site describes the Sustainability Solutions Initiative as an effort to bring together the state's social, political, economic, communications and ecological experts and promote research that could help decision-makers. Initial research projects will focus on pressures facing Maine's landscape, including urbanization, forest management and climate change. The grant money will pay for a variety of student and faculty research efforts, as well as three new faculty positions at the University of Maine and one at USM in Portland, Colgan said.

Although UMaine and USM are leading the effort, other colleges and universities also are expected to be part of the initiative and various research efforts. The $20 million grant comes from a National Science Foundation program that helps build research capacity in more-rural states such as Maine. Baldacci's announcement is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday at the Wells Conference Center in Orono.  In addition to the five-year NSF grant, the Maine Economic Improvement Fund is contributing a $5 million grant plus a $5 million in-kind contribution for salaries and research facilities during the same period.  Other university system initiatives created with the funding have gone on to attract academic experts and influence the state's policies and economy. A $6.9-million, three-year NSF grant created UMaine's Forest Bioproducts Research Initiative in 2006, for example.

"That really helped us to put the investment into the research infrastructure," including new research equipment and three new faculty members, said Hemant Pendse, the initiative's managing director. "It really shows how we can rapidly take the basic research and bring it to a place so the private sector gets the benefit."  The bioproducts initiative has been working with the Old Town Pulp & Paper Mill to turn wood into ethanol, and helped win a $30 million federal energy grant that put 160 people back to work there.

Staff Writer John Richardson can be contacted at 791-6324 or at: jrichardson@pressherald.com

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July 14, 2009 - Baldacci Nominates Seven for Energy Board
By Kevin Miller, Bangor Daily News, Maine 

Gov. John Baldacci on Monday nominated seven people -- including three Bangor area residents -- to serve on a new board that will oversee Maine's energy efficiency and conservation programs.  The Efficiency Maine Trust was a key part of a larger energy bill that sets ambitious goals for moving the state toward greater energy independence.

The trust's board will coordinate the energy-related programs now offered by the state, such as home weatherization efforts, as well as develop new initiatives. The trust also will oversee disbursement of money for energy efficiency and alternative energy projects -- including proceeds from Maine's participation in the regional cap-and-trade program on greenhouse gases. Trustees also will explore how to raise additional funds, whether through bonds or other methods.

Additionally, the trust will be responsible for developing a triennial plan for how to meet energy independence goals. Those goals include: weatherizing 100 percent of homes and 50 percent of businesses by 2030 and reducing Maine's consumption of liquid fossil fuels by 30 percent by 2030.

The seven nominees are:

• Michelle Atherton of Orrington, a civil engineer and owner of New Form Building Systems Inc.
• James Atwell of Falmouth, a senior project manager at Sevee & Maher Engineers Inc. and current chairman of the board of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce.
• Glenn Poole of Orrington, manufacturing support manager and energy manger for Verso Paper in Bucksport and a member of Maine's Energy Conservation Board.
• John Rohman of Bangor, president and CEO of WBRC Architects Engineers and former Bangor City Council member and mayor.
• Adam Lee of Cumberland Center, president of Lee Auto Mall and chairman of the Maine Energy Conservation Board.
• Naomi Mermin of Portland, owner of Naomi Mermin Consulting, an energy efficiency firm, and current chairwoman of the U.S. Green Building Council's Maine board of directors.

Tom Tietenberg of Waterville, a retired economics professor at Colby College who serves as a trustee of the Energy and Carbon Savings Trust and a member of the Energy Conservation Board.
The other two trustees, as specified in the legislation, will be the director of the Governor's Office of Energy Independence and Security, a post now held by John Kerry, and the director of the Maine State Housing Authority, a position now held by Dale McCormick.

The seven nominees must be reviewed by the Legislature's Utilities and Energy Committee and confirmed by the Maine Senate.

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July 14, 2009 - Consultant questions state pier repair costs - The pier appears to be in fair shape, and the price for fixing it depends on how the city plans to use it, he says.
By TOM BELL, Staff Writer, Portland Press Herald

PORTLAND — In 2006, city officials said it would cost $13 million to repair the Maine State Pier and stave off the damage caused by marine borers.  By 2007, the price tag had grown to $18 million.Earlier this year, it jumped to anywhere from $22 million to $26 million. It now appears that those numbers are way too high, and some are questioning why a comprehensive inspection was never done.

Wayne Duffett, a South Portland engineer who for years has done consulting work for the city on the waterfront, said it will actually be impossible to estimate the cost of repairs until the city decides exactly what it wants to use the pier for.  Duffett said the city has fallen behind on maintenance but could catch up if it spends roughly $400,000 a year for possibly up to 10 years, when it could scale back spending. In the meantime, the pier has enough lateral and vertical support to accommodate the large cruise ships it welcomes, he said.

This spring, Duffett walked under the pier during two low tides – enough to examine 20 percent of the pilings. He rowed around the pier on a small boat. He arranged for a diving team to examine three sections of the pier. "It's not in bad condition," Duffett said in an interview. "It's got some problems in places exposed to the weather. But once you get underneath, the pilings are in pretty good shape, and the structural timbers are in pretty good shape."  His cursory analysis, which he delivered to the City Council's Community Development Committee last week, is causing some to question whether city officials employed flimsy cost estimates to rally public support for development plans.  "The numbers being thrown around willy-nilly were scare tactics to justify a development scheme being put forward," said Councilor John Anton, an outspoken critic of the development process. "The irony of it is the same city staffers who had seemed anxious for a large number to repair the pier to justify a development scenario are suddenly interested in lower numbers."

Jim Cloutier, a former councilor who led an effort to lease the pier to a developer, called Anton's accusation "nonsense."  He said the redevelopment of Maine's longest pier was never about development schemes. The city could have simply borrowed the money to repair the pier on its own, he said.  Rather, Cloutier said, the problem with the pier was that there was no business plan for it.  "We were not working on a budget anyway. We were working on a concept," he said. "If you don't have anything to make the pier a vibrant, public place, you're wasting money."

Built by the state in 1922 for a ship-rail cargo terminal, the pier stands on about 4,500 creosote-treated pine piles.  Over the years, there have been several reports on its condition:

• In 2001, a Naval Reserve dive team mapped a large section of the underwater structure and concluded that there was a 15 percent loss of pile support due to marine borer degradation of the piles.
• Around 2005, after the city's major tenant, Cianbro Corp., had stopped repairing oil rigs, the Maguire Group, an engineering and construction firm, collected core samples and concluded that most of the oak cross-bracing had deteriorated. It estimated that short-term repairs would cost $725,000.
• In 2006, after sinkholes appeared at the section of the pier near Casco Bay Lines, the engineering firm Appledore Marine did a "cursory review" of previous city studies. It recommended that the city budget $5 million to $10 million to wrap each of the piles with a reinforced plastic jacket to shield the piles from the mollusks and crustaceans that bore into wood.  The company also recommended another $1.7 million in repairs be made to the concrete deck and skirt wall, and urged budgeting $500,000 every five years for maintenance.
• This February, Jason Gallant, an engineer for the Louis Berger Group, estimated that it would cost anywhere from $22 million to $26 million to shore up the entire pier to accommodate development on the scale proposed by the Olympia Cos., which planned to build a 175-room luxury hotel on the pier.

Olympia and Ocean Properties both wound up pulling out of plans to develop the pier, citing the bad economy.

Duffett said one of the first things the city needs to do is spend about $100,000 on a comprehensive inspection. That would include having divers survey the entire underwater area.

City Councilor Nicholas Mavodones Jr., who serves on the Community Development Committee, said he supports funding a comprehensive evaluation. "I think a thorough analysis has to be done," he said. "It's a question I have had for a long time: What are we basing our decisions on?"  The city is moving ahead on one critical investment: Portland and the state are splitting the $206,000 cost of replacing one of the two bollards used to tie up cruise ships. The bollard will be installed next month.

Staff Writer Tom Bell can be contacted at 791-6369 or at: tbell@pressherald.com

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July 13, 2009 - Maine's Fishy Culverts
Submitted by George Smith on Mon, 07/13/2009 - 8:05pm. Maine Nature

If your life depended on moving upstream, you’d care more about culverts.  Poorly constructed road culverts have been devastating for many creatures, from tiny aquatic organisms to big Atlantic salmon, and for my favorite fish, officially designated by the legislature as a Maine Heritage Fish, our wild and native brook trout.

This is no small problem. Maine’s cut of the federal stimulus package includes $1.7 million from NOAA to install better culverts in the upper Machias River to improve natural water flow and accessibility for sea-run fish. That’s $1.7 million, for just one stretch of one river.

Seth Koenig, executive director of Project SHARE, the Washington County organization that will administer the funds, told Bangor Daily News reporter Bill Trotter the federal money will be used to replace culverts. “Basically, the problem is undersized round culverts. In total, there will be about seventy sites affected.”

The project will also receive $600,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and $150,000 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. I’m no math wiz, but my calculator reports that this is about $35,000 per culvert. Perhaps they’re silver-lined.

They’ll begin replacing culverts any day now, another one of those “shovel-ready” jobs that is supposedly stimulating our economy and creating jobs.

Problem culverts also got the attention of the Maine legislature this year. The organization in which I serve as executive director, the Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine, joined four environmental organizations in support of LD 1333, An Act to Ensure that Replacement Culverts Permit Fish Passage. The bill was sponsored by House Speaker Hannah Pingree.

The environmental groups, to be fair, carried the water on this one, particularly the Maine Audubon Society whose lobbyist Jenny Burns Gray did a superb job on the bill, with a supporting cast of Maine Rivers, Atlantic Salmon Federation, and Maine Council of Trout Unlimited. LD 1333 began its upstream swim as a major piece of climate control legislation, but that’s a story for another day. At the end of the day, all that was left of the climate control bill was the provision for better culverts. The legislative process is a beautiful thing – sometimes.

Forgive me for making fun of this, because, as an avid angler, I do get angry when I see poorly installed culverts. Road workers just do not understand the impact of their poor work. Perhaps they just aren’t anglers.

The Maine Department of Transportation actually has an excellent manual that outlines the correct installation of culverts for its workers, and municipalities are supposed to use these best practices at the local level. But hey, who is looking?

Just a few crazy anglers, that’s all. And we haven’t been very effective in speaking up in the name of correct culverts.

Thousands of road culverts are too small, poorly installed, or not maintained, eliminating critical upstream passage for fish and aquatic organisms seeking food, spawning grounds, or cooler water. In the Lower Penobscot River alone, a recent survey found that 91 percent of the 533 crossings present passage problems for fish. And 54 percent of the problems were severe.

Better late than never, LD 1333 amends the Natural Resources Protection Act to limit exemptions to the current law’s requirement that natural stream flow be maintained for upstream and downstream passage when culverts or crossings are repaired or replaced. The bill also requires the Department of Environmental Protection to tighten up its abbreviated “permit by rule” process to require municipalities to meet the same stream flow requirement when replacing or repairing culverts and crossings.

It will take decades to repair not just the culverts, but also the damage we’ve done to native fisheries and aquatic resources. But doing it the right way, from here on, will save money in the future and assure a sustainable native fishery for generations to come.

Of course, the legislature just tiptoed into the stream this session. They required the DEP to bring their new rules back to the legislature for approval in 2010. Those rules won’t take effect until approved by the legislature next year.

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July 13, 2009 - Project set to take off
BY SCOTT MONROE, Staff Writer Kennebec Journal - Morning  Sentinel, Waterville.

PITTSFIELD -- Up, up and away.
It's liftoff for a $1 million-plus project to fix a broken section of the Pittsfield Municipal Airport that hasn't seen repairs in its 60-year existence. Town officials last week accepted a $1,065,790 bid from hometown construction firm Cianbro Corp. to reconstruct the airport apron. The original cost estimate was about $130,000 higher than that.

The apron is basically a big parking lot for planes coming off the runway, where they can be refueled and stored in hangars. The apron area is original to the airport, which was built in the 1950s over an old racetrack. Work is expected to start this summer and last for two months, according to Town Manager Kathryn Ruth.  "It's wonderful," Ruth said. "That's about 100,000 square feet of full apron reconstruction, drainage and tie-downs for planes located at the facility. There will be pavement markings and a new gate with access control, which will be good."

Paying the bill for the big airport project won't cost the town much. In February, the airport was awarded a $1.04 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to rebuild the apron, covering about 95 percent of the estimated cost. Under the grant rules, the state of Maine and town are responsible for 2.5 percent of the cost apiece. "The town will pay that in the airport reserve fund, about $30,000," Ruth said.  The airport is an important economic draw for the larger Pittsfield area, according to town officials.

Cianbro is one of the airport's key users; the company employs two full-time pilots and company officials often use the airport to travel to other company locations. The town has also acquired a construction permit from the Department of Environmental Protection and can now hire a contractor, Ruth said.  Ruth said the project will be a delicate operation because town officials hope the airport can remain operational during construction; planes need to cross the apron area to refuel.

Town and Cianbro officials plan to meet Thursday to iron out a specific construction timetable, she said. 
Scott Monroe -- 861-9253

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July 11, 2009 Maine paper mills fight to survive | Business partners optimistic about forestry’s future
By Nick Sambides Jr., BDN Staff

LINCOLN, Maine — Keith Van Scotter is an industry veteran and architect of one of the Maine paper industry’s success stories. He and business partner John Wissman raised $23.7 million and bought the former Eastern Pulp and Paper Corp. in 2004, then raised $36 million to double Lincoln Paper and Tissue LLC’s tissue-making capacity in 2006.

His picks for the industries’ best recession survivors come with a caveat.

“The industry that is left will be relatively well,” Van Scotter said, “provided there are no external policy changes [with the state or federal government] that cause real problems. People still use paper. They will change how they use it, but it’s not going away.”

His picks:

• Verso Paper of Jay and Bucksport, which make coated supercalender and catalog papers. “They have got good-sized equipment, they are relatively efficient from a staffing perspective, and they make a relatively good-quality product,” Van Scotter said. For 2008, the company reported an overall increase in net sales of 8.5 percent on the strength of an average increase of price per ton of about 16.5 percent.
• Sappi Fine Paper North America of Skowhegan and Westbrook, which makes coated wood-free paper and specialty and technical papers, such as the peel-and-stick labels that airlines use to tag luggage. “They are probably the largest pulp and paper mill in North America,” Van Scotter said.  “There are a whole lot of specialty products out there that are not big-volume products but are still good products to market. This company makes them,” he added. “There’s not a lot of products here that risk being displaced by electronics.”
• NewPage Corp. of Rumford. The largest coated paper manufacturer in North America based on production capacity claimed $4.4 billion in net sales for 2008, despite cutbacks. “What is left of that mill is a good and efficient mill,” Van Scotter said.
• Lincoln Paper and Tissue LLC of Lincoln. You can forgive Van Scotter any immodesty. “We make a good product, we have a good percentage of the market, and we’re not so large that the bigger manufacturers will come after us,” he said.
• Fraser Papers, which has filed for bankruptcy protection in Canada and operates a mill in Madawaska. “They are a specialty producer, but some of their products [sales] are declining rather quickly,” Van Scotter said. “The key to their survival is for them to get their size and cost structure in line with the volume of their business. That, overall, is the entire industry’s challenge as we are a high fixed-cost industry and a certain volume [of production] is required to make money.”

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July 11, 2009 Fed money to help fund new water storage tank
By Eric Russell, Bangor Daily Staff  http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/110487.html

BANGOR, Maine — The city’s water district is preparing to replace a 51-year-old, 4 million-gallon, steel water storage tank on Essex Street with the help of nearly $1.8 million in federal stimulus funding.

The existing tank, which requires continual maintenance at a significant cost, will be replaced by a 3.4 million-gallon concrete tank that needs little upkeep, according to Wes Haskell with the Bangor Water District.

“Usually what we do with our existing tanks is sandblast and paint them periodically. That has become expensive over the years,” said Haskell, a district engineer. “Recently, we found some structural issues with this particular tank and decided to replace it.”

The water district’s plans include the removal of an adjacent 2 million-gallon steel tank that was built in 1933. Haskell said going from 6 million gallons to 3.4 million gallons of stored water at that site is possible because of improved cooperation with neighboring water utilities as well as new water quality standards.

The great thing about the new tank, Haskell said, is that it won’t ever need repainting. Additionally, the existing tanks have electric mixing systems that circulate water to boost disinfection at the cost of about $1,500 a month during summer season. The new tank comes equipped with a passive mixing system that does not use electricity.

Construction is expected to begin on Monday, July 20, and will continue through the fall before wrapping up in the spring of 2010.

“We want to get as much done now because there is a limiting factor of being able to work with concrete and cold temperatures,” Haskell said.

Customers in that area of Essex Street will not see any changes in their water pressure but could experience additional traffic and noise during the project, he said.

The cost of the new standpipe, including engineering and design, is about $1.8 million. Thirty percent of that total, or about $550,000, is a grant through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The remainder is a no-interest loan.

The contractor for the tank replacement project is Preload Inc. of New York. Haskell said no Maine companies do this kind of work, but the water district is sensitive to the City Council’s desire to hire local firms when possible.

“The firm has hired a local agency to do site work, and they are going to purchase lumber and other materials locally,” Haskell said.

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July 2, 2009 - Sappi agrees to build fishways
By Leslie Bridgers  Reporter - American Journal

WESTBROOK (July 2, 2009): Sappi Fine Paper North America will not appeal a decision from the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife requiring the company to build a fish passageway on the Cumberland Mills Dam, according to a company spokeswoman.   The decision from Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Commissioner Roland Martin, made Monday, comes after a process that began years ago, in which several conservation groups urged the state to require Sappi to build the passageways in order restore populations of migratory fish.  That process came to a halt two years ago, when Sappi agreed to remove the dam as part of a deal with the conservation groups. However, a year ago, Sappi pulled out of the deal, and the groups – Friends of the Presumpscot River, American Rivers, the Maine Department of Marine Resources and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service – renewed their effort to get the state to force the company to provide fish passage.

“It’s been a long, hard fight, and we are so grateful for this decision,” said Dusti Faucher, president of Friends of the Presumpscot River.  Douglas Watts, executive officer of Friends of Sebago Lake, said the ruling isn't only good news for the health of the river, but for the eventual restoration of Sebago Lake, as well. "We're ecstatic about this," said Watts.

According to Deborah Turcotte, spokeswoman for the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, the next step will be for the department to figure out what type of fish passage Sappi will be required to install. She said a timeline for that process has not yet been set, but the paper company says it will construct what the state requires.

“Sappi Fine Paper North America is looking forward to working with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife on the next stage of the process, which will determine the requirements to build a fishway at the Cumberland Mills Dam,” said Donna Cassese, manager of the Westbrook mill. “Once these details have been determined, Sappi will proceed accordingly.”  Faucher said having fish passage at the Cumberland Mills Dam is “the key that unlocks the rest of the river.”

In 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld conditions in federal licenses that require the mill to maintain fish passages at its other dams. The Cumberland Mills dam is not regulated by a federal license, however, because it does not produce power. Therefore, the Supreme Court decision did not apply to that dam.  Furthermore, in the Supreme Court ruling, Sappi is not forced to install the fish passageways on the other dams until a passage is installed at the Cumberland Mills Dam, because it is the first dam on the river migratory fish meet, preventing them from even reaching the others – which is why this ruling was so crucial.

Faucher said it would take time to rebuild the river’s habitat, but she sees a complete restoration of the species of fish and animals that used to live in and along the river. And eventually, she said, it will be the people of Maine, through recreation and tourism, who will benefit from that restoration.  The dam, and other dams farther upstream, prevents the sea-run species of fish from traveling from the ocean to fresh bodies of water to spawn. Sea-run fish native to the Presumpscot River are blueback herring, alewife, shad and Atlantic salmon.

Many of the dams previously had fish passageways installed in them, but after years of neglect and aging they were no longer operational, according to Faucher. They were never replaced because the river was considered too polluted for fish migration. However, in recent years the quality of the river has improved to the point where fish would be able to use it again, she said.

In his decision, Martin said further proceedings will determine requirements for the design and operation of the fish passageways, including where and how many there should be.

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July 2, 2009 - Six dams in Maine to be sold for $95M - Energy investment firm wants hydroelectric sites
By Kevin Miller BDN Staff

AUGUSTA, Maine — PPL Corp. announced Wednesday that it plans to sell all of the company’s hydroelectric facilities in Maine to an energy investment firm for $95 million.

The deal, which must be approved by state and federal regulators, would transfer full ownership of six dams in the following locations: Milford, Orono, Stillwater, Ellsworth, Medway and West Enfield. Collectively, the dams produce 36 megawatts of hydropower.

The firm purchasing the dams from PPL, Black Bear Hydro Partners LLC, already owns a 50 percent stake in the West Enfield facility. PPL officials said late Wednesday they do not anticipate that the sale will have any impact on power generation or other operations at the dams. Black Bear Hydro has agreed to retain all 17 employees at the facilities and to honor its union contract.  Additionally, the deal will not affect PPL’s separate agreement to sell three other facilities to a coalition planning to remove two dams and bypass a third as part of a historic river restoration project within the Penobscot River watershed.  PPL will hold on to those three dams — the Veazie, Great Works and Howland facilities — and transfer ownership to the Penobscot River Restoration Trust when federal regulators sign off on the proposal.  “We’re committed to seeing that through to the successful completion,” said PPL spokesman George Biechler.

Black Bear Hydro Partners is a subsidiary of Boston-based ArcLight Capital Partners, which has a stake in energy generation, transmission and infrastructure throughout the United States and Europe. A company representative could not be reached for comment Wednesday evening. However, the company’s Web site said that ArcLight’s investment funds are valued at $6.8 billion.  Biechler said PPL decided to sell the hydropower facilities in large part because they are outside of the company’s core areas. PPL, which is based in Allentown, Pa., will maintain the company’s 8.3 percent ownership share of the oil-fired Wyman power plant in Yarmouth.

Reached by phone Wednesday, PPL Maine employee Scott Hall said he also understands that the sale is not expected to have any impact on generation, operations or employees at the six dams.

Representatives of the Penobscot River Restoration Trust, meanwhile, said they were pleased that PPL remains committed to the sale of the three dams. The trust has already secured $25 million to purchase the dams, pending federal approval, and is working to raise the additional $25 million needed to remove the Great Works and Veazie dams and bypass the Howland dam.  The project is expected to open up nearly 1,000 miles of habitat to endangered Atlantic salmon, shad, alewives and other sea-run fish. In return for agreeing to sell the three dams, PPL was granted authorization to increase power generation at the six other facilities involved in Wednesday’s deal in order to offset the loss of the three dams. That agreement will now transfer to Black Bear Hydro.  “We look forward to continuing to work with PPL, including on the purchase of the Veazie, Great Works, and Howland dams, and as well as working productively with Black Bear Hydro Partners and their parent company to fully implement the Penobscot Project,” Laura Rose Day, executive director of the trust, said in a statement.

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June 30, 2009 Fox Islands celebrate wind power groundbreaking
By Shlomit Auciello  The Herald Gazette Reporter

VINALHAVEN (June 30): Media, dignitaries and private citizens from the Fox Islands and beyond packed an isolated hillside on the island of Vinalhaven Monday morning to witness the formal groundbreaking of the Fox Islands Electric Cooperative's wind turbine project. Once completed, three 250-foot-high wind towers are due to produce 1.5 megawatts of power that Vinalhaven and North Haven will use and sell, balancing the two communities' needs with excess capacity in a way that will make the towns self-sufficient in terms of energy costs.

Planning for the current project began in the summer of 2006. On a visit to relatives, Island Institute founder and President Philip Conkling asked how the winter had gone and was told about the challenges presented by the rise in fuel costs. "That's when Phil Conkling offered the Island Institute's services to get the word out and educate people," said co-op Vice President Addison Ames.

Following that conversation, there were a number of meetings around the state where it became clear that the cost of electrical and other energy was a major factor in the viability of these small communities.

"Before the turn of the 20th century, Maine had 300 year-round island communities," Conkling said during Monday's groundbreaking ceremony. Today there are 15. "Everything that Maine produced or needed came over the water on ships built to catch the wind," he said of that period in the state's history. "Wind built the island communities."

Conkling said the work of the citizens of North Haven and Vinalhaven proves that the resources exist to build such projects and change the way Mainers heat their homes and run their vehicles.

Speakers throughout the morning, including Conkling, Fox Islands Electric Cooperative President Elliot Brown, Diversified Communications Chairman Horace A. Hildreth, Cianbro Corporation Chairman Peter Vigue and EOS Ventures, LLC President Tyler Fairbank, all had high praise for George Baker, the chief executive officer of Fox Islands Wind.

Baker is a professor of business administration at the Harvard University Business School who lives on Frenchboro.  "I was impressed at how he spoke with a vision for this community," said Vigue, who met Baker at the Vinalhaven home of energy expert Matthew Simmons last year.

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, said she was proud and excited to be from North Haven at a moment when the island towns were making history. She said the project's success to date came in part due to the communities' distance from the lobbyists in Washington, D.C. "I was very proud to tell Energy Secretary Chu about what we have here," she said of a recent meeting in the nation's capital. She praised the work of Baker and others who were able, on July 28, 2008, to help bring about a vote of 383 to 5 in support of the project. "That's what happens in a little state like Maine," she said.

"I've heard about wind for years," Brown said. "I've heard about bags of wind, old windbags and breaking wind, but today we're going to harness all those." This project will mean lower rates for island customers, he said. "It's going to be a beautiful thing," he said.

Vigue praised the commitment of the people of the islands. "A year ago the concept of this project being built in 2009 was very remote," he said. He said the Fox Islands project was setting a standard as the first offshore wind project on an East Coast island and a model for wind projects throughout the state. "George Baker is a tremendous leader," Vigue said. "Before Thanksgiving we will be generating electricity on these islands."

Rockland Mayor Deborah McNeil, who is regional representative for the office of Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, read remarks from the senator. "How fortunate you are to have the energy, enthusiasm and dedication of George Baker," Snowe said. Snowe also expressed admiration for the people of the islands for taking a lead and said they should "celebrate big time. You deserve it."

Michelle Michaud of the office of Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, read a letter that called the event truly momentous. "These creative approaches to energy are what we need on a national scale," Collins said.

According to the co-op's Web site the endeavor, known as the Fox Islands Electric Wind Power Project, began in 2001, with an effort by then General Manager Dave Folce. A study done in 2002 determined that the islands had sufficient wind to justify further exploration, while during the same period, the cable that brings electricity to the communities of North Haven and Vinalhaven was becoming less reliable. That cable was replaced in 2005.

Speaking after Monday's groundbreaking, Ames said the co-op was looking for a way to help pay for the cost of the new cable and it was thought a wind developer might be interested in the energy resources of the islands.

Initially, resistance from local residents was high, Ames said, and the idea of creating a wind farm on the islands did not receive much support when first discussed in 2003. "Then Hurricane Katrina came along and natural gas prices went sky-high," he said. He added that one Vinalhaven restaurant saw its electric bill rise as high as $1,200 a month and families were paying $500 a month for electricity alone. "It made this place unlivable," Ames said.

When Baker began his sabbatical from Harvard, the wind study for the Swan's Island Electric Cooperative wasn't ready, Ames said, so he offered his services to the Fox Islands instead.

"That was a great day for us," said Ames. Gov. John Baldacci's proposal to provide a statewide map of potential wind project sites is a positive idea that will speed the process of creating reliable alternatives to fossil fuels, Ames said.

"We are starting a little revolution in energy right here," Pingree said. "This is where the change is happening."

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June 29, 2009 - Fox Islands Wind project to break ground June 29

VINALHAVEN (June 26): Fox Islands Wind, LLC, is now overseeing the first construction phases of an effort to bring wind energy to Vinalhaven and North Haven. http://knox.villagesoup.com/Community/story.cfm?storyID=165246

When work at the site is completed later this year, three 1.5 megawatt General Electric wind turbines will feed electricity directly to the power distribution system on the two islands, according to a press release issued last week by Cianbro Corporation, the contractor for the project.

Any surplus power generated by the wind turbines will be sold back to the regional grid via the submarine cable that currently delivers electricity to the islands.

Fox Islands Wind, LLC, a subsidiary of the Fox Islands Electric Cooperative, will host a groundbreaking ceremony at the construction site on Monday, June 29. Gov. John Baldacci and First District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree will deliver statements of support at the ceremony, which will begin at 10:30 a.m. Cianbro Chairman Peter Vigue will talk about the development's impact on the industry.

In July of 2008, members of the Fox Islands Electric Cooperative — made up of people with homes on North Haven and Vinalhaven — voted 382-5 to support building a three-turbine project on Vinalhaven.  "That's very unusual among wind projects," said George Baker, a professor at Harvard Business School, summer resident of Frenchboro and CEO of Fox Islands Wind, LLC. Baker was speaking at a meeting in Blue Hill in March.

Interest in wind power on the Fox Islands, which dates back to at least 2001, was prompted by several factors, including the islands' reliance on an 11-mile sub-marine power cable and an extremely high electric rate. That rate currently stands at 28 cents/kilowatt hour, more than double the national average.

By erecting three, 1.5-megawatt General Electric turbines, islanders hope to generate the same amount of power over the course of a year as they would use.  The islands will not be self-sufficient, however, due to what Baker termed a "seasonal mismatch." In the winter, wind speeds are generally higher and the population is smaller, meaning the island will often generate more power than it needs. This excess electricity will be sold to companies on the mainland. In the summer, when demand surges and wind speeds tend to diminish, power will need to be imported.  Of the power that will be generated by the turbines, Baker said, about half will be used on the islands while the other half will be sold. "We get to not buy half the power we've been buying," he said. "That's a big advantage to this project. It's part of what makes it work."

Baker will serve as master of ceremonies on Monday, June 29. The schedule for installing the turbines called for clearing the site in June. Road construction to provide easy access to the site will take place in July, along with the construction of turbine foundations. Turbine components will arrive in mid-August. Cianbro crews will erect the turbines through mid-September. Mechanical completion of the project is scheduled for Oct. 23. The project is expected to begin producing power in November.

Initial financing of the project in the amount of $4.8 million was provided by Diversified Communications, a Portland-based international media company.

“We were approached by the Island Institute and became convinced that providing environmentally friendly power to these island communities, and providing it economically, was a worthwhile project on many levels," Diversified Chairman Horace A. Hildreth Jr. said in a press release. "In addition to our publishing and event production businesses, we have owned and operated WABI-TV in Bangor for over 55 years, and North Haven and Vinalhaven are in our coverage area. This project entirely fits our business philosophy.”

Cianbro Corporation is the general contractor responsible for building the project, from transporting components to erecting turbines to creating the electrical infrastructure. The Island Institute has been aiding the permitting effort and generating community involvement. Permitting and civil engineering of the project have been handled by Sebago Technics Inc. RLC Engineering is performing electrical design work. EOS Ventures is the owner's engineer and assisted the owner in procuring the turbines.

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June 24, 2009 - MDOT cancels paving projects to meet budget
AUGUSTA (June 24): The Maine Department of Transportation announced June 19 that about 75 percent of all maintenance paving projects over the next two years will be canceled in order to meet the reduced funding levels set forth in the state Highway Fund Budget that was enacted last week.

“The reduced level of funding will require us to cancel nearly 40 percent of our maintenance paving projects for this year, and all of our maintenance paving projects for the following year unless more resources are identified,” said MaineDOT Commissioner David Cole.

The Joint Standing Committee on Transportation is charged in the recently passed budget with conducting a review to develop funding alternatives.

Proposed paving projects have been re-prioritized to match the reduced funding based upon road condition, traveler impacts, the functional classification of the road, traffic volumes, and the desire to award work to all of the successful bidding pavement contractors.

MaineDOT’s maintenance surface treatments provide a light surface of pavement that seals the road surface, preventing water and ice damage while also providing a safer and smoother driving surface. These surface treatments extend the life of a road, and prevent more costly repairs later.

Paving projects of this type are part of the department's Light Capital Program, which is one aspect of its biennial work plan that totals $673.6 million for highways and bridges.

“We had already scaled back our maintenance paving program to about 400 miles when we advertised for bids in May, pending legislative action. We should be doing 600 miles per year to keep these roads in serviceable and passable condition," Cole said. "Based upon the current budget, we will be doing only about 250 miles this year and probably none next year at current funding levels."

“These are extremely difficult choices and we ask for patience and understanding,” he continued. “We know that all these roads need work and that all contractors need the work, but we simply do not have the funding to do it. We are doing the best we can with what we have.”

For a full list of projects, visit mainedot.gov. A map showing the all proposed projects can be found there.

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June 3, 2009 Monmouth students learn engineering in spaghetti bridge-making competition
By Jessica Bloch BDN Staff http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/107509.html

It broke with a series of pops and cracks, flinging bits and pieces into a crowd gathered nearby, but Corey Dyke didn’t care. The Monmouth Academy junior pumped fists and yelled out a loud, “Yeah!” when his spaghetti bridge caved under more than 8,435 pounds of pressure.

Twenty bridges made of spaghetti built by Monmouth students gave way to thousands of pounds of pressure Tuesday in a Spaghetti Bridge Breaking Competition, held in the Richard and Jean Higgins Materials Testing Laboratory inside Boardman Hall at the University of Maine in Orono.

Longtime Monmouth math teacher Jeff Gosselin started the competition more than 10 years ago with the goal of providing an engineering lesson for the high school students, who attempt to build the strongest bridge possible. “The students learn some engineering skills,” Gosselin said. “They learn there are certain [specifications] and attributes that the bridge has to meet, they learn patience and how to overcome obstacles, particularly if the glue doesn’t dry the way it’s supposed to, and they learn about deadlines for getting things in on time.” In the early years of the competition, he said, most bridges, which must be at least 3 inches high and must span at least 5 inches, weren’t holding more than 250 pounds. Now, several bridges per year can take more than 2,000 pounds. Gosselin said the winning bridge’s 8,435 pounds on Tuesday was probably in the top four all-time. A few years ago one bridge held up to more than 25,000 pounds of pressure. 

Dyke didn’t imagine his bridge, which he built with classmate Jared Jacobs, would hold up so well. “I was hoping for 2,100 pounds just to get a good grade and that was it,” Dyke said. “That was the goal. But going up this high, that was nice. [The weight] started to go higher and higher and I got more excited as it climbed up.”

The competition field is made up of geometry students, who are mostly in the sophomore class, and algebra II students, who are mostly juniors. There are 40 to 45 bridges entered every year. Students must follow several strict rules in building their bridges, with stricter rules for the second-year bridge-builders. The construction material is Delverde brand perciatelli, a long, thick, hollow spaghetti-shaped pasta that is especially strong when dry, making it the perfect pasta for a small bridge. Students are allowed one box, or a pound, with which to build. The entire bridge cannot weigh more than a pound. Students used Elmer’s glue to bond the parts. Only three pieces of pasta can be glued together in one bond, although several groups of three pieces can be used in the supports.

The competition begins every year with a preliminary round at Monmouth Academy, during which the pasta bridges must stand up to at least 300 pounds for the geometry students and 400 pounds for the algebra II students. If a bridge misses at least one specification, extra weight is added to the minimum.

The bridges that held up to weights at Monmouth Academy moved on to the University of Maine in Orono, which Gosselin said is the closest place with sufficient testing capabilities. At the university on Tuesday, the geometry students went first, while the algebra students went on a tour of the Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center. After the geometry students were finished, the algebra students did their testing.

For testing, bridges were placed one by one on one of two load frames, also known as universal testing machines. A wood board was placed on top of the bridge to make sure the weight would come down in a level manner. Then with the press of a button, an actuator lowered from the load frame and applied pressure to the wood board with the bridge underneath.  Some bridges exploded quickly with pieces of pasta shooting out and hitting the observers, many of whom wore protective glasses. Other bridges failed slowly, with spaghetti stalks shearing off the sides and the supports crumbling. The bridges that broke slowly didn’t necessarily hold the most weight, but in the real world those bridges would be the most successful, said Eric Landis, a UM engineering professor.“If you’re a bridge inspector, you can go to that bridge and say, ‘Oh, there’s some spaghetti missing but the bridge is still standing,’” he said. “That’s what we like. It’s called redundancy in structures, and it’s a very valuable trait.”

Dyke said last year that his bridge didn’t even make it out of the first round.  “We had a mishap with weights sliding off one side, and [the bridge] broke,” he said. “Last year I used different types of triple bonds and I don’t think the legs were as tightly packed. This year we used more horizontal [pieces] and different triples. I think there was twice as much spaghetti as I used last year.”

The sophomore team of Julia DeStefano and Mackenzie Kelley won its class competition with 4,397 pounds of pressure.

Gosselin, who is retiring this month after 24 years at Monmouth Academy, is hoping the school’s math department continues the competition.

“I think [the students] realize they have accomplished something pretty neat,” he said. “This is not an easy project, and I think they feel a real pride in even seeing their project destroyed.”

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Posted May 28, 2009 - Senior Alumni Honor Recipients of Donald V. Taverner '43 Non-Traditional Student Scholarship

On April 19, 2009, the University of Maine Senior Alumni honored the recipients of the Donald V. Taverner '43 Non-Traditional student Scholarship at Buchanan Alumni House. Every year, the Senior Alumni work to raise funds for their endowment held by the University of Maine Foundation. The scholarships are awarded to deserving students who are not the typical age of college students. Associate Provost and Dean of Lifelong Learning Robert C. White congratulated the recipients and encouraged them to continue to strive toward their goals. Recipients Kathleen O'Connell and Carrie M. Rich, representing the scholars, expressed great thanks to the Senior Alumni for their vote of confidence and their financial assistance.

Sarah will be a senior this fall 2009 semester in Civil and Environmental Engineering, focusing on Water Resources, Site Design and Environmental Engineering. Sarah's hometown is Machias Maine, and is a daughter of proud parents Harry and Judy Lingley. During the school year Sarah works as a research assistant for the Micromechanics lab and is currently interning with Woodard & Curran. She is the past-secretary for the ASCE Student Chapter, and is also a student member of Engineers Without Borders.

At right is a photo of Sarah Lingley, pictured with Senior Alumni, Mr. Dick Noyes of the class of 1951.

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May 25, 2009 - Birds-eye view maps help High School students learn math
from the Kennebec Journal

WINSLOW -- For 45 minutes, everyone could be Superman.  Yardsticks and calculators in hand,  they flew high above and across central Maine, from towns to cities to landmarks. And the 28 students in the honors geometry class at Winslow High School did it all without ever leaving the classroom.

On a recent afternoon, mathematics teacher Andrew Cyr guided his students on their whirlwind tour, but the students had to calculate where they were going and the distance it took to get there. To do so, students leaned over large topographical "polar" maps -- reprinted from the Maine State Archives -- showing a 360-degree, bird's-eye view of central Maine. Around the globe's horizon line: views of mountains, trees and landmarks. 

Cyr said the maps allow him to teach advanced mathematical concepts, with dashes of geography and history lessons, in non-traditional ways that are relevant and enjoyable."This is going a long way toward enfranchising the kids," Cyr said. "I've really been able to expand the curriculum. And look around -- nobody's sleeping."  Indeed, all of the students in the classroom were actively poring over the maps. Jessica McCaslin, 15, and Abigail Lutz, 14, worked out the latest problem on the polar maps and enthusiastically congratulated each other when they figured out the solution. "I love this class; this is my favorite class," McCaslin said. "It's so exciting and fun. It keeps me smiling and laughing."  "A lot of people say math is boring," Lutz added. "But you can't get bored in this class."

The maps, created in 1931 by the Maine Forest Service, depict the land as seen atop the fire tower on Frye Mountain in Montville. Cyr obtained the maps from the archives after applying for and winning a $500 grant from the Bank of America and the Maine Coalition for Excellence in Education, School Matter Grant, Cyr said. Each map of the 10 polar maps cost $15.

Cyr, who is a 1986 U.S. Naval Academy graduate, got the idea two years ago after inquiring about maps with David Cheever, state archivist at the Maine State Archives.  Cheever uncovered 96 "fire tower" maps completed in the 1920s and 1930s that were used to send firetrucks in the right direction to fires. Some of the fire towers still exist atop high places in Maine.  Cyr thought the maps could serve as interesting tools in his math class and would capture students' interest if they depicted familiar areas, Cheever said. The maps were digitally scanned and enlarged for printing and copied onto CDs, which students can bring home. 

Cheever said he is amazed how Cyr has given the century-old maps a "second life." "It's brilliant," Cheever said. "He's the first one to come through here to do anything like this. I think it's the embodiment of good teaching: it elevates kids who get it and want to do more, and it does something to interest those who don't have as much interest and does it in a way that all of a sudden brings it home."

More than math

In the classroom, all of Cyr's students appeared engaged.  "The first thing is locate the town of Freedom," Cyr said. Soon, he moved on to other towns: Vassalboro, Augusta, Waterville and elsewhere. Cyr instructed the students to measure distances between towns such as Canaan and Palmyra, including the straight distance between two points "as the crow flies" and the arc length, which is the distance along the curved line making up the arc.  For a challenge question, Cyr asked the students to measure the straight distance between Belfast and South China. It's not such a simple question -- students must make several calculations, including the trigonometry-based "law of cosines" formula, which is used to figure out one side of a triangle when the angle opposite and the other two sides are known.

"I think it's pretty cool," said Chelsea Flye, 15. "It's out of the ordinary."  Garrett Gallagher, 16, said he found the lessons with the polar maps to be fun because it's "not just looking at the board." 

The maps are versatile tools, Cyr said, because they can help teach more than math. Toward the end of the lesson, Cyr asked students a question: why is there smoke rising from the horizon line near Mount Blue?  The smoke is coming from a mill, they answer.   And why is there no smoke rising from the Sappi Paper Mill on the Fairfield/Hinckley horizon line? Because it didn't exist yet, the students answer.  "So what other major geographic features are not here?" Cyr asks. That one stumps the class. Interstate 95, which wasn't built until decades later, Cyr answers.

"The beauty of these charts," Cyr said, "is they're like two maps in one."  Based on how Cyr has used the maps in his classes, Cheever said it's clear the maps are more than historical novelties; they can be used as educational tools for a variety of disciplines.   "For adaptive re-use, this is as good as it gets," he said.

Scott Monroe -- 861-9253  smonroe@centralmaine.com

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May 20, 2009 - UMaine's Francis Crowe Society Announces New Inductees
Contact: Aimee Dolloff, (207) 581-3777; Victoria Blanchette, (207) 581-2204

ORONO, Maine – Eight engineering professionals recently were inducted into the University of Maine College of Engineering Francis Crowe Society for their outstanding contributions to the engineering industry.

Each year, members of UMaine's engineering programs are invited to nominate an individual who has made distinguished contributions to advancing the art, science or practice of engineering.

Under unique circumstances, individuals that do not hold an engineering degree, yet made a significant contribution to the profession are elected as honorary members.

The society is named in honor of UMaine Engineering alumnus Francis T. Crowe, a renowned civil engineer who graduated in 1905 and went on to design and construct 19 major dams in the western United States, including Hoover Dam, considered to be one of the greatest engineering accomplishments of the world. Water from Crowe’s dams enabled California to become the most successful agricultural region in the world.

This year, the following professionals were inducted as distinguished and honorary engineers:

College of Engineering Distinguished Inductees:
- Chemical and Biological Engineering – Ralph Carter was born in Portland, Maine, attended Mexico High School and graduated from UMaine in 1985 with a bachelor of science in chemical engineering. He currently is president of Rockwell Software, a business unit within the architecture and software segment of Rockwell Automation in Austin, Texas. Carter is a former board member of the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation, the North Carolina State Pulp and Paper Foundation, and the University of Miami, Ohio Pulp and Paper Foundation.

- Electrical and Computer Engineering – Dale Flanders, a native of Guilford, Maine, attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he received his bachelors of science and master’s degree. Flanders, a strong supporter of UMaine and member of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Advisory Board, created the Dale and Julia Flanders Engineering Scholarship Fund to promote entrepreneurship in engineering students. Flanders holds 74 U.S. patents and was the founder of Axsun Technologies in Billerica, Mass.

- Mechanical Engineering – David Sleeper of Hermon graduated from UMaine in 1958 with a mechanical engineering degree, and currently is president and owner of Realty of Maine. David has a strong engineering background, starting his career as a nuclear submarine engineer in Connecticut for Electric Boat. He also worked for several years at James W. Sewall Co. in Old Town and at GE in Burlington, VT. where he worked on missile systems and had one of the early patents on an electric dishwasher.

- Spatial Information Science and Engineering – Mark Jadkowski of Hampden is chair of UMaine's Department of Spatial Information Science and Engineering Advisory Board. After receiving his bachelor's degree from Humboldt State University, Jadkowski went on to earn his master's degree in applied mathematics and doctorate in engineering at Utah State University. He also worked for several years at James W. Sewall Co. in Old Town. He currently is president and chief operating officer of Global Relief Technologies in Portsmouth, N.H. Jadkowski also has an office at the Target Technology Center in Orono.

School of Engineering Technology Distinguished Inductees:
- Electrical Engineering Technology – Paul Elkin received a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from UMaine in 1986, and went on to earn his master's degree at Washington State University in 1988. He worked at Central Maine Power Company for more than 10 years, and since 1999 he has worked for E/PRO Engineering and Environmental Consulting and TRC as a principal electrical engineer. Elkin currently resides in Sidney and is the manager of the company's electrical engineering department.

- Surveying Engineering Technology – Gunther Gruelich is a retired licensed land surveyor and engineer in Massachusetts, and has presented, published, and co-authored 150 papers and books. From 1957 to 1965 Gunther worked for New England Survey Service in Boston and provided survey control and construction survey services on the Callahan Tunnel under Boston Harbor and managed design computations of the Massachusetts Turnpike extension from Newton to Boston. He understands the demand for higher education for surveying engineering and has been a strong supporter of UMaine in its effort to meet the need.

Honorary Engineers Inductees
- Construction Management Technology – Bollie Bollenbach, vice president of Pizzagalli Construction Company of Portland, has more than thirty years of business experience, including twenty in construction and ten in international consumer products. Bollenbach is a member of the CMT Industrial Advisory Committee and is active in directing internships of CMT students. Bollenbach received his bachelor's degree in economics from Dartmouth College in 1978. He went on to earn his master's degree in business from the Amos Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in 1982.

- School of Engineering Technology – Douglas Cutchin grew up in Aroostook County and has worked in Maine all of his life. He received a bachelor of arts in economics and history from UMaine in 1965. Cutchin is the immediate past president of The Sheridan Corporation, a full-service construction company, with locations in Fairfield and Portland. He currently serves as co-chairman and treasurer of the Mid Maine Interfaith Shelter, president/director of the Central Maine Growth Council, director of the Mid Maine Chamber of Commerce, and as chair of the Governor’s Business Excellence Committee.

For more information about the Francis Crowe Society, visit www.engineering.umaine.edu.

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May 18, 2009 - Bill seeks big push to reduce oil usage   State House: Efficiency Maine Trust, a new agency, could boost conservation, investment and new jobs.
By TUX TURKEL, Staff Write, Portland Press Herald

A new state energy agency would direct tens of millions of dollars into weatherization, conservation and efficiency programs under a bill facing final consideration in the Maine Legislature.

To be called the Efficiency Maine Trust, the agency would pull together many existing energy-related programs now operating in state government and launch an unprecedented effort to wean Maine's economy from its dependence on oil.

Supporters also expect the public spending to spawn private investment that in time could create thousands of jobs in companies that insulate and inspect homes, as well as make and install alternative energy products and technology.

In its first two years, the trust would rely heavily on federal stimulus money to get off the ground. After that, the agency hopes to receive $50 million a year in lease payments from private companies that have proposed developing energy corridors through the state. It also may issue revenue bonds, and consider the controversial idea of placing a small tax on heating oil and other fuels, similar to the surcharge now on electricity.

The challenge for future politicians, however, will be coming up with enough money to keep the ambitious goals on track.

"I think this bill is going to frame the direction of energy policy in Maine over the next decade," said John Kerry, the state's energy office director.

The bill reflects the work of a special legislative committee set up in the wake of last year's record oil prices. A majority of the panel endorsed the comprehensive plan last week, although Republicans expressed concerns about oversight of the trust and program performance. Those issues will need to be reconciled in the full Legislature before a vote in the next two weeks.

Assuming the bill is approved, a board that will govern the trust, a director and staff will be phased in over the next year. They will take over programs and efforts aimed at upgrading the energy efficiency of all Maine homes and half of all businesses by 2030, and cutting overall heating oil use by at least 20 percent in 2020. Mainers now burn nearly 600 million gallons of heating oil a year, so a 20 percent reduction would amount to 120 million gallons.

Another part of the proposed law would set up a new program in the Maine State Housing Authority to build and rehabilitate affordable rental units and replace older manufactured housing that doesn't meet modern codes. Money would come from revenue bonds and a portion of the state's real estate transfer tax.

This ambitious agenda is taking place against a backdrop of rapid change, and perhaps, fleeting opportunity.

Gov. John Baldacci and other political leaders fear the soaring petroleum prices that threatened Maine's economy a year ago will return after the recession. Facing a crushing budget shortfall, the state is limited in its ability to fund efforts to insulate Mainers from the next oil shock.

Federal stimulus money that could total more than $60 million over two years will give Maine a timely shot of cash to jump-start the oil cutback plan. Expected money from a regional greenhouse-gas reduction plan and an ongoing surcharge on electricity use will contribute millions more.

But in two years, lawmakers and the trust will have to decide how to sustain the programs, said Senate Majority Leader Philip Bartlett, D-Cumberland, who co-chaired the special committee.

"This is a 20-year process," he said. "But the bill puts in place a road map to achieve energy independence in the state."

A potential source of ongoing money is lease payments from energy corridors planned for Maine. Two companies with Canadian ties – Irving Oil Ltd. of New Brunswick and Bangor Hydro-Electric Co., which is owned by Emera Inc. of Nova Scotia – have expressed interest in building energy corridors that could move electricity and perhaps oil and natural gas from the Maritimes through Maine to southern New England.

The law requires that the first $50 million a year of any lease payments go to the trust. The corridor concept has been strongly supported by Baldacci and an influential construction company, Cianbro Corp. They see the corridors as a key for economic development and energy security.

But not everyone's excited about the corridor plans.

Groups that represent organized labor and paper mills teamed up with advocates of liquefied natural gas terminals in Passamaquoddy Bay to oppose any fast-track corridor agreements that they say would give Canada a sweetheart deal. A compromise, stitched into the bill last week, delays corridor development until a study commission reviews the financial value of any leases and the impact on efforts to build LNG terminals and power plants in Maine. A report is due in December.

Ultimately, Kerry and other lease supporters say, it will be more politically popular to get $50 million from Irving Oil than from Maine taxpayers. Without the money, it's not clear how the state will sustain its aggressive weatherization and energy-efficiency efforts.

"That's the $50 million question," Kerry said.

To some participants in the debate, one answer is to extend the small electricity surcharge that funds efficiency programs to heating oil, propane and perhaps wood fuels. Tacking on a 2-cents-per-gallon charge could generate $12 million a year or so in Maine, said Rob Brown, executive director of Opportunity Maine, an advocacy group promoting economic and work force development.

Reliable, sustainable funding is critical, Brown said. Small businesses that insulate homes or install solar panels, for instance, won't invest in equipment and hire people if they think Maine's energy programs will peter out in two years.

But other participants say it's just not possible now for Maine to nail down large, sustainable sources of funding. That's why Republicans on the special committee want ways to measure program performance, and why the trust will be required to report back to the Legislature with future funding suggestions, said Rep. Kenneth Fletcher, R-Winslow.

With money tight, he said, the bill strikes the right balance by using public money to leverage private investment and create long-term jobs tied to renewable energy and efficiency.

"We need a public-private partnership," Fletcher said, "and this is a very good first step."

Staff Writer Tux Turkel can be contacted at 791-6462 or at: tturkel@pressherald.com
 

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May 3, 2009 - Electric heating up The potential for wind parks and tidal generators off the coast of Maine holds promise for energy from electric thermal storage.
Portland Press By TUX TURKEL, Staff Writer

Electric heat, vilified in Maine for decades as costly and wasteful, is being groomed for a 21st- century, green makeover.  Using modern technologies, electric heaters could soak up excess energy from wind turbines and tidal generators spinning on cold winter nights while most Mainers sleep. This next form of electric heat would help stablize a power grid increasingly being designed for renewable energy, supporters say, while reducing the state's dependence on heating oil.

That's the promise of electric thermal storage, which absorbs electric energy generated during off-peak hours and releases it as heat when people need it. Electric thermal storage isn't an untested idea. It's common in Europe and growing in Canada. A limited number of thermal storage room heaters were sold in Maine during the 1990s. But the potential to build massive wind parks off the New England coast and the push for interactive, "smart" power grids and meters are combining to offer a fresh role for electric thermal storage.

The effort in Maine is being led by four influential business people: Sam Zaitlin, a pioneer in Maine's recycling industry; David Flanagan, who served as Central Maine Power Co.'s chief executive from 1994 to 2001; Arthur Adelberg, a former senior vice president at CMP; and Adam Cote, a former Democratic candidate for Congress.  Their company is called Renewable Energy Storage of Maine. It's now the sole distributor in Maine of electric storage heaters made by North Dakota-based Steffes Corp., the country's only manufacturer.  The partners have been meeting for months with state officials, utilities and university researchers to make their case for electric thermal storage. They're also talking with companies to distribute and install the equipment, it is hoped starting this winter. In recent days, though, their plan has run into unexpected hurdles.

Electric thermal storage must compete with conventional heat – namely fuel oil and natural gas – to attract customers. That means negotiating discounts with independent power suppliers for off-peak rates, preferably through long-term contracts. But oil and gas prices are so volatile today that New England power generators seem unwilling to offer a time-of-use rate over a long period, Zaitlin said. The company is exploring other options, including marketing in states that, unlike Maine, have utilities that both generate and deliver power. Roughly two dozen states have energy rates that encourage electric thermal storage. If Maine develops a large amount of wind, tidal and solar generation, Zaitlin said, it must find a way to absorb the intermintent power for when it's needed. "You're really going to need the storage capacity," he said. "Where does it come from?"

One strategy is being studied in Wiscasset. Riverbank Power Co. is considering whether to build a $2 billion underground pump storage facility. It would use river water to generate power during the day. At night, electricity would come from wind farms and other renewables.

By contrast, Renewable Energy Storage's approach is more decentralized. It essentially turns thousands of homes and commercial buildings into battery packs. Basic room units look like typical heater cabinets. Inside are high-density ceramic bricks clad in heavy insulation. Electric coils warm the bricks during hours that utilities have little demand for power. The bricks can absorb vast amounts of heat, a process controlled automatically based on heating demand and outside temperatures. A thermostat and fan control and deliver the heat as needed.  Room heaters that could supplement an existing oil furnance cost $2,000 or so, installed. The technology also is used in central heating systems, with prices in the $8,500 range. Larger systems can heat schools and offices.

Electric storage heat is an appealing idea for Maine, according to Calvin Luther, senior business development analyst at Bangor Hydro Electric Co. The utility's parent company, Emera Inc., promotes them in Canada through its Nova Scotia Power subsidiary. Bangor Hydro and Central Maine Power Co. sold Steffes storage heaters in the 1990s. They installed special meters at homes and businesses that monitor how much power is used at different hours. Both utilities still offer discounted rates in their delivery charges, less than 2 cents per kilowatt hour.  But the programs never got much traction, Luther said. "Oil prices were so low, virtually no one bought them," he said. Today, he said, people realize oil prices could shoot up again. But without a time-of-use energy rate that competes with oil, it would be hard for Bangor Hydro to market the concept.

Renewable Energy Storage partners won't publicly discuss what they think that rate needs to be. Through a bid process administered by the Maine Public Utilities Commission, almost all CMP's home and small-business customers now pay roughly 9 cents per kilowatt hour for energy. Electric storage needs a lower, stable rate that competes with fossil fuels on a heat-equivalent basis, Flanagan said.  "You can't have electric rates as volatile as oil and natural gas," he said.

Another possible incentive is emerging to reintroduce storage heat in Maine: The technology could get a boost from energy policies supported by the Obama administration.  The government's economic stimulus program contains money to encourage regions to develop "smart" transmission grids that use technology to lower costs and increase reliability. Matching grants are available for demonstration projects, and electronic storage heat can qualify, according to Mohamad Musavi, who chairs the University of Maine's electrical and computer engineering department.

Maine still lacks the vast, off-peak renewable generation that would make storage heat desirable for grid stability. But the need will develop over the next decade, Musavi said, if coastal wind parks and other large projects come on line. A pilot study involving the private sector and the university, Musavi said, could act as a baseline to study efficiencies and costs.  "Storage becomes important for implementation of a smart grid," he said.

Staff writer Tux Turkel can be contacted at 791-6462 or at: tturkel@pressherald.com

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April 27, 2009 - Green-energy bill gets a yellow light

State House: Legislators are wary of paying small power producers because it would raise electric bills.
By TUX TURKEL, Staff Writer

Maine's renewable energy advocates are envious of Germany.  They see a country that has less overall sunshine than Maine, but is a world leader in the number of solar-electric panels installed. A big reason, they say, is an 18-year-old German law that requires utilities to pay homeowners and other small producers above-market rates for power from their rooftop systems. The arrangement is called a feed-in tariff.  Now a bill in the Legislature would make Maine the first state in the U.S. to have utilities pay premiums, through long-term contracts, to small producers using solar, wind, hydro and other green energy sources. Supporters say it would create thousands of jobs and help wean Maine from its dependence on imported fuel.

Sounds good, but who would pay the cost of these above-market rates?  If you get an electric bill, you would. Ratepayers would absorb the added expense, calculated to provide certain annual rates of return for small generators.  A feed-in tariff would raise electric bills for people who can least afford it, opponents say. And it would repeat a costly policy experiment from the 1980s, in which Maine ratepayers subsidized long-term contracts for renewable energy, only to see market rates fall when petroleum prices collapsed.

The two sides presented testimony at a public hearing earlier this month. On Tuesday, the legislative committee that oversees energy issues is set to work on the bill before it makes a recommendation to the full Legislature. German solar envy aside, the bill has almost no chance of passing in its current form. Even key supporters on the committee have begun looking for a less-costly compromise, perhaps a small-scale pilot program.  But in a state with high energy bills and a heavy reliance on imported oil, lawmakers will wrestle with a familiar dilemma: how to make Maine more energy-independent, without increasing the burden on ratepayers and taxpayers.

Maine has long had a net-metering law, in which customers that produce excess renewable power get a credit on their bills. The provision was used by 360 Central Maine Power Co. customers last year, up from 224 in 2007. Federal and state tax programs that offset the cost of solar and other equipment also encourage green power.  But these incentives fall short, in the view of the Midcoast Green Collaborative, a group of Damariscotta-area businesses and residents promoting renewable energy as a vehicle for economic growth. They helped draft the feed-in tariff bill, modeled after European efforts. The tariff has created hundreds of thousands of jobs in Germany, they say, while adding only a couple of dollars a month to electric rates.  The Maine bill covers generators producing less than 20 megawatts. It includes solar, wind, hydroelectric, methane, biomass and tidal power. Contracts for this power would last at least 20 years, with rates set by the Maine Public Utilities Commission. Those rates would provide revenue for several purposes, such as paying operating expenses, but also to produce a minimum rate of return. 

Feed-in tariffs exist in several countries. But if foreign laws seem less relevant to Maine, lawmakers can look closer to home, at Gainesville, Fla.  Since the Maine bill was drafted, Gainesville became the first American city to enact feed-in tariffs. The regional utility pays participants 32 cents per kilowatt hour for the first two years of the 20-year program, roughly three times the basic home rate.  "With that tariff, I could easily double the size of my company in a year or two," said Phil Coupe, co-owner of Portland-based solar installer ReVision Energy.  Coupe, who has 30 employees, gets calls from people who want solar electricity. But a typical home-sized system costs more than $15,000, before current tax incentives. That's out of the reach of many residents. A German-style tariff would offset the cost, he said, and create thousands of installer and manufacturing jobs.  The premium would be borne by Maine ratepayers, though, and that makes the proposal unacceptable to CMP. Its home customers already pay roughly 15 cents per kilowatt hour, which is above the national average. 

"We're sensitive to electricity prices," said John Carroll, a CMP spokesman. "We know that really matters to our customers." A feed-in tariff amounts to a regressive tax, Carroll said. Low-income customers – people least likely to install renewable energy systems – would be hit the hardest, he says. At the recent public hearing, CMP also made a broader point. In the 1980s, Maine lawmakers forced utilities to sign long-term contracts at high rates with renewable power generators. The worthy goal was to lower the state's dependence on expensive oil. But when oil prices unexpectedly fell, CMP spent millions of dollars to buy out costly contracts. Customers are still paying the extra costs of some of these contracts, the last of which expires in 2020.

These concerns were echoed in testimony from Maine's PUC. While not taking a stand on the bill, the agency cautioned about signing non-competitive, long-term contracts for which the price isn't linked to the market value of electricity. The commission also noted that the proposed bill has no cap on the number of generators that can participate. For example: If utilities entered into 10 contracts for 20 megawatts at prices 10 percent above market rates, the cost to ratepayers would be $4 million to $10 million a year, depending on generation type. 

These calculations are giving pause to some supporters, including Rep. John Hinck, D-Portland, who is co-chair of the utilities committee and a co-sponsor of the bill. After reviewing the testimony, he said, he likes the concept of a feed-in tariff, but worries about the price.  "If we're going to require ratepayers in a market with among the highest rates in the country to pay this, we need to do a very sophisticated analysis of the costs and benefits," Hinck said. One way to study the impact, he said, would be to start with a limited pilot program that would cap the cost. That idea may be gaining momentum in the committee, said Rep. Sean Flaherty, D-Scarborough, a strong supporter of efforts to move Mainers away from oil heat and gas-fired electricity. "A pilot program is often a good way to build consensus on the committee and allow us to move forward with some great projects," Flaherty said.  It remains to be seen if the utilities committee can reach agreement on a compromise bill to recommend to the full Legislature. But beyond Germany, Gainesville's experience with introducing a feed-in tariff may be instructive.

The Gainesville utility set a cap of 4 megawatts, for both 2009 and 2010. It got a flood of applications, and the targets were reached within days.

Staff Writer Tux Turkel can be contacted at 791-6462 or at: tturkel@pressherald.com

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April 24, 2009 Engineering suddenly hot at universities
By Richard Mertens, The Christian Science Monitor

Milwaukee – Jonathan Liegois once wanted to be a marine biologist. Instead, the college freshman is here at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, his dream of undersea discovery replaced by the more practical ideal of a steady job and good income.  "The job outlook is high," he says, echoing the sentiments of many classmates. "If you stick to it, it will pay off."

Across the United States, enrollment in engineering programs has risen to levels not seen in three decades. The recession appears to be one factor, as students and their parents look for dependable careers.  But some education officials detect a shift in opinion about the profession itself, as global warming and stem-cell research make fields like chemical and bioengineering more than just wise choices for job-seekers – but fashionable ones, too.

Many students are bringing to engineering a heightened sense of social responsibility and a desire "to go out and make a difference in the world," says Joseph Helble, dean of the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., where enrollment in introductory undergraduate courses is 30 percent above the five-year average.  Nationally, enrollment in undergraduate engineering programs rose 3 percent in 2007 and 4.5 percent 2008, according to the American Association of Engineering Education. Meanwhile, enrollment in masters' degree programs rose 7 percent in 2007 and 2 percent in 2008. In the fall of 2008, 91,489 masters degree students and 403,193 undergraduates were studying engineering at US universities and colleges.

Skeptics note that engineering remains a low priority for US students: Among the 25 top engineer-producing countries, the United States ranks No. 22 on a per capita basis. But here at the Milwaukee School of Engineering, applications have rebounded 25 percent during the past two years – with enrollment rising from 550 to 732 – after falling early in the decade. At Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester, Mass., applications have risen 70 percent over the past five years, and the 902 freshmen who enrolled last fall were 100 more than expected.  "People laugh when I say we have another record-breaking year," said Kristin Tichenor, vice president of enrollment management at Worcester Polytechnic. "But it keeps going up." 

The profession fell in popularity after the mid-1980s and has been struggling to recover ever since. Especially in depressed economic times, the lure of good job prospects for engineers seems to be helping. "I do think that students, when difficult economic times come around, kind of fall back on some of the main curriculums – the bread-and-butter curriculums," says Tim Valley, vice president of enrollment management at the Milwaukee School. "There's also quite a bit written about the shortage of engineers in the United States: I think students are picking up on that."  For their part, undergraduates here say they were drawn to engineering for many reasons, including traditional ones like a love of math and science. But economic concerns do loom large. Sophomore Jeremy Heim thought about studying architecture. But engineering seemed to be a safer choice. "The more research I did in architecture, the more I realized it's not very reliable," says Heim of Lansing, Ill.

Others here, however, suggest an evolution in engineering.  Freshman Marguerite Wellstein, who is working with classmates to design a can-opener that can be operated with one hand, says she is studying biomedical engineering because "you get a better sense of helping people." Her motivation suggests a change from the past. Last year, a National Academy of Engineering report lamented that "the public believes engineers are not as engaged with societal and community concerns as scientists or as likely to play a role in saving lives." Biomedical advances, including those suggested by stem-cell research, have made biomedical engineering one of the fastest growing disciplines, especially for women. The concern over global warming and energy development has also drawn more young people to chemical and environmental engineering.  "Engineering enrollments peaked in the late '70s and early '80s when there were significant challenges with energy and the environment," says Mr. Helble of Dartmouth. "Fast forward 30 years, and we're in the same situation."

Some engineering schools have gone further, expanding into nontraditional fields to gains students. Three years ago, Worcester Polytechnic started a program in developing computer games and interactive media. "It took off," says Ms. Tichenor says.  There are doubts that the recent rise in enrollments points to a long-term change, however. Noting that America still produces relatively few engineers, the recent increases "are not anything to hang your hat on," says Richard Heckel, founder of Engtrends, a consulting firm in Houghton, Mich. The decline of auto industry could also turn high school students away.

Old problems hamper engineering schools, too: Attrition remains high and schools still struggle to attract larger numbers of blacks, Hispanics, and women.  "Programs that have been able to link with biomedical and environmental engineering, which are growing fields within engineering, they've been more attractive to women," says Daryl Chubin, head of the Center for Advancing Science and Engineering Capacity at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. "In general, however, people interested in the environment and energy are going to think about scientific disciplines, not engineering."

At the Milwaukee School of Engineering, freshman Ms. Wellstein is happy to be an exception. "Engineers have the best outlook," she says. "Most kids coming to MSOE have a job when they leave, even now."

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April 24, 2009 - Senators defend paper-mill windfall
An alternative-fuel tax credit that applies to many mills is needed to help the industry, they say.
By JOHN RICHARDSON, Staff Writer

An alternative-fuels tax credit that is providing unexpected windfalls for paper mills in Maine and elsewhere should be continued to help preserve the industry, U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe said Thursday.

Snowe, R-Maine, was one of several senators from paper-producing states to defend the controversial tax incentive, which has effectively made billions of dollars available to mills that fuel their operations with a wood-pulp byproduct known as black liquor.  The tax credit expires at the end of this year, and some in Congress want to end it even sooner because of the unintended payouts. Critics say paper mills would use the black liquor anyway, and some mills are now mixing diesel fuel into it to qualify for the mixed-fuel credit.

Members of the Senate Finance Committee, including Snowe, debated the credit Thursday.  Commitee Chairman Max Baucus called the tax breaks for paper companies a loophole that needs to be plugged. "We are working to undo that unintended consequence," he said. But Snowe called the credit a critical lifeline to struggling mills across the country.  "The black liquor tax credit is crucial to the survival of the paper industry, and to maintain and create jobs," she said.

Congress expanded the tax credit for developing alternative fuels in 2007, offering firms 50 cents a gallon to blend renewable fuels such as ethanol with diesel and other traditional fossil fuels. Some pulp and paper companies discovered late last year that they could qualify because of the black liquor they have used for years to fuel their plants.  Congress expected the tax credit to cost the federal government $61 million this year, but the price tag is now estimated to be $3.3 billion because of the paper industry requests.

Black liquor is a thick, dark liquid created during a chemical pulp-making process. As many as six Maine mills produce black liquor and burn it to generate heat and electricity for the papermaking process. Verso Paper Corp. received a $29.7 million credit for its Jay mill in the fourth quarter of last year. It's unclear how much the credit could be worth to the mill this year, and a spokesman could not be reached Thursday.  The president of Lincoln Paper and Tissue in Lincoln said the tax credit could mean $10 million for his company this year. A spokesman for The NewPage Corp.'s mill in Rumford, Tony Lyons, said the mill is not currently taking advantage of the credit. And Tom Howard, an official with Domtar Industries Inc., said its Baileyville mill has officially qualified for the credit but has not yet received payment.  The Sappi Fine Paper mill in Skowhegan and the Old Town Fuel and Fiber plant in Old Town also may qualify for the credits, but representatives could not be reached Thursday.

When mixed with at least 0.1 percent diesel fuel, the black liquor meets the federal standards for the alternative fuels tax credit. Some plants already were adding a fossil fuel to the black liquor and could simply switch to diesel, while others are adding it now to qualify for the credit, said Scott Milburn, spokesman for the American Forest & Paper Association. "It is a requirement of the law," Milburn said. The amount of added diesel is small, he said, and at least some plants report no net increase in diesel use because of decreases elsewhere. Mlburn said the overall benefits of using the black liquor far outweigh any additional fossil fuel use. And, he said, tax incentives should not be reserved only for those who are making a switch now to alternative fuels. "What do you do with the people who are already doing what you want them to do?" he said.

Snowe and others senators also argued Thursday that the industry should be rewarded, not penalized, for switching to alternative fuels years ago.  Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said in a written statement that she opposes "premature or rapid changes"in the tax credit. "The pulp and paper industry has a long history of producing its own energy from biomass sources, which avoids the use of foreign oil for its energy needs," she said. 

At Lincoln Paper & Tissue, the credit is helping the company through a difficult economic period.  "This came about at an auspicious time," said President Keith Van Scotter, who learned of the credit last fall. "Under the technical aspects of the code, we have to mix in a very small amount of diesel into our black liquor to qualify." After learning about the credit, the company has reduced oil consumption in other parts of the mill by switching to alternative fuels such as recycled vegetable oil, he said. "We're using (the tax credit) more than just on black liquor," he said.

Steve Hinchman, a staff attorney for the Conservation Law Foundation, an advocacy group with offices in Brunswick, agreed that black liquor is clean, inexpensive and renewable. But there is no need for tax credits to encourage its use, he said. "The paper mills have a built-in incentive to use the black liquor," he said. "They're going to do it no matter what; they don't need a federal subsidy." Hinchman said there are other ways paper mills could be made more energy efficient, and tax incentives should target those. "We should focus in on things that will make a real difference," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. Staff Writer John Richardson can be contacted vat 791-6324 or at:
jrichardson@pressherald.com

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04/23/2009 - Brunswick receives more than $900,000 in long-awaited grant for Maine Street Station
By Beth Brogan, Times Record Staff news@TimesRecord.Com

BRUNSWICK — The town of Brunswick received word today that it will receive a long-awaited federal grant for more than $900,000 to fund work on the Maine Street Station development.

According to a Notice of Investment Award from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, the grant for $902,500 will be used for road and utility infrastructure, which the town is responsible for under a joint development agreement with JHR Development of Maine.

The town applied for the grant in 2007, and then again in 2008. In August 2008 it was "invited" to submit final documents, which Mathew Eddy, then the director of economic and community development, said at the time was the equivalent of preliminary approval.

Town officials expected to hear by October whether the funding would be provided, but problems plagued the application process, including a delay in passing a federal budget.

Delays in the grant led to delays in completing the infrastructure work, leaving developer J. Hilary Rockett Jr. unable to continue work on the project, acting Town Manager Gary Brown said in March. Last month, the Town Council authorized Brown to proceed with work on the infrastructure, despite no word on the grant's success and despite indications from the federal government that starting work without official notification of the grant could lead to the funds being rescinded.

Before work began, however, the Department of Commerce issued an "early-start authorization" letter on March 17, and work on the infrastructure began the next day.

In a joint release today, U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins wrote, "We are very pleased that the EDA is investing in this vital project. Maine Street Station is both promising and forward-looking. It will create additional space for businesses, facilitate increased use of bus and rail transportation and be an economic driver in the region. We have strongly supported this project from its inception, and will continue to support initiatives that help to mitigate the negative economic consequences of the closure of the Brunswick Naval Air Station."

According to the grant award, $24 million in private investment was leveraged for the Maine Street Station project, which is expected to create 250 jobs.

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April 22, 2009 Alka-Seltzer Road trip advertisement video  (Not really news, but you might find it interesting.)

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April 22, 2009 - BHE completes substation, transmission line

BANGOR, Maine (AP) — Bangor Hydro Electric Co. has announced completion of a project it says will improve reliability of the electrical system in lower Hancock County.

The work included a 14-mile, 115,000-volt transmission line from Ellsworth to Trenton and a new substation in Trenton.  The utility said the project creates a redundant and higher capacity connection to the region. It said the line follows existing transmission lines most of the way, and existing lines will continue to operate.

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April 22, 2009 -UMaine Creates Dual Degree in Engineering, Liberal Arts and Sciences
Contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571

ORONO — The University of Maine’s College of Engineering and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences have teamed up to offer a formal dual-degree program, in which students can graduate in five years with degrees from each college.

“Combining an engineering degree with a liberal arts degree gives students the technical skills and broad perspective they need to be extremely successful in addressing the world’s most pressing problems, including energy, environmental stewardship and managing our nation’s infrastructure,” says Dana Humphrey, dean of the College of Engineering.

Beginning in fall 2009, this on-campus partnership will allow students to stay in Orono and follow a formal course of study that integrates engineering and liberal arts coursework through all five years. Students will have an adviser in each college.

The dual degree program makes it possible for students to major in virtually any engineering program and obtain a liberal arts degree of their choosing in five years. Already, the colleges have created curricula for civil engineering and a variety of liberal arts majors — English, philosophy, economics, as well as French, German or Spanish — the latter are an ideal fit for students interested in working for an engineering firm that conducts business on an international level. Additional engineering-liberal arts combinations will be in place by the start of the fall semester.

“This will help students think differently about the engineering skills they develop and how they might be used toward broader goals, a broader context than they might otherwise,” says Jeffrey Hecker, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “They really are getting the best of both worlds.”

UMaine currently offers a three-plus-two dual-degree program with Bowdoin College in Brunswick — students in that program spend three years at Bowdoin and two years at UMaine.

"Initiatives like these demonstrate UMaine's responsiveness to student needs and our commitment to educating people who can contribute to our businesses and communities in meaningful ways," says UMaine President Robert Kennedy. "Students in these programs will graduate well-prepared for excellent careers, truly educated and prepared to have an immediate, positive impact.

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April 16, 2009 - Progress on the Waterfront; $1.8M project includes outdoor amphitheater framework, boat launch, parking
By Eric Russell, BDN Staff

BANGOR, Maine — City economic development director Rod McKay began his tenure in the early 1980s, not long after Bangor’s unsuccessful urban renewal initiative and a surge in commercial development away from the downtown.

One of the first things McKay did when he took over economic development in Bangor was to dust off some old photographs of the city’s vast riverfront acreage. The Penobscot River is tied strongly to Bangor’s history as the Lumber Capital of the World, but logs had not floated down the waterway in years.

Still, McKay and others saw tremendous potential in that almost forgotten area.

Fast forward 25 years and Bangor’s riverfront is thriving, and even greater things are on the horizon. Thanks to annual events such as the American Folk Festival, there is renewed interest both in preserving and developing the riverfront as a destination within the city.

As the city prepares to embark on the next phase of its redevelopment, McKay reflected on how far things have come and also how much work remains.

“It started out as a much smaller project,” he said in a recent interview. “And then the city kept acquiring property along the water. For years, there was all this acquisition and demolition.”

The thought was to tear down and then build up stronger, he said. Tearing down was easy, but the building up has been a slow process. In fact, most of the improvements to the area that borders the Penobscot from the Veterans Bridge to the Joshua Chamberlain Bridge have been to the infrastructure and are not easily visible.

That will largely be the case with the latest phase, too, although there also will be some obvious changes.

The latest $1.8 million project — funded mostly with various grants — will include a boat launch off Dutton Street for canoes and kayaks, framework for an outdoor amphitheater and a new parking area off Railroad Street. It will include installing electric and water infrastructure to support public events such as the Folk Festival and will make improvements to storm-water management in the environmentally sensitive area.

Bangor city councilors voted unanimously earlier this week to award the project to S.H. Bridges, a local firm that will work closely with the Massachusetts-based design company Shadley Associates.

“There was high interest in the project,” said Pam Shadley of Shadley Associates. “It’s going to be fun to watch it progress.”

Work is expected to begin next month and wrap up sometime before the Folk Festival in late August.

In the last few years, the area has seen numerous changes, including adding a pedestrian walkway that runs from behind the Sea Dog Restaurant toward Hollywood Slots. There are sidewalks and lampposts and plenty of green grass to entice pedestrians. More and more small cruise ships have been coming up the Penobscot to dock in Bangor, something city leaders hope will continue.

Future plans envision expanding that pathway for bicycle use, as well as preserving additional green space. Some plans include a seasonal ice-skating rink, picnic tables and benches and an outdoor amphitheater for concerts and other events.

As plans have plodded along, one of the crucial elements of redeveloping the riverfront has always been private development. In fact, in 2006, the city created a downtown development tax increment financing, or TIF, district specifically to help harness some tax money from any development and use it for improvements specific to the area.

So far, the only businesses paying into the downtown TIF are Hollywood Slots and a few others, but the city remains hopeful.

“I think it will be quite a few years before we see benefits from that,” Councilor Richard Stone said recently. “But we’ll take it as it comes.”

Indeed, there are some real challenges to developing along the riverfront. Just ask Mo Fer or John Sites. Both men tried to move forward with plans for a condominium complex overlooking the water. Both plans fell through.

Other development projects, including a $4.3 million mixed-use commercial building by local developer Larry Springer, have failed to get off the ground, although McKay said Springer remains interested. Another local businessman, Chris Hutchins, pledged to donate $3 million to the city to construct the outdoor amphitheater but later withdrew that commitment.

“Those are some challenging sites there no doubt,” McKay said. “We’ve tried to provide as much incentive as possible.

“I think the city is waiting for high-quality development that fits in with the aesthetics of the area. As things progress, there will be renewed interest.”

Stone said he’s not concerned that private development won’t come back.

“In some ways, those developers look pretty sharp when you consider the economy now,” he said. “People had been so used to throwing money at things. They are probably happy they didn’t get financing.”

Certainly the addition of Hollywood Slots at the far end of the riverfront area will help attract business. If the city is successful in building a new auditorium at Bass Park within the next few years, that could provide an economic spark as well, McKay said. Finally, the recent improvements to the area’s infrastructure could give potential developers one more reason to take another look at the riverfront.

Asked whether the redevelopment has taken too long, McKay, who is well into his third decade of hashing out a master plan, smiled.

“It’s gone pretty much at a pace of money available,” he said. “We never wanted to do something that was going to burden the taxpayers.”

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April 6, 2009 From the Ground Up - Transmission vision - Why you should call Augusta now to support Peter Vigue’s bright idea
By John O’DEA, Executive Director, Associated General Contractors of Maine, Augusta

Construction, like many other industries, rewards innovation. Companies are rewarded with jobs if they figure out a better way to accomplish a given task. Or they’re rewarded when they find ways to do something otherwise considered impossible. Both types of innovation are familiar to Pittsfield’s Cianbro Corp., which has brought oil rigs to Portland for overhaul and is now building modular refinery components in Brewer.

Cianbro’s CEO Peter Vigue has applied his spirit of innovation to some of Maine’s most vexing problems, and he’s lately come up with a plan that lets us better use an existing asset to make Maine a national leader in six fields. He’s even figured out how to use this asset without sacrificing our core values or our commitment to a clean environment.

Long a player in energy infrastructure development, the Caribou native figured out that by leasing existing state rights-of-way, we could generate revenue to invest in areas vital to our future competitiveness.

Portions of this plan were adopted by Gov. John Baldacci and unveiled during his March 10 State of the State address. In that speech, Baldacci cited some $7 billion in potential investments in energy initiatives — like wind and tidal power — made necessary by our nation’s thirst for renewable power. A lynchpin in Baldacci’s plan is finding a way to move that green power to market. His support for Central Maine Power Co.’s Maine Power Reliability Program is crucial to maintain Maine’s grid, and for renewable energy, the governor appears willing to adapt Vigue’s vision for transmitting power through our state.

Vigue’s approach avoids today’s most contentious and time-consuming aspects of making utility upgrades — that of appeasing abutting landowners who are often reluctant to have their vistas altered by a new transmission line. In this case, Vigue overcomes the obstacle by not going above or around it, but by going under it. Vigue proposes putting new transmission lines underground in the I-95 median, and he wants the state to expedite permitting to hurry the deal along.

This approach, which has been endorsed by state leaders, eliminates the need for transactions with 8,000 landowners and 110 municipalities. Individual landowners and municipalities have made CMP’s Maine Power Reliability Program more contentious than necessary by contesting the project with the Maine Public Utilities Commission.

The cornerstone of the effort is to allow for a 240-mile, 660-megawatt power line that would bring renewable wind and hydroelectric power from Maine and Canada to load centers in Connecticut and Massachusetts. This $800 million investment would generate property taxes in excess of $40 million per year. The state would then securitize the revenue stream and issue a $1.6 billion bond that would be used to boost areas like heating and energy security and business investment and attraction.

Going under the problem What makes Vigue’s idea to lease state rights-of-way so tantalizing is that it could actually work. The plan has garnered considerable political support from members of legislative leadership and from the governor. Senate President Libby Mitchell has sponsored a bill, LD 955, “An Act to Transform the Maine Economy and Create Jobs,” which would implement Vigue’s vision.

While upgrades to our electric transmission system get all the attention, the reality is the plan could change the way we use energy. LD 955 proposes creating an authority to oversee Maine’s migration away from No. 2 home heating oil to cheaper and cleaner electric and geothermal heat. The Energy Trust Authority would be able to offer grants and low or no-interest loans for weatherization and heating system conversions. These household conversions would be administered by the state’s utilities, which already have the billing apparatus necessary to administer the loan payments.

Leveraging the University of Maine’s leadership in composites, the bill also proposes to make Maine the world leader in offshore wind power. Given the school’s expertise in composites, Vigue believes UMaine could have a pilot facility online within three years, and 5 gigawatts of offshore wind capacity online by 2020.

Albert Einstein once said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” As a state, we are often in the position of expecting a different result, in this case having a healthy economy, without being willing to change anything we’re doing. But in Augusta there may be some hope. Business leaders who want to move Maine forward will call legislators today and ask them to help pass LD 955.

John O’Dea is executive director of Associated General Contractors of Maine. He can be reached at editorial@mainebiz.biz.

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March 30, 2009 - Maine ASCE urges Delegation to Improve Infrastructure.  Members of the Maine Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) met with Maine’s delegation in Washington, D. C. on March 24-26, 2009, which coincided with the launch of the Report Card for America’s Infrastructure. The engineers joined over 180 engineers from all 50 states to discuss the Dam Rehabilitation Act and pending legislation for airport revitalization and surface transportation, which would increase investment in our nation’s dams, roads, bridges, rails, airports, and airways.

Maine’s engineers met with Congresswoman Pingree, Congressman Michaud, and staff of Senators Snowe and Collins. The photo at right shows members of the Maine Section ASCE meeting with Congressman Michaud and left to right are: Past President Philip Dunn of Old Town, Scott Gorneau of South Portland, Congressman Michaud, Vice President Walter Fagerlund of Windham, and President Erik Wiberg of Falmouth. [ed]

They discussed the recently released ASCE National Infrastructure Report Card, which gave an overall grade of D to our national infrastructure and found that there is over a one trillion dollar shortfall nationally over the next five years to improve our nations infrastructure condition to “good” or an equivalent B grade. They also discussed the recently released Maine ASCE report card, which gave Maine’s overall infrastructure system a C-. Maine’s complete report card is at www.maineasce.org.

The American Society of Civil Engineers is the oldest national professional engineering organization in the United States formed in 1852. Maine Section ASCE represents over 750 civil engineering professionals who live and work in the State of Maine.

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March 9, 2009 Composites Spawn Two New Ventures
By Douglas Rooks,  Mainebiz Contributing Writer http://www.mainebiz.biz/news44228.html

One is up. One is under way.

But both of the bridges constructed with ground-breaking composites developed in Maine have produced something as tangible as their 50-foot spans: new businesses.

The first bridge using new composite techniques developed by the University of Maine’s Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center in Orono is the Neal Bridge in Pittsfield, which connects routes 100 and 11. The span was built by Advanced Infrastructure Technologies, a direct spin-off of the composite center, which holds the license for a new type of composite component that it expects to manufacture commercially within a matter of months.

The other bridge, using a separate but related technology patented by a Chicago inventor, will connect an island in Boothbay Harbor to the mainland via a 500-foot span when construction begins this summer. Like the Pittsfield span, the Boothbay bridge is considered a demonstration project. Harbor

Technologies, which will build the Boothbay bridge, has been licensed exclusively for seven years to produce the span, which was selected by Popular Science as one of the top 10 inventions of 2008.

The market for these bridges could be big — “gargantuan” says Martin Grimnes, president of Harbor Technologies in Brunswick. At an unveiling ceremony last month for the composite modules, Gov. John Baldacci announced that the Maine Department of Transportation will build six more composite bridges in its 2010-11 construction cycle, at a cost of $6 million. U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud, who serves on the House Transportation Committee, said he will press the committee to specify composite spans in the six-year transportation reauthorization bill that’s expected to get to the House floor in June.

The ceremony marked not just the public introduction of the composite modules, but their graduation from the classroom to the business world.

Habib Dagher, director of AEWC, says the center has gone from research and development into licensing some of its top bridge designs, garnering it “world-class status.”

At the heart of that growing interest is what’s been dubbed “a bridge in a backpack.” A combination of inflatable molds, concrete and high-tech composites produce variable-length spans that are stronger and more durable than reinforced concrete, yet weigh only one-eighth as much.

The new bridges present clear advantages over existing concrete and steel spans, says Dagher, and were brought to market at equivalent costs. The composites are expected to last two to three times longer than conventional bridges, will require substantially less maintenance and won’t corrode, eliminating a significant source of environmental contamination, says Dagher.

Grimnes says the advantages of composites extend from manufacturing to transporting the spans to the bridge site. The 50-foot spans Harbor Technologies is building weigh 8,000 pounds instead of the 63,000 pounds of a similar steel-reinforced concrete structure.

The secret lies in the composite tubes that surround the concrete and steel components, marrying concrete’s resistance to compression with steel’s tensile strength.

The components in the Pittsfield bridge, which AIT will begin manufacturing in a 48,000-square-foot-structure in Orono adjacent to the composites lab, are even simpler. They start with flexible composite tubes that can take virtually any shape, and are then filled with concrete – no steel – and harden overnight.

Dagher supplied the know-how for the AIT bridge, which was financed by the center. To commercialize the technology, several investors will contribute the capital, led by Brit Svoboda, a Bangor native who recently returned to the area.

Svoboda was originally inquiring into commercialization possibilities for the AEWC off-shore wind towers, said Dagher, but was so impressed by the composite bridges that he decided to start a company to build them right away.

The “bridge in a backpack” — referring to the flexible tubing — could revolutionize concrete bridge construction, which now takes months, with enormous quantities of plywood forms and many concrete pours. Small spans, Dagher says, could be built in a weekend.

One irony of the two composite bridge techniques is that they contain no wood – despite the “Wood” in the AEWC name and the original focus of bridge designs at the lab. But what they lack in Maine-made materials, they more than make up for in Maine know-how and manufacturing capacity.

Harbor Technologies expects to more than double its existing work force of 20 to 40 or 50, while AIT expects to have 100 employees within five years, Dagher says.

The growth of AEWC has been equally strong. It now has 140 employees, including many top scientists and engineers. Originally launched with grants from the University of Maine and buttressed with state bond issues, AEWC is now almost entirely financed by contracts with commercial clients. “Only 3% of our funding comes from the university now,” Dagher says, though he declined to specify the lab’s annual budget. “We’re really a business in our own right, even if we’re still located on campus.”

Despite the seemingly sudden rollout of what was once called “space age” technology, these designs have been in the works for some time. The basic concept was hatched six years ago at AEWC, and it takes a long time to bring such ideas to commercial reality, Dagher says. “None of this takes place overnight. It takes a lot of diligence and hard work to bring these techniques to market.”

But with the federal stimulus bill now law, and a major transportation bill on the horizon, the timing seems perfect.

Grimnes said a federal study showed that unmet transportation infrastructure needs in 2007 totaled $1.6 trillion, and that the annual cost of corrosion in all components (including vehicles) amounts to $300 billion. “Once we get rolling, I don’t think there will be any lack of business,” he says.

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March 4, 2009 LURC OKs Stetson II Wind Farm
By Nick Sambides Jr.  BDN Staff  http://www.bangornews.com/detail/100847.html

BANGOR, Maine — The proposed $60 million Stetson II wind farm in Washington County earned its final state permit Wednesday after proponents made their strongest statements yet dismissing health concerns associated with wind power.

The Land Use Regulation Commission voted 5-0 to follow staff recommendations endorsing the 17-turbine project, which First Wind of Massachusetts will build in T8 R4 on Owl and Jimmey mountains north of Route 169 outside Danforth. It expands First Wind’s 38-turbine Stetson facility, which went online in January.

The project will create 350 temporary jobs while providing Maine with a sustainable, nonpolluting energy source, First Wind officials said. “This is great for Washington County,” Harold Clossey, executive director of the Sunrise County Economic Council, said Wednesday. “We have had a wonderful experience working with First Wind and we look forward to the launch of Stetson II.”

No date for that launch has been set because funding for construction of the project is not in place. First Wind officials are hopeful that they will find investors, or money in the economic stimulus package, to fund installation.

Held at the Spectacular Event Center on Griffin Road, the three-hour meeting drew more than 40 people, including several who oppose First Wind’s 28-turbine Mars Hill facility and its proposed 40-turbine Rollins Mountain project on ridgelines in Burlington, Lee, Lincoln and Winn.  One opponent, Gary Steinberg of Lincoln, said Maine Department of Environmental Protection regulations were 20 years old and lacked standards regarding dBCs, or low-decibel sounds. He accused state officials of accepting “wind-industry propaganda” instead of real science.  “They [the state standards] are based on no science,” Steinberg said. “They have never been peer-reviewed or independently reviewed. This whole process needs further review.”  “I am fascinated that only in the last two weeks have we heard about dBCs,” Commissioner Stephen Wight answered.  Low-decibel sound is allegedly the primary culprit of “wind turbine syndrome,” or “acoustic radiation,” in which people have claimed to suffer symptoms — including nausea, back problems, mood disorders, seizures and heart attacks — due to their proximity to turbines.  Strobe effects caused by rotating blades cutting sunlight also contribute to the syndrome, opponents say.

But studies and other evidence claimed by anti-wind proponents, said attorney Dean Beaupain of Millinocket, who represents Lakeville Shores, one of the landowners benefiting from the project, “fall into two categories: not supported by any evidence or irrelevant.”

Lawyer Julia Brown, who represents First Wind, and Charles Wallace, a sound expert who reviewed the project for First Wind, objected to the “sweeping generalities” of Steinberg’s statements, their “lack of scientific support” and their last-minute introduction to LURC commissioners.  Low-level sound standards and many scientific peer reviews are part of Department of Environmental Protection regulations. Low-level sound has been studied since the 1960s, Wallace said, and Steinberg’s statements betray “a complete misunderstanding of the wisdom of DEP regulations,” which agency officials have said were adequate for wind site reviews.  “This is not a new phenomenon,” Wallace said, calling Steinberg’s research “a lot of anecdotal evidence not scientifically researched or written.” After the meeting, he dismissed wind turbine syndrome as “a term coined by somebody to make a point.”  If there was anything to the idea, Wallace suggested, it would have long been found by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the New England Journal of Medicine, among others.

With the nearest Stetson resident about 6,100 feet from the closest of the new turbines, many of the issues discussed by wind power opponents were irrelevant, Brown said. Each turbine is nearly 390 feet tall from its base to the highest tip of its blades.  First Wind’s standards for its projects are also much more stringent than the DEP’s, said Matt Kearns, First Wind's vice president of development for New England.

Stetson II would be rated to produce up to 25.5 megawatts of pollution-free energy at maximum capacity, although actual output will vary considerably depending on wind conditions. The project would be built on commercial timberlands owned by Lakeville Shores, which also owns the land on which the first Stetson project was built.

First Wind has already purchased the 17 turbines and is storing them near the site.

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March 4, 2009 Governor Baldacci Releases Details of Investment Strategy

Plan Focuses on Job Creation, Economic Growth, Energy Independence

AUGUSTA – Governor John E. Baldacci today released the details of a three-year, $306 million investment strategy that will create jobs and strengthen Maine’s economy.  “Two weeks ago, President Obama signed the most significant economic recovery law in modern history,” Governor Baldacci said. “But we all know that the recovery package can’t address all of Maine’s needs. We must do our part to create jobs and strengthen our economy.”

The Governor’s proposed bond package makes critical investments in energy independence, highways and bridges, passenger and freight rail, higher education, innovation and the environment. “Maine’s economy depends on good roads and bridges, a highly educated workforce, innovative thinking and our State’s trademark quality of life to attract and sustain new jobs,” Governor Baldacci said. “The investments I’m proposing today will complement the Recovery Act, putting Mainers back to work.”

The investment package includes:
• $127.8 million for transportation projects, including roads, bridges, rail, ferries and aviation;
• $52 million for energy upgrades and building improvements at the State’s universities, community colleges and Maine Maritime Academy;
• $15.5 million for energy conservation and the development of offshore wind power;
• $67.5 million for competitive research and development grants, economic development and the redevelopment of Brunswick Naval Air Station; and
• $43.4 million for the Land for Maine’s Future, working water fronts, clean water and environmental protection.

“We know we must make these investments,” Governor Baldacci said. “Our economy depends on investing in our people, and giving them the tools they need to be successful.”  The Governor has talked with both Democratic and Republican leaders in the Legislature and believes that a strong, bipartisan bond package can be enacted quickly.  “I am confident that we can all work together to pass an aggressive investment package. While I know that there will be competing interests as this package is debated, I believe that Maine has shown that its political leaders can put aside partisan differences and work together to put the best interest of our people first.”

If enacted, Governor Baldacci’s investment package will go to voters in two rounds of voting, with $265.8 million on the November ballot and $40.4 million on the June 2010 ballot.  “Economic recovery requires a sustained effort,” Governor Baldacci said. “This investment strategy demonstrates our commitment to creating jobs and growing our economy.”

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February 20, 2009 - Bridge concept pays off for past, present UM students
By Jessica Bloch  BDN Staff  http://www.bangornews.com/detail/100012.html

ORONO, Maine — Politicians, investors and University of Maine officials celebrated Friday morning the announcement that a Florida-based investment group soon will pump millions of dollars into the Advanced Engineered Wood composites Center to develop and market the AEWC’s latest bridge technology. Dozens of jobs are expected to materialize over the next few years.

For one group, however, the work put into the Neal Bridge in Pittsfield and other projects at the AEWC has paid off in a more immediate manner.

Below are profiles of five current or former University of Maine undergraduate and graduate students who worked on the Neal Bridge. For some of them, the project helped launch their careers. Others used it as a steppingstone in their academic lives.

And they’re all staying in Maine, for now, because of the opportunities provided by the AEWC and its bridge projects.

“We tell everybody this is a reverse brain drain. We bring people back here and not only [at the AEWC] but as we spin off this business we’re looking at hiring people from here to work in this business,” said AEWC director Habib Dagher. “That makes the most sense because they understand the technology and the engineering. So it’s a way to keep people in Maine who would otherwise leave, and keep them coming back to Maine.”

Dan Bannon

Bannon, who is from Bridgton, is working on his master’s degree in civil engineering. In fact, the Pittsfield bridge project is his master’s degree — he developed modeling techniques for testing the bridge structure in the lab.

Bannon, 24, is considered so instrumental on the theory and modeling side that earlier this week he was offered a job by Advanced Infrastructure Technologies, the investment group. He will continue to work on design, modeling and testing for AIT.

Aside from the implications for the University of Maine and the AEWC, Bannon feels the bridge project could affect other areas of civil engineering.

“It’s an exciting project for our industry, being directly related to composites,” said Bannon, who delivered talks on the subject this winter in Florida and South Carolina. “Civil infrastructure is an area that composites haven’t completely broken into yet as [opposed to] the automotive or aerospace industries. It’s a good opportunity for us to get composites used more heavily in that area.”

Keenan Goslin

A 26-year-old Old Town native who earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees in civil engineering from UMaine, Goslin is working full time as a structural engineer at the AEWC. He worked on the design of the bridge in a bag and was a part of the Neal Bridge team.

Goslin watched many of his classmates leave Maine in search of better jobs. Now that a major investment is being made in the wood composite center, Goslin can continue to stay just a few miles from where he grew up and work in a challenging job.

“It’s a great opportunity to work on some projects and do some new things,” he said. “It’s nice being able to work on a bunch of different things all at once instead of being in an office all day, to be working on tests, design, play in the field. And it’s nice to be able to come back and work around here.”

Ed Nagy

Nagy, 36, who grew up in Lincoln, Neb., earned a master’s degree at UMaine and is working on a doctorate in civil engineering. He worked with Goslin on the design aspect of the bridge project.

The most challenging aspect of the Neal Bridge project, he said, was coordinating with the different entities involved.

“We were basically designing and manufacturing on a fast-track simultaneously, and working with the contractor and DOT so everything would be ready after they started the excavation and the foundation,” It was ready at the right time we were ready. If it hadn’t gone smoothly it wouldn’t have gotten done.”

Now that it’s in place, Nagy said, the project could spark interest in engineering in general and get people excited to be at UMaine whether as students or employees.

“I think having a real-world, high-visibility project that people can understand, something that people can get literally their hands on, can go a long way towards raising excitement about engineering as a career,” he said. “We’re excited about the opportunities that are coming down the pike because of the work the DOT did that enabled us to get our foot in the door. Now we can broaden that out.”

Corey Vincent

Vincent grew up in tiny Connor, just outside Caribou in Aroostook County. He spent two years working on an associate degree in computer drafting at Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle, then transferred to UMaine where he is considered a sophomore.

The 21-year-old got a job at the wood composite center through an acquaintance.

“I thought the place was extremely interesting and I liked the work that was done here,” Vincent said. “It’s great to have a job on campus and enjoy what you do. It’s new technology. I like seeing the bridge, and knowing I was a part of it. It’s a real sense of accomplishment.”

Anthony Viselli

Like Vincent, Viselli hails from a small town in rural Maine and is now pursing a graduate degree at UMaine through the wood composite center. He’s from Cooper, which is north of Machias, where he grew up around his father who worked in the residential construction business.

“I thought I had a handle on concrete, knew what was going on, then I got here and this threw me a twist,” the 24-year-old Viselli said. “It’s a very different, very novel approach. It gave me a good impression of engineering and what’s possible.”

Viselli is working on his doctorate in engineering and also is working full-time for Maine Secure Composites, a Bangor-based company that is one of several AEWC spinoff companies. Maine Secure Composites received a $12.9 million grant last year to commercialize secure shipping containers made out of composite materials that were developed in the AEWC lab.

He worked on the bridge project more than four years ago when he was an undergraduate. Still, he’s getting a kick out of seeing what has become of Neal Bridge.

“When you’re working on these things you never know,” Viselli said. “You want very hard for the technology to blossom so to see it here now is pretty cool. My dad hasn’t seen this. Maybe we’ll go by the next time we’re on the road together. I’m sure he’ll be impressed.”

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January 23, 2009 Stetson Wind farm starts up ; Governor hails project near Danforth ME
By Nick Sambides Jr. BDN Staff  http://www.bangornews.com/detail/97865.html

DANFORTH, Maine — New England’s largest wind farm went on line Thursday highlighting what Gov. John Baldacci said makes Maine the region’s leader in the creation of clean, oil-free wind power.

Strong winds blowing at about noon along Stetson Mountain’s ridgeline were creating about 32 megawatts of power through First Wind of Massachusetts’ $60 million, 38-turbine project. First Wind officials expected to transmit the project’s capacity, 57 megawatts, to the New England grid by day’s end.

Combined with the company’s 28-megawatt Mars Hill farm, the Stetson operation makes Maine New England’s leading wind farm state, said Baldacci. The state’s first two wind farms are the cornerstone of the administration’s aggressive 3½-year pursuit of alternative energy.

“This is what I believe in passionately: more economic development, more jobs, more opportunity,” Baldacci said Thursday. “Maine should be a leader in this. Maine is willing to experiment, to try something new, and to change for the future while safeguarding its natural resources.”

Maine isn’t likely to lose that distinction. Though they represent only a fraction of the state’s total electricity use, wind farms that would produce more than 400 megawatts are being built or are under permit review for possible construction next year. At least another 230 megawatts are listed in early, or post-2010, development.

“They talk about this in Washington, D.C.,” Baldacci said, “but they deliver it in Washington County.”

Since it began a year ago, construction of the wind farm on Stetson Mountain and the installation of a power line from Danforth to Chester created about 350 full-time jobs. While only six full-time jobs will remain with the industrial site’s completion, the project to date represents at least $50 million spent within state lines, much of it in Washington County, First Wind officials said.

“You have put us on the map,” Washington County Commissioner Chris Gardner said as he thanked First Wind for its investment. He called the company “tremendous stewards of our environmental resources and, most importantly, the public trust.”

About 100 state and local officials, construction company representatives and local business owners attending Thursday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony appeared to agree with the governor’s sentiment.

But there also were 10 protesters at the project entrance.

Accompanied by residents of Mars Hill and Danforth, the Friends of Lincoln Lakes group, which opposes First Wind’s proposed Rollins Mountain wind farm, picketed what they considered the project’s rushed permit approvals, which they felt trampled citizens’ rights.

The group fears that wind farms will blight the landscape, lower property values and cause health problems associated with the turbines’ noise and light flicker.

“It seems that in the rush to get these things built, only our First Amendment rights exist, and this is our way of exercising them,” said Gary Steinberg of Lincoln. “It really comes down to who controls Maine — the corporations or the citizens? In the Constitution, only citizens’ rights exist.”

First Wind officials tout their work as planet saving. Stetson, they say, will produce the equivalent of the electricity needed to power 23,500 homes and what would be produced by burning about 331,000 barrels of oil a year. This in turn will eliminate the emission of some 76,000 tons of carbon dioxide.

Like Mars Hill, Stetson will produce about 30 percent of its capacity annually, given the variability of wind, said Ryan Chayters, a senior development associate with First Wind.

Yet the project’s industrial benefits will outweigh its environmental pluses, Baldacci said, if he and state legislators succeed in their next goal. That is to promote the delivery of lower-cost electricity to state forest products industry mainstays, mills such as Katahdin Paper Co. LLC and Lincoln Paper & Tissue LLC, and the residents of host towns.

The availability of cheaper electricity harvested from Maine’s winds could revitalize Maine’s manufacturing industries, said Kurt Adams, First Wind’s chief development officer and a Maine native.

“For many years, Maine was seen as the end of the economic pipeline,” Adams said. “For the first time in many years, we have a real opportunity to advance our economy.”

“This industry will go a long ways toward supporting Washington County in the future,” Gardner said.

The Governor’s Task Force on Wind Power Development set as goals having at least 2,000 megawatts of installed wind power capacity in Maine by 2015, and at least 3,000 megawatts by 2020, including at least 300 megawatts from offshore projects. The Legislature also passed regulations allowing for the fast-tracking of wind projects.

State officials are also working to lure wind power turbine and blade manufacturers to Maine.

Besides Mars Hill and Stetson, First Wind has applied for permits for a 40-turbine, 60-megawatt farm on Rollins Mountain in Burlington, Lincoln, Lee and Winn, and a 17-turbine, 25.5-megawatt extension to the Stetson project known as Stetson II.

If all goes well, construction of those projects will finish by January 2010, First Wind spokesman John Lamontagne said.

TransCanada’s 44-turbine, 132-megawatt project on Kibby Mountain in western Maine, which is under construction, is also expected to open next year. It will produce power equivalent to the needs of 50,000 homes.

Among other projects in development this year and possibly under construction in 2010 are First Wind’s 40-megawatt Longfellow project in Rumford; Horizon Wind Energy of Texas’ 50-megawatt project for Oakfield; and a 90-megawatt wind power project Endless Energy Corp. seeks to build near Carrabassett Valley.

First Wind’s Web site also indicates the company has two more projects totaling 230 megawatts in early development for undisclosed Maine locations.

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January 12, 2009 - Wright-Pierce Receives ACEC Award for Falmouth Facility
FALMOUTH, ME — The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) of Maine recently presented Wright-Pierce, a New England-based engineering firm, with an “Honor Award” for the Falmouth, ME, Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF) upgrade project, according to a January 9 Wright-Pierce press release.

The award, which recognizes engineering firms for projects that epitomize quality, innovation, value and client satisfaction, was bestowed during the annual 2009 Engineering Excellence Awards ceremony held at the University of Maine, Orono, in late November.

WPCF was an aging wastewater treatment facility located on an environmentally sensitive site in a fast-growing coastal area in southern Maine. The facility improvement project reduced energy consumption by 40 percent and positioned the facility to accommodate residential and commercial growth while addressing increasingly stringent discharge standards, the release said.

In the accompanying photo, Dr. Chet Rock, Ph.D., P.E. (left), associate dean, College of Engineering, University of Maine, Orono, and ACEC board member, presents the Engineering Excellence Award to Paul Birkel, P.E., Wright-Pierce senior vice president, wastewater practice group leader. More>
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Tuesday, January 6, 2009  Town looks to expand
By Donna M. Perry , Staff Writer http://www.sunjournal.com/story/298277-3/Franklin/Town_looks_to_expand/

CARRABASSETT VALLEY - Selectmen voted Monday to ask the state Legislature pass legislation allowing Carrabassett Valley to annex the upper portion of Redington Township, subject to local voters' approval.

The move allows the process and debate to continue so that if the Legislature passes a private and special law, a townwide vote can occur. It will be up to Carrabassett Valley registered voters to make the final decision on annexation. If they approve, then it opens the process for a community-based wind farm to be built.

The annexation would clear the way for Carrabassett Valley to collect property taxes and fees on a proposed wind farm project.

Informational meetings and hearings will be held at the state and local level and even if legislators approve the annexation, voters can still say no, town officials said Monday during a presentation.

Harley Lee, president of Endless Energy Corp. of Yarmouth, gave an overview of the proposal to build a 30-turbine, 90-plus megawatt wind energy farm on Redington Pond Range and Black Nubble Mountain, which are in Redington Township, adjacent to Carrabassett Valley.

The proposal is similar to one rejected by the state Land Use Regulation Commission, which oversees about 10.5 million acres in unorganized territory, in January 2007.  Lee wants the town to annex about 10,000 acres owned by Redington Mountain Windpower, LLC, an affiliate of Endless Energy, and Dallas Co., a timber company.  The annexation would not include land owned by the U.S. Navy.

Carrabassett Valley was incorporated in 1971. In 1975, voters annexed Crockertown, which was then Sugarloaf Township, to create a town that remains the largest in land area of any organized town in Maine, according to the town's Web site.  More than 40 people turned out to hear the presentation of the concept and benefits of a wind farm.  Benefits cited are at least 50 percent savings in energy costs, $144 million added to the town's tax base and clean power to run the town. It also could benefit Sugarloaf and Sunday River ski resorts by saving up to $40 million over the life of the 15-year contract, according to information presented. Under the structure of the Sugarloaf Community Wind Farm, customers would provide the capital for the project and benefit from much lower and stable-priced energy costs, Lee said. It would cost an upfront $5,000 fee per residence once permitting was completed.

The reaction of the crowd was mixed, with several speaking against the project, some favoring the alternative energy proposal and others just wanting to move the process forward so a decision could be made. Some admonished selectmen for not holding a public hearing prior to a vote by the board.  "It is a start of a long process," select board Chairman Bob Luce said.

A bill needs to be submitted by mid January to the Legislature for consideration during this session. Even if the Legislature and Carrabassett Valley voters pass it, it would still need to go through the town's Comprehensive Plan process and voters would need to vote on it again, Luce said.  Rebecca London, 18, of Carrabassett Valley, said she had studied the wind project as an eighth-grader and now she's a senior at Mt. Abram High School, and would like to move the annexation forward to open up the proposal for debate and let town voters decide.  "I figure if selectmen vote on it and pass it, we can get the ball rolling," London said. "There will be plenty of time for debate later."  People will be able to make an informed and educated decision on the proposal, she said.

One of the greatest assets in Western Maine is the pristine mountains, said John Rohrer of York, a taxpayer in Carrabassett Valley for more than 25 years. Wind energy is great, he said, but there are places that are better suited for it.

Rohrer said selectmen have a unique responsibility in overseeing a town that has has 10 percent resident taxpayers and the other 90 percent of the taxpayers living there only part-time. Seventy percent of those taxpayers are from Maine, he said, and they could become full-time residents in no time, and get elected to the select board and overturn the board's decision. 
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December 24, 2008 - Union River Dam Turns 100
Written by Jennifer Osborn, Ellsworth American
http://ellsworthmaine.com/site/index.php/2008122418534/Latest/Union-River-Dam-Turns-100.html

ELLSWORTH — The dam on the Union River turned 100 in 2008. And while most century-old technology is antiquated and irrelevant after a century, hydropower has never been more in style.

The dam is capable of generating 8,900 kilowatt hours, which is enough electricity to supply  3,400 homes. The dam’s four turbines flow from the Graham Lake reservoir. In an average year, the dam generates 31 million kilowatts. The output is sold on the wholesale market.

Hydroelectricity is created by the force of falling water.  In an article written in 1908 titled “The Wonder of Water Power in Ellsworth, Maine,” area  resident James Leonard wrote that the Bangor Railway & Electric Co. saw the possibility of a dam in Ellsworth but realized the difficulty of creating a market for the power in Ellsworth. Leonard said that by transmitting a portion of the power 30 miles north to Bangor and another  portion 21 miles to Bar Harbor, the dam could be financed and operating expenses paid until industries could be induced to locate in Ellsworth and use the large amount of power remaining.

The dam was created by the Bangor Railway & Electric Co. Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. sold the dam in 1999 to PPL Corp., which is based in Pennsylvania.  PPL plans to spend at least $500 million on hydroelectric expansions in Maine, Montana and Pennsylvania over the next several years.  

Only 3 percent of the dams in the United States generate hydroelectric power, according to the National Hydropower Association.  Hydropower generates 8 percent of all electricity, according to a spokesman for the hydropower association.  According to a Dec. 14 report in USA Today, hydropower accounted for 42 percent of electricity production in the 1940s.  The industry is looking to expand the use of hydropower and studying to see which dams are potential resources and which ones aren’t, a spokesman said.

James Leonard was forward thinking, as evidenced by this statement:  “It is thus evident that electrical energy is becoming more and more an everyday necessity, not only to the large manufacturer but to each individual no matter what his walk in life and to my mind, the great problem of today is the cheap production of electrical energy and it is because of my belief that nowhere else can electricity be produced cheaper than it can by the proper utilization of the great rivers of Maine, that I have pinned my faith to a future of unexampled growth and development of this great state.”  Leonard described the plant as “undoubtedly the handsomest power station in New England.”

Former Ellsworth American reporter Tom Walsh contributed to this report.

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December 15, 2008 - Bridge replacement discussed in York; DOT details years' worth of road closures
By Jennifer Kennedy  news@seacoastonline.com

YORK, Maine — The state Department of Transportation told residents at a public input session last week that the planned replacement of four town bridges could result in about three years of road closures.

The Maine Department of Transportation presented preliminary plans and solicited comments regarding four bridges that will be rehabilitated or replaced in the next year. The four bridges are the Clarks Bridge over the Cape Neddick River, and three bridges along Route 103, which the DOT identifies as Station 44 Bridge (just north of the intersection of Route 103 and Seabury Road), New Bridge (the main bridge over the York River) and Station 34 Bridge (between Station 44 and New Bridge). Construction is scheduled to start as soon as early 2009.

The meeting was conducted by Jim Wentworth, the DOT's Bridge Program project manager, and Steve Hodgdon of Bedford, N.H.-based engineering firm Vanasse Hangen Brustlin Inc. Hodgdon's firm was contracted by the state for the projects.  About two dozen residents and business owners attended the meeting. Several questioned plans for the Clarks Bridge, largely about the look of the bridge and its impact on traffic. However, most of the discussion was about the bridges on Route 103.  While the DOT is keeping each bridge design as simple as possible, the Route 103 replacements could affect businesses and residents for about three years, Wentworth said. That's because the plan is to replace those bridges sequentially.

The state is charged with building bridges quickly due to federal funding and a limited state bond window, but each bridge will affect utilities at the town's cost.  "This is our budget season," said Don Neumann, the York Water District superintendent. "To plan for next year, we really need to see the set of plans, including the engineering.  "What I'm struggling with is all four of these bridges. How are we going to budget for it?"

Many residents were concerned about the replacement of the New Bridge over the York River, because it will involve, according to Wentworth, "a good year and a half" of construction. In addition, the plans for the estimated $7 million bridge will include a sidewalk only on the east side.   "Is that conducive to fishing?" asked resident Pat White.  Wentworth said fishermen on the non-sidewalk side of the bridge would be on the shoulder or out in traffic.  "Since there isn't already a sidewalk leading to and from both sides of the bridge, we are not obligated to put a sidewalk on each side," Wentworth said. "I hate to say it, but we're not here for the fishermen; we're here to get pedestrians from here to there."  The state is willing to explore different construction options, but those may result in a cost to the town if another sidewalk is included. Public Works Director Dean Lessard suggested placing a pedestrian walk underneath the bridge on one side, which would also offer the opportunity to fish from the lower level.  Wentworth said he was willing to explore other options, but he noted that if additional plans cause the construction to be delayed, "This will hit the street later rather than sooner."  "That is probably not as much of a concern to you here in this room as it is to the folks throwing money at us," he said. "We're doing the best we can with what we have in the time constraints. We'll look at it, see if we can slow the schedule down a little bit."

Hodgdon said that he was pleased with the results of the meeting.  "A lot of good points were brought up," the engineer said. "We had a great cross-section of people here.  "Projects like this that require road closures can be very emotional," he said. "It was refreshing that the people here understood we have limited options and were willing to work within those options."

Wentworth said he thinks another meeting is in order to relay all the available options and expects to have that information available within a month.

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December 15, 2008 - Cianbro receives top safety honor
By Scott Monroe Morning Sentinel reporter http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/037157.html

PITTSFIELD -- The Cianbro Corp.'s fabrication facility in town has received the highest honor of workplace safety from the federal and state governments.

After a 12 months of screening, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the SafetyWorks Program of the Maine Department of Labor awarded what is called SHARP recognition to the Cianbro facility. The SHARP award acknowledges Cianbro's emphasis on workplace safety and health, according to OSHA.

Today, Maine Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman and other dignitaries gathered at luncheon ceremony held by Cianbro at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Dobson Street, in honor of the designation. Eighty-five people work at the Cianbro facility and those employees gone more than a million work hours since an injury, in 2002. Cianbro Fabrication and Coating Corporation is a subsidiary of the Cianbro Cos., specializing in fabrication and coatings services. "SHARP is designed to provide incentives and support to smaller business owners to develop, implement and constantly improve effective safety and health programs at their work sites," said Marthe Kent, regional administrator for OSHA.

The SHARP designation will exempt Cianbro from a regularly scheduled OSHA inspection for two years.

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December 10, 2006 ORONO, Maine — Building the ideal wind turbine for offshore waters is no simple feat.
AP,http://www.finance-commerce.com/article.cfm/2008/12/11/Maine-researcher-tests-new-wind-turbine-design

At the University of Maine’s Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center, researchers are designing, manufacturing and testing windmill blades and towers in search of a solution.  Habib Dagher, director of the center, said he is working with a number of companies on developing wind turbine technology that is suitable for conditions that are found where waters are hundreds of feet deep, out of sight from land. 

Out there, waves can swell 40 feet high and winds can roar at 80 mph or more. First, Dagher said, such a wind turbine must be big — a 300-foot tower from the water to the hub of the turbine with blades that are 200 feet long. By comparison, land-based windmills are typically about 240 feet tall with 130-foot blades.  It also must be strong, because of the powerful offshore winds and waves — even the threat of hurricanes. And to cut down on maintenance, it must resist corrosion associated with an ocean environment.  Inside a warehouse testing center, Dagher is overseeing testing of wind blades made of fiberglass, balsa wood and carbon fiber. The balsa makes the blade light, the carbon fiber is stronger than steel, and the lack of metal significantly reduces corrosion.

For the turbine tower, Dagher’s research is focusing on composite materials and new manufacturing techniques so they can be built on site — out at sea — eliminating the need to build unwieldy and heavy structures on land and then transport them 20 miles or more offshore. Testing is centered on inflatable towers that are injected with resin and filled with a low-cost substance like concrete. Similar structures are also being tested for bridge construction.  Deep-water energy farms are years or even a decade or more away, but Dagher is convinced they’re an answer to the nation’s future energy needs.

“What we’re looking at are long-term solutions for this country,” he said.

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December 06, 2008 - UM wood composites center gives lesson to key lawmaker

By Jessica Bloch, BDN Staff  http://www.bangornews.com/detail/94700.html

ORONO, Maine — As he does with almost all the visitors to the University of Maine’s Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center, Habib Dagher showed Rep. Josh Tardy, R-Newport, the center’s latest technology Friday afternoon.  For Dagher, that meant picking up one end of a 60-foot, 80-pound arch made of composite materials to prove the light weight of the structure.  “See,” Dagher said, holding the arch and moving it up and down. “I can lift it.”

Tardy and a group of visitors watched intently, perhaps envisioning the economic opportunity for the state of Maine in the lightweight material that could change bridge technology.  “[The university] certainly has changed a lot since I got out of here,” said Tardy, a 1990 UM graduate who is the House minority leader. “The university is an important player in economic development and finding energy independence and sustainability.”  Tardy was on campus for the Margaret Chase Smith Distinguished Policy Fellow Program, which brings elected officials and senior policymakers to the university for one-day programs through which they can learn more about UMaine, the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center and the work of UM students and professors. Tardy, a lawyer, is about to begin his fourth term in the Maine House. He represents District 25, comprising Corinna, part of Corinth, Exeter, Newport and Plymouth.  

In addition to his visit to the wood composite center, Tardy met with UM President Robert Kennedy, spoke to 49 students in a public management class, and participated in a panel discussion about the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research.  “I had great contact with the students,” Tardy said. “I think they want to know that there’s hope, and I think they just need to look around here at the university and they should have hope. There’s a lot of good things that are going on here, and as policymakers we need to be cognizant of the success and the example that UMaine has set.” Tardy toured Colvin Hall, which houses UM's Honors College and the Forest Bioproducts Research Initiative laboratory, before meeting with Dagher.  The group watched a short video about a wood composite center project in which engineers developed a shock-absorbent boat hull for a Boothbay company. In the center’s laboratory, Dagher showed off new bridge technology, during which he demonstrated the material’s light weight, and also pointed out composite sheet piling panels for waterfront use for which the center recently was awarded a patent.  “It’s an example of how technology can be born in a lab and make it to the real world,” said Dagher, who learned Friday afternoon that a different lightweight concrete formwork panel project on which he worked several years ago had been awarded a patent last month.

Dagher also gave a presentation touting wind power and said the new wind technology could mean a huge investment of money in Maine in the next few decades. The center, he added, can be a leader in development of wind turbines in deep sea waters.  “Our mission is to provide leadership in the state with unbiased information that is relevant to the future of the state,” Dagher said after Tardy moved on to his next event. “I can’t think of anything more important to our future than energy and our infrastructure.”

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December 05, 2008 - New power prospects re-energizing Wiscasset  
Seth_Koenig@TimesRecord.Com   http://www.timesrecord.com/website/main.nsf/news.nsf/0/6A22F4A036E5360885257516006356DD?Opendocument

WISCASSET — A convergence of high profile proposals could forever change the identity of Wiscasset, from a town tied to the recent memory of nuclear power to perhaps the world's hub of ocean-based energy. The shift from atomic to Atlantic energy sources reflects a rapidly evolving global marketplace. With political uncertainty clouding the world's Middle Eastern and European oil supplies, President-elect Barack Obama and Maine Gov. John Baldacci have each underscored the necessity of breaking America's — and Maine's — dependence on foreign fuel sources.

Wiscasset boasts a perfect combination of power grid infrastructure, tidal waters and eager planners, attracting a line of 21st century prospectors, all chomping at the bit to invest in environmentally friendly energy projects there.

One group hopes to burrow 2,000 feet underground and use gravity to pull coastal waters through turbines, while another group wants to stretch an undersea cable to Boston that would convert AC currents to DC currents.  Finally, town officials are looking to study the potential of using the rise and fall of tides to generate power.

"There's the possibility that all three of the current projects will come into being: The tidal project that we're working with the town on, the geo-hydro project and the DC high volume transmission line from Wiscasset to Boston," said Peter Arnold, sustainability coordinator for the Wiscasset-based Chewonki Foundation. "These three big projects, that are all ocean-based, could dump between $2 billion and $3 billion into the local area. That's exciting.

"We hope that we're able to assist the town as it moves into this incredible place as a center of ocean energy development, certainly in Maine, if not the East Coast or the country," he continued. "It's a nexus of incredibly exciting events."

Like day and night
That nexus could mean that the self-proclaimed "prettiest little village in Maine" might be less than a decade from having to rename itself the "prettiest little clean energy capital of the world." (Although the town would need to get a longer sign.)  The surge of international interest in Wiscasset is overshadowing the memory of last year's failed coal gasification plant proposal — and perhaps even helping the region forget the otherwise unforgettable Maine Yankee nuclear plant, which was at one time an icon synonymous with Wiscasset. Today, this Sheepscot River community is molting, shedding its long-standing identity as Maine's home for atomic power and its questions about dangerous nuclear waste, as well as the one-year-old identity of a town conflicted about the effects of new coal burning strategies. 

Today, say town officials, Wiscasset is lean, clean and full of "green."  "We have to make these people feel welcome," said Town Manager Arthur Faucher. "The Board of Selectmen, the Planning Board and myself — as well as those who serve voluntarily on committees — feel it's important for the business sector outside of Wiscasset to have the feeling we are business-minded, and that we are open to business ventures." 

John Douglas, president of Riverbank Power Corp. of Toronto, said he has visited Wiscasset nearly every week for two months, since his firm announced interest in a project in the town. Douglas said his early impressions are that Wiscasset is, indeed, welcoming.  "I think it's a good fit for a $2 billion project with a lot of accompanying construction jobs initially and operating jobs thereafter in a community that's looking for that kind of development," said Douglas. "It's a wonderful transition from old to new, from the former Maine Yankee site, there were over 800 people working at, many of whom we've met with. It's a site that has an energy heritage, and it's interesting to think about that heritage continuing in a renewable sense." 

The Riverbank project would involve a four-year construction timeline, aiming for the 2014 opening of a 100-acre underground facility. The technology proposed would take water from the Back River during the daytime hours and drop it 2,000 feet into a series of turbines.  After rushing through the turbines, the water would come to rest in underground storage tanks. There it would wait until nighttime, when there's less demand for energy and the unit cost is lower, at which point it would be pumped back into its Back River source.   Riverbank estimates 1,000 construction jobs will be generated during the four-year building process, and when the facility is complete, up to 100 employees will be hired to run and maintain the plant. "So far, it seems to be a good fit on a few fronts, and we'll be continuing to work toward the project permitting and public outreach program that we just started," said Douglas. "We're anticipating a couple years of permitting work and four years of construction work. We'll hit the ground running early next year with the various state agencies, who have been very cooperative.  "The next steps are really a series of things that are typical of any development," he continued. "We've engaged an environmental firm, so really the next steps are what I call the 'blocking and tackling' parts of development. We've started a formal drilling to confirm understanding of geology. We're fully engaged now in Wiscasset."

AC/DC
In addition to the $2 billion Riverbank proposal, another Toronto-based group is eyeing a $1 billion project with ties to Wiscasset. Transmission Developers Inc. (TDI) hopes to run an undersea cable to Boston to transfer electricity, a project that Town Planner Jeffrey Hinderliter said would include a roughly $150 million facility in Wiscasset.

The plan would be to use high voltage direct current cabling to transfer "trapped energy" from windpower and other renewables to markets experiencing acute power shortages — essentially, to serve as an energy highway between Maine, where there could be excess power generated through burgeoning renewable projects, to places like New York City and Boston, where there's a demand for that energy.  Hinderliter said that, unlike past power plants, the above-ground facilities for TDI and Riverbank would be between 10 and 15 acres combined, leaving the door open for plenty of natural space.  By comparison, the Maine Yankee facility forced more than 400 acres to be cordoned off.  "It's fascinating to think about what we considered power plants, whether it was coal or nuclear," said Hinderliter. "They were huge facilities. But above ground, these are really not (accounting for) a significant space related to the scope of the projects."

Rising tide
The final of three potential energy projects in town will be led by, well, the town. The Wiscasset Board of Selectmen voted this fall to file an application for a preliminary permit to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), with the intent of spearheading a charge to study tidal power options in the area.

The town's application is widely considered to take precedence over a similar permit application filed by the private firm Natural Currents Energy Services LLC. It would allow town officials to take control over a research process that could play a major role in defining Wiscasset's future.  According to Faucher, the town isn't going into its tidal foray without company. Wiscasset has compiled a list of academic and environmental experts to help it wade through the waters of coastal power generation.  Supporting the town's study are the Castine-based Maine Tidal Energy Project, the University of Maine and Chewonki Foundation, among others.

"The faculty and researchers will be available for technical and scientific consultation," said Faucher, referencing a letter of endorsement by Drs. Michael Peterson of the University of Maine and Richard Kimball of the Maine Maritime Academy. "They're also indicating that, 'We are very committed to developing this technology in an environmentally responsible manner to support the economy and to protect the character of Maine.'  "To me, this academic alliance was personally important," he continued. "Having done other economic development projects, having an academic alliance is a big plus."

The partnerships with higher education institutions in the state allows Maine college students to be at the forefront of a burgeoning technology, while giving Wiscasset access to the expertise necessary to flesh out its tidal energy options. Faucher also noted that the arrangement could make Wiscasset a potential spawning ground for a global work force specializing in ocean-based energy projects, which are still cutting edge.

Chewonki's Peter Arnold said a 46-foot catamaran at the foundation is being outfitted to help serve as a research vessel in the tidal project.  "If prospects look good at the end of the research period, the holder of that preliminary permit can apply for a full permit that would allow putting equipment in the water, and actually making electricity," said Arnold. "We figured that, with local control, the project would be bound to have the most benefit for Wiscasset, Lincoln County and Maine. Local control would lead to the greatest local benefit."

The surge of ocean-based energy interest in Wiscasset doesn't come as a surprise to Hinderliter, who sees a bright future for the town. "I think it would be foolish to believe there would not be an energy component in this town's future," he said. "We have hundreds of millions of dollars of power lines, rail, three-phase power, large tracks of land, the water — there's just a lot Wiscasset offers to people in the energy field, whether it's in production or distribution."

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November 28, 2008 - Study: Pittsfield’s sewer system crumbling
By Sharon Kiley Mack, BDN Staff  http://bangornews.com/detail/94125.html

PITTSFIELD, Maine — A recent study of the town’s aging sewer system has revealed a complex of 100-year-old pipes, many of which are broken, cracked and leaking.

The study was conducted by Olver Associates Inc. of Winterport, and William Olver presented the findings to a recent meeting of the Town Council. The council will now mull over a second study, which would include sewer flushing and inspection, smoke and dye testing and a report that would detail long-range corrections. “These problems have been developing for 100 years,” Olver told the council.  He explained that the town owns 30 miles of sewer pipe, and the pipes range from 6 inches in diameter to 30 inches. Many are made of clay and are in poor condition.  Olver said the goal of any plan would be to focus limited capital dollars on areas of the system that require the most attention. 

In an attempt to determine where those areas are, Olver’s crew conducted middle-of-the-night inspections. “The Pittsfield system typically shuts down about 10:30 or 11:30 p.m.,” when residents retire for the night, Olver said. “We were out opening manholes at 2 a.m.”

What the crewmembers found was not good. They identified 17 streets where broken, cracked or crumbling sewers are allowing sewage to seep into the ground. Some of the highest seepage areas include Crosby Street, Elm Street, Peltoma Avenue, Airport Road, Nichols Street, Detroit Avenue, North Main Street, Dobson Street and Hunnewell Avenue.  Olver said these are “the leakingest areas of town.”

In addition, Olver said, Pittsfield gets about 40 inches of rain a year. By measuring the storm flow for different rain events this past year, another 21 locations were indicated as problems for high stormwater flow into the sewer system.  Following a 7-inch rainstorm in May, Olver said, “Your lines were full everywhere, all the way back to the Interstate.”

Olver did note that a lot of the leaking sewer lines are new PVC plastic pipes. “This suggests that [the] entire line may not be an issue, just specific locations that might be visible with television inspection.”

The second study is expected to take several months next summer. The $175,000 cost could be partially paid for through a $45,000 planning grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection. The town would then be responsible for the remaining $130,000 cost.

“The end product,” Olver said, “would be a long-range plan for correcting these issues.”

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November 27, 2008 - Bangor Standpipe Makes History. 
http://bangornews.com/detail/94062.html

BANGOR — The Maine Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers on Nov. 20 presented the Bangor Water District with a plaque recognizing the Thomas Hill Standpipe as a significant state historic civil engineering landmark.

History and Heritage committee chairman Will Haskell said, “It is exciting to celebrate the historical significance of this structure, which has been a vital component in providing clean, safe and reliable potable water and fire protection for more than 110 years.”

Built in 1897, the standpipe is a riveted steel tank 75 feet in diameter, 50 feet tall, and can store 1.75 million gallons of water. Thomas Hill Standpipe joins 16 other Historic Civil Engineering Landmarks in Maine.

While the structure is similar to many water tanks around the country, Thomas Hill Standpipe is uniquely enclosed by a wood structure that is 85 feet in diameter, 110 feet tall.

The wood enclosure has protected the steel standpipe from the natural elements and offers a breathtaking 360-degree observatory of the city of Bangor from the promenade deck and the roof.

The standpipe was designed by Ashley B. Tower of Tower and Wallace of Holyoke, Mass., and built by Maj. James M. Davis on land owned by the Thomas brothers. It is constructed on a stone foundation and consists of 22 large steel plates riveted together in each circumference of the tank, and 10 courses of plates.

The tank is topped by a 3-ton steel drum, 15 feet tall and 4 feet in diameter. A casting fitted to the bottom of the drum was cast at the Bangor Foundry and Machine Co.

The drum supports 24 iron trusses for the promenade deck and the roof structure. The trusses and steel plates were furnished by New Jersey Steel and Iron Co.

The wooden enclosure sits on a stone block foundation, 9 feet high and about 3.5 feet thick. The sill is made up of 2-by-12 pine planks bolted together to a thickness of 14 inches and bent to the circle. There are 24 12-by-12 pine columns, all 48 feet long, supporting the structure.

A stairway winds around the inside of the structure and leads to the promenade deck. A second stairway leads from the promenade deck to the roof of the structure.

The facility’s construction included 42,000 board feet of pine, with some 220,000 cedar shingles protecting it from the elements.

After 111 years, the standpipe continues to be a significant part of the Bangor Water District’s distribution system, providing storage and pressure regulation to the downtown. For many years the tower was open to the public and featured seats on the promenade deck. A past account described the view: “The view … can give Bangoreans nothing but a feeling of pride at the beauty of our city, every part of which is in plain sight. It invariably strikes the visitor how the city is set down in a basin with mountains and hills on every side.”

The Maine Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers represents 750 civil engineering professionals. Founded in 1852, the society has more than 140,000 civil engineers worldwide and is America’s oldest national engineering society. For information, visit www.maineasce.org.

Picture: Bangor Water District board chair Bradford Wellman, left, and fellow board member Ralph Foss hold a plaque presented to the Bangor Water District on November 20, 2008, recognizing the 110-year-old Thomas Hill Standpipe as a significant state historic engineering landmark. Members of the Maine section of the American Society of Civil Engineers traveled to the site Thursday afternoon to present the plaque. Among the attendees were Walter Fagerlund (foreground, far left), Maine A.S.C.E. vice president, Kathy Moriarty (second from left), Bangor Water District general manager, and Wes Haskell, Bangor Water District assistant general manager district engineer. PHOTO BY JOHN CLARKE RUSS

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November 20, 2008 - Dennett bridge to cost $2M-plus
By Dave Choate  dchoate@seacoastonline.com

KITTERY, Maine —A preliminary public meeting on the replacement of the Dennett Street Overpass Bridge received residents' approval.

A handful of residents came to hear a presentation from Maine Department of Transportation Project Manager Jim Wentworth, who talked about the possibility of replacing the nearly 70-year-old bridge, which carries the Route 1 Bypass over Route 103/Dennett Road.

While Wentworth noted that planning is still in the very early stages, he said the bridge could cost between $2 million and $2.5 million to replace and might take somewhere between six and nine months.  Wentworth said the DOT's goal is to replace the aging structure, widen a narrow road under the bridge, and provide a new and more level sidewalk for walkers and bikers."  (The bridge) is getting old. If you drive under it, you see it's in pretty poor to fair condition," Wentworth said.

Dennett Road resident Ken Linscott expressed concern with possible slowdowns for the project in the wake of the currently stalled Memorial Bridge repair project, saying he believed the overpass replacement would improve safety in the area.  In response, Wentworth said the project was being pushed forward as an important repair and would begin sooner than later.

Wentworth said the project could begin in late 2009 or 2010 unless a construction schedule was developed for the Memorial Bridge which would make re-routing traffic too difficult. DOT project engineer Robert Blunt said there has been some discussion of detouring traffic around the bridge site over Ranger Drive and Gorges Road, but noted that traffic studies will have to be completed before that determination is made.  Blunt said that despite the condition of the bridge, it is still safe to drive over and under.

Wentworth predicted the DOT would return to Kittery for another public hearing in the next few months.

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November 20, 2008 - Orland Intersection Known for Accidents
Written by Cyndi Wood

ORLAND — The intersection of Route 1, Upper Falls Road and School House Road has a bad reputation. Known for accidents over the years, the Maine Department of Transportation has made changes to try to improve visibility and reduce drivers’ speeds. “We’ve probably done about all we can do at that location other than cutting down the hill, and we’re not going to do that,” said DOT Region Traffic Engineer Bruce Mattson.

The four-way intersection sits at the top of a hill on busy Route 1. Signs warn drivers of the upcoming intersection and the speed limit is reduced to 45 mph. There is also a blinking yellow light. The intersection has two lanes of thru-traffic on each side and a left-hand turn lane into Upper Falls Road for westbound traffic.

Mattson said accidents have decreased there since the DOT has made improvements over the years. Still, accidents happen, including last week’s fatal crash that killed an Ellsworth man. Mattson said the DOT first started making changes at the intersection sometime in the late ’80s or early ’90s after a tractor-trailer plowed through a church when swerving to avoid a vehicle. 

The intersection was widened to five lanes at that time. Further improvements included installing traffic islands, overhead lane signs, the flashing yellow light, more traffic signs and pavement markings. About five years ago, the DOT also reduced the height of a traffic island in the intersection so it would no longer obstruct the view of oncoming traffic for drivers turning out of School House Road next to the HOME co-op.

Mattson said the intersection is one of two historically troublesome spots in Orland. Just down the road where Route 175 connects with Route 1 is another intersection known for accidents.  Mattson said the DOT has also taken steps to improve visibility there. At the intersection with School House and Upper Falls Road, one of the major problems is speed, according to Mattson.  “It meets minimum standards, but with the speed limit being 50 and people going 60 or 65…”

Wayne Ames, chairman of the Orland Board of Selectmen, said the intersection does have “quite a history of accidents.”  He also attributed much of the problem to drivers’ speeds.  “You can’t drive for people, and people won’t slow down,” Ames said. He said that one suggestion he had made about the intersection was to make both the right-hand lanes in either direction turn-only lanes. Other than that, he said he does not see many solutions.  “There isn’t a heck of a lot that can be done,” Ames said.

Mattson said on average about 8,600 vehicles pass along Route 1 daily. About 2,000 vehicles use Upper Falls Road, which is a popular route to Bangor for Blue Hill Peninsula residents. School House Road traditionally gets much less traffic, but that could change this summer.

During construction of a new bridge on Route 175, the Castine Road, School House Road will become a detour route. Mattson said travelers on Route 175 would be detoured up School House Road and then onto Gray Meadow Road to avoid increasing traffic at the intersection at the top of School House Road.

Gray Meadow Road connects with Route 1 farther down the highway toward Ellsworth.

Drivers heading from Bucksport and connecting to Route 175 would make a right at School House Road, Mattson said.

“There aren’t many alternative route options there,” he said.
 

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November 19, 2008  - Higgins Beach seawall work begins   By Al Edwards Reporter - American Journal

SCARBOROUGH (Nov 18, 2008): Scarborough has broken ground on a $650,000 seawall to replace the existing wall at Higgins Beach.

Crews from Cape Ann Equipment of North Andover, Mass., excavated the site and poured concrete for the foundation, said Scarborough Public Works Director Mike Shaw. "It's moving along quite well," Shaw said.

The project evolved after the 2007 Patriot's Day storm damaged the wall.  "We had two options at that point," Shaw said. "We could repair it by piecing it back together or we could take funds to rebuild the wall that was not originally designed by an engineer firm and had some flaws to begin with."  Completion of the seawall is expected by Dec. 17, Shaw said.

In February, the Scarborough Town Council agreed to bond $450,000 for the project. Also, because the damage was caused by the Patriot's Day storm, a $214,000 grant was available from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.  "It was a good deal for the town and it needed to be rebuilt," Scarborough Town Councilor Michael Wood said.  The town in January submitted an application to the Department of Environmental Protection for a permit to replace the existing seawall. The town’s application is under review and pending approval.

The Higgins Beach seawall dates from the 1960s, when large boulders were put in place to minimize beach erosion from storms. This rock wall was covered with a protective cement barrier in 1992 and has undergone repeated maintenance over the years in response to the problems of erosion and rising water levels. The wall runs approximately 750 feet, from Pearl Street to the Breakers Inn.  "It was just gravity holding rocks in place with nothing to rest on," Shaw said. "We decided to go with the enhanced project and what we're going to have is a fitted rock wall (that) will be designed so that the size of the stone that is going to be in the wall takes into account the forces of the ocean."  The new wall has to be built so that its "footprint, height, and reflection of waves cannot be more than the existing seawall," according to Steve Dickson, a marine geologist at the Maine Geological Survey in Augusta. In addition, the Department of Environmental Protection mandated in 2006 that that a repaired or replaced wall must be less damaging than the previous one to the environment.

The Scarborough Town Council, DEP and the Portland engineering firm of Deluca Hoffman met with the Maine Geological Survey and Maine Department of Conservation twice in 2007. These groups determined how the wall would affect bird nesting and other local habitats.  The new wall meets those mandates and will be about 500 feet long with a street-level height, Shaw said.  There will also be added amenities such as a year-round staircase and a sidewalk on the ocean side of Bayview, Wood said.

Based in Westbrook, Reporter - American Journal Al Edwards can be reached at 207- 854-2577 or by e-mail at aedwards@keepmecurrent.com.

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November 19, 2008  - University Of Maine At Presque Isle To Build Wind Turbine  - Presque Isle (NEWS CENTER)

The University of Maine at Presque Isle is taking big step in going green. The school has reached an agreement with Lumus Construction to begin working on a $2 million project to install wind turbine. UMPI is the first university in the state to install a 600kW wind turbine.

The President of that University, Don Zillman said. "This is an historic moment for the University of Maine at Presque Isle, one that encompasses both our efforts to make wind energy generation on campus a reality and our willingness to serve as a leader on the community wind project front. With this agreement, we not only will be decreasing our carbon footprint, but also serving our role as an educational, community and statewide leader in green power use. We couldn't be more excited."

Officials have been working on this project since May of 2007. They expected the turbine will save the institution more than $100,000. On top of saving the school money the turbine will eliminate an estimated 572 tons of carbon dioxide going into the atmosphere each year.  Lumus Construction is based out of Portland, and Woburn Massachusetts. The company will begin work immediately at the turbine site, located adjacent to the university's athletic fields on the southern end of campus.

More information on the project will be released on Monday at 11 a.m when the University and the construction company hold the formal contract signing and the discuss project in detail.

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November 18, 2008 - PITTSFIELD Water and sewer rates expected to increase
BY SCOTT MONROE, Staff Writer http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/5617873.html

PITTSFIELD -- Pittsfield has among the lowest rates in the state for municipal water and sewer service. That may not be the case for much longer.  The town government is moving forward with several projects to repair and upgrade its water and sewer system, including the long-standing removal of sewage, replacement of antiquated pipes and other projects that have been on the back burner.

"It's massive," Town Manager Kathryn Ruth said of the task. "We're talking decades of work here. The town chose to pay for it later."  In order to pay for these needed projects, customer rates will have to increase, Ruth said.

A new report commissioned by the town government suggests the town will need to shell out perhaps millions of dollars to update its system. The report was written by Acheron Engineering, Environmental and Geologic Scientists of Newport.

The Town Council will get its first look at the study at its meeting tonight, along with a presentation by Acheron officials.  The study, which suggests short- and long-term solutions, is so complex that town officials will need help understanding it, Ruth said. One thing is certain: The town's system needs an upgrade.  "It's become an inefficient system. It's not treating the sludge as best it can," Ruth said.  The town uses a lagoon system for its sewage disposal. Its wastewater treatment plant was built in 1978 and contains a 70-acre lagoon.  

The town's sludge -- the solid byproduct of wastewater treatment -- should have been removed about every decade or so, but the treatment facility has continued to run for the last 30 years without any such removal. That means its removal will end up being more expensive, Ruth said, and the cost will only go up the longer the town waits. "If it's removed over time, the cost is less," Ruth said. "Now, everything is more expensive doing it all at once. There will be more financial consequences if we wait longer."

The first step for the town has been replacing old, malfunctioning water-sewage meters across town -- some 1,200 in all -- so that the town could get accurate readings. That project is nearly complete and is expected to cost the town $150,000.  "We need correct meters," she said. "If people's bills are going to go up we need to correctly assess them."  Rates will increase in January to finance that work, Ruth said, and more increases would come later, depending on when projects are scheduled.

The most expensive option for removing the town's sludge would cost $9.9 million and could be financed over 15 years at an annual cost of $663,264, according to the report. Acheron, however, doesn't recommend the town consider this option.  Other, less costly options have total price tags in the $3 million range, but the Acheron report indicates such costs are "unreasonable and unrealistic."   Ruth said she will work with the Maine Rural Water Association so "hopefully there's a way to do this over a period of time."

There's an upside to having higher utility rates, Ruth said, because the town will then be eligible for grant funding to help pay for its system projects.

Scott Monroe -- 487-3288, 861-9253

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October 28, 2008 - PORTLAND (AP) - Maine is one of 15 states that will share in $200 million allocated by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development agency.

HUD Secretary Steve Preston on Tuesday announced the allocations for states affected by natural disasters.

Maine will receive about $2.2 million for flooding damage that occurred in several counties during severe storms last spring.

According to HUD, the funding is provided through the Community Development Block Grant Program and will help support each state's long-term disaster recovery and critical infrastructure needs.

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October 23 - Trans-Maine road proposal attracts notice

By BILL POWER Business Reporter

A distressed U.S. economy may boost support for a proposed east-west highway across Maine, some top players in the Atlantic Canadian trucking industry heard Wednesday.  "The economy is not looking good, but a window has opened in the past 30 days that adds support to this project," said Maria Luisa O’Connell, president of the Border Trade Alliance in the United States.

The president of the organization that lobbies on behalf of communities on the Mexico-U.S. border said the recent stock market calamity will have investors looking for revenue-generating infrastructure projects such as the toll highway proposed by Maine entrepreneur Peter Vigue, chief executive officer of Cianbro Corp.  The Pittsfield, Maine, company is promoting the highway as a transportation, utility and communications corridor from the New Brunswick-Maine border to Quebec.

An update on the proposed 350-kilometre highway across Maine was part of the 2008 International Transportation Summit, hosted in Halifax by the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association.

Ms. O’Connell said the major reliance of many U.S. communities on exports adds political appeal to the highway project and could create a more favourable view of the privately funded project in Washington, where security concerns would previously have presented some roadblocks.  Security concerns about the estimated $2-billion project were raised at the conference by Paul Morris, executive director of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. 

Mr. Morris told summit participants the need for strict security precautions remains as critical as in the aftermath of the 9-11 attacks against the United States and could have implications for the highway project, scheduled to open to traffic in 2014. "Promoters (of the project) should not be expecting current procedures are going to go away," he said, referring to border crossings.  He said the scheduled opening date leaves little time for required security infrastructure improvements, such as an anticipated rebuilding of the U.S. border-crossing facility at Coburn Gore, Maine, near the southeastern corner of Quebec, to handle increased traffic volume.  He said it would take at least seven years to get a required border-crossing facility in place. "The proposed Maine crossing is already behind the curve in this regard," he said.

Laurette Laverdiere, with Cianbro Corp., said the company is holding to its 2014 completion date with a view that security issues and a list of other issues typical of a project of this magnitude will be resolved.  "We feel the technology currently exists to speed up border crossings," she said in an interview. "Truckers will not use the highway if the driving time they save is lost in a two-hour wait at the border."  Ms. Laverdiere said another essential component for the east-west highway across Maine is the construction of about 90 kilometres of highway on the Canadian side to connect with Highway 10 near Sherbrooke, Que.

The east-west highway would be built in time to handle an expected influx of marine cargo from Asia and the Far East via the Suez Canal, if Cianbro can secure investor and regulatory approval.

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October, 22, 2008 - Maine, NY towns working on wind-farm regulations

By Nick Sambides Jr., BDN Staff

LINCOLN - The Planning Board doesn’t believe a moratorium on wind farms, or new regulations regarding massive wind turbines, are necessary, but other Maine and upstate New York towns disagree, a news survey revealed Wednesday.

Board Vice Chairman B. Michael Ireland said a moratorium such as the board would consider would delay the project six months - not eliminate it.

“We have to see what they want to do in order to judge it properly,” Ireland, a land-use permitting environmental consultant, said at a board meeting on Tuesday.

Board members readily admitted that they hadn’t any experience dealing with wind turbines, but said it would be their responsibility to learn. Lincoln’s land-use laws are comprehensive enough to make further regulations regarding wind farms unnecessary, Ireland said.

The board, Ireland said, will also rely upon Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection to help evaluate the project. First Wind requires permits from DEP, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Burlington, Lee, Lincoln and Winn, the towns in which its proposed $120 million Rollins Mountain wind farm would be built.

Fort Kent is pondering a one-year moratorium on wind farms and Wallagrass, Byron, and Roxbury have passed moratoriums, said Lisa Linowes of Industrial Wind Action Group, an anti-windpower advocacy organization in New Hampshire.

In upstate New York, Newfield has a moratorium on wind development, Farmersville is introducing one, and Ithaca recently approved residential turbine regulations, a nexis.com search revealed Wednesday.

Common threads run through New York towns’ concerns: the lack of information about wind farms, their potential adverse impacts and how best to glean economic benefits from them.

Upstate New York has at least six farms, with at least six more being pursued, similar to the Mars Hill wind farm First Wind of Massachusetts built last year. First Wind is building a farm on Stetson Mountain and hopes to build a $120 million farm on Rollins Mountain in Burlington, Lee, Lincoln and Winn next year.

“We’re trying to get a law in place before a developer comes,” Hammond, New York Town Councilman Ronald Tully told the Watertown Daily Times on Oct. 14. “We’re trying to be proactive.”

Hammond has yet to be approached by a developer, Tully said.

Major New York concerns regard set-back zones, which determine where a turbine can be constructed, property taxes and revenue from the turbines. According to the Ithaca Journal, Enfield, New York recently proposed a law setting wind turbine setbacks 450 feet from buildings and 100 feet from property lines.

It requires a computerized photographic visual impact study, a sound pressure and noise analysis study, and a study on the effect that “shadow flicker” - created by rotating blades and sunlight - would have on nearby residents.

It was not immediately clear Wednesday whether Maine DEP requires such studies, but the more than 500 pages of incomplete DEP permit application that First Wind officials displayed at Tuesday’s Planning Board meeting testified to the company’s thoroughness and willingness to comply with state laws, a spokesman said.

nsambides@bangordailynews.net  794-8215

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October 22, 2008 - Grant to Aid Vernal Pools

STAFF REPORT
Maine Audubon and a handful of Maine communities have received a $47,000 grant to improve protections for vernal pools.

The grant will help identify and protect valuable vernal pools, which are temporary wetlands often overlooked as important wildlife habitat.

Maine Audubon and Brunswick, Orono, Readfield, Scarborough, Wayne and Yarmouth will work to identify significant vernal pools and educate communities about their importance.

Plans include digital mapping of vernal pools and training local residents as citizen scientists to help assess the importance of particular sites.

The grant to Maine Audubon is part of the first $1.4 million awarded by the TogetherGreen initiative, a national Audubon project with funding from Toyota.
 

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October 18, 2008 - FERC dismisses Quoddy Bay LNG application in Maine

BANGOR, Maine (AP) _ The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has dismissed an Oklahoma developer's application to build a liquefied natural gas terminal at the Passamaquoddy Indian reservation at Pleasant Point.

The agency said the decision was prompted by Quoddy Bay LNG's failure to provide information the agency had requested about the project in order to move forward with an engineering review and environmental assessment.

FERC also dismissed the company's application to build and operate a pipeline that would link the terminal to the existing Maritimes & Northeast line in Baileyville that pipes gas from Canada to Massachusetts.

In a letter Friday to Quoddy Bay, FERC noted that it was dismissing the application "without prejudice," which allows the company to file a new application in the future.

Company President Don Smith says the dismissal comes as no surprise. It delays the project for several years but will not cause any changes in the plan, according to Smith, who projected that the terminal will be up and running by 2014.

"FERC had announced to us in a letter many months ago they were putting our applications on hold pending our getting active with them. Now they've sent us a letter that they are dismissing the applications which operationally doesn't change anything for me," Smith said.

Save Passamaquoddy Bay, a group opposed to LNG development in the area, applauded FERC's dismissal of the application.

"The project has been under suspension until today's announcement by FERC of complete dismissal from the federal permitting process — FERC's first such dismissal in history. This is the logical — if not late — end to a poorly sited and ill-conceived project, clearly one that the developers themselves — along with a host of consultants — could not technically accomplish," said Robert Godfrey, a spokesman for the group.

Two other LNG projects in the nearby communities of Robbinston and Calais are still pending

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October 18, 2008 - FERC OKs $1.4 billion CMP rate incentives
By Dawn Gagnon  BDN Staff

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday conditionally approved rate incentives for a $1.4 billion transmission project in Maine that will increase reliability and capacity to export power to southern New England.

According to a news release issued by the federal agency, FERC granted Central Maine Power Co.’s petition for transmission incentives for its Maine Power Reliability Program Project. The approval, however, is subject to the condition that ISO-New England include the project in its regional system plan as a reliability transmission upgrade.

FERC noted that the planned project is the largest project in CMP’s history and, when completed, will give the electric utility an estimated $1.85 billion of transmission infrastructure in service — six times more than the company’s current transmission capabilities.

The proposed upgrade consists of 245 miles of new 345-kilovolt transmission line and 74 miles of new 115-kilovolt transmission line, 10 miles of rebuilt 345-kilovolt transmission line and 155 miles of rebuilt 115-kilovolt transmission line and additional improvements.

A fact sheet about the proposed upgrade states that the new transmission infrastructure will include the new 345-kilovolt line running from Orrington to Portsmouth, N.H.

FERC granted CMP a 1.25 percent return of equity, or ROE, rather than the 1.5 percent the utility requested, and conditioned CMP’s proposal to recover 100 percent of construction-work-in-progress, or CWIP, in rate base on CMP’s including it in a future rate filing.

FERC also granted CMP’s request for recovery of 100 percent of “prudently incurred” costs associated with abandonment of existing infrastructure, provided the abandonment is a result of factors beyond its control.

FERC determined that CMP has shown that the total package of incentives addresses the risks and challenges faced by the project. The ROE incentive, CWIP and abandonment will encourage investors despite the project’s risks, according to FERC.

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October 6, 2008 - UMaine women make their mark in a male-dominated field
Rhiannon Sawtelle, Maine Campus Media

After more than a half-century of male domination in the field, female engineering students at the University of Maine founded the Society of Women Engineers in 1950. A non-profit group, the society empowers women and acts as a networking and funding resource.

SWE members at UMaine are taking full advantage of the national group. The only chapter in Maine, the women work to empower themselves and others in their field.  "We are here to develop leadership skills," President Amber Simmons said.

Twenty percent of the College of Engineering students are women, 15 percent identifying themselves as civil engineers. Although the numbers are low, the members are not fazed.  "I feel like I have an advantage," SWE Secretary Sarah Hunnewell said. Simmons said she is used to being the minority, taking engineering classes in high school. She doesn't let it dissuade her.  "I don't feel like the minority. We all know each other," she said.

The group has 20 members with a majority of underclassmen. The group said these numbers stem from recruitment at welcome weekends and engineering workshops in Somerset Hall.  The group has many activities planned within its expertise for the community. The women often hold meetings at Margaritas on Wednesday nights and meet more frequently when an event is being planned.

The group's October event is "Science in Action." The event works with local Girl Scout troops and teaches them about engineering. Throughout the day, they learn about each field and do a project pertaining to each. At the end of the event, Girl Scouts earn science merit badges.

"Our mission is to promote women in engineering," Simmons said. SWE's motto is "advance, aspire, achieve." 

The group attends the SWE regional conference, helps with the engineering formal in the spring and has judged a local middle school science fair in past years.

SWE will support representatives from Proctor & Gamble for a job fair. The meeting will be a session on how to prepare for an interview. It is open to everyone for a small charge and free to SWE members.

In its half-century run, SWE has acted as an educational and service organization that recognizes women in the field. The group describes itself as a "driving force that establishes engineering as a highly desirable career for women," according to its Web site.

The UMaine chapter of SWE is open to all fields of engineering at the school. The chapter's Web site invites men to join.

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October 1, 2008 UMaine among Final 20 Teams Competing For DoD $1M Wearable Power Prize

The final phase of the Department of Defense (DoD) Wearable Power Prize competition began yesterday when 20 teams powered up their systems at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif. Large companies, small businesses and individual inventors are vying for a $1 million top prize for producing a system that will provide ground warfighters with lightweight, wearable power for their combat equipment.

“I think this competition is a great opportunity,” said Scott Schoeffel, a member of finalist Team Ultralife, a Newark, NY company that specializes in batteries and power solutions. “Having spent 10 years in Navy Special Operations Forces, I know what it’s like to pack several pieces of equipment that need rechargeable power. It’s great to see technology lightening the load of soldiers so they can be more effective in the battlefield.”

DoD launched the innovative competition in July 2007 by offering a $1 million first prize for a wearable system that provides 20 watts (avg.) of electrical power for 96 hours, weighs less than 4 kilograms (8.8 pounds), attaches to a standard military vest, and operates autonomously.

University of Maine students and brothers Chris and Brandon Look were one of 169 original entries to make it to the final testing round. “Our dad is an engineer and owns a construction company, so we’ve always been interested in anything mechanical,” said Brandon, who is a volunteer firefighter. “Chris serves in the Army National Guard, so in a sense, we’re both ground pounders. We know from experience what might benefit the guys in the field.”

After passing rigorous safety inspections yesterday, each of the final 20 teams attached its prototype power system to a nylon vest that is strapped to a mannequin to begin a 92-hour bench test.

“Each prototype is now connected to a computer-controlled load system,” said Karen Burrows, a Power Prize competition program manager. “We have many different kinds of batteries and fuel cells being tested and some interesting power generators. On Thursday morning as the teams complete the bench test, we fully expect to have some prototypes still producing power above the minimum levels—those teams will then compete head-to-head in a final field test on Saturday.”

The 4-hour field test will be held at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, Calif., on Saturday Oct. 4. Beginning at 7 a.m. (PST), the base will be open to the public and media to view exhibits and see finalists wearing their prototypes as they power surrogate military equipment at nine stations in the final trial of the competition.

Media can direct queries to Cmdr. Darryn James, DoD Public Affairs, (703)-693-8287. More information on the Wearable Power Prize can be found at: http://www.dod.mil/ddre/prize/final_event.html. A list of the 20 final teams can be seen at the following link http://www.defenselink.mil/news/d20080929wearable.pdf

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September 26, 2008, Locally, Wall Street stalls funds for Maine's streets -State hits surprising obstacles in trying to sell road bond: high rates, no buyers
By NOEL K. GALLAGHER, Portland Press Herald

The state of Maine could not float a $50 million transportation bond this week because traders told officials there was "no market" at all for large financial transactions such as this one. The state hopes the national financial crisis will stabilize by next week, when it again tries to access capital, probably getting a higher interest rate than had been expected. "In 34 years I have never had a trader say, 'I can't give you a sale price. There is no market,' " said Maine Municipal Bond Bank Executive Director Robert Lenna, describing his efforts to sell the bond on Wall Street. A week ago, Lenna said, the interest rate for the AA-rated revenue bond would have been about 3.8 percent or 3.9 percent. But on Tuesday, short-term interest rates, a factor used to calculate interest rates for municipal bonds, soared as high as 9 percent and 10 percent, effectively shutting down market activity. "If there is any place the (national financial) crisis is affecting the citizens of Maine, it is here," Maine Treasurer David Lemoine said Wednesday. The board of directors for the Maine Municipal Bond Bank voted Wednesday to sit out this period of turmoil in financial markets and try to sell the transportation bond sometime before Nov. 15 at a rate no higher than 5.5 percent. Even at that rate, the bond would cost taxpayers millions of dollars in extra interest payments over the life of the loan than might have been expected a week ago. Lemoine said Thursday that the state's bond bank representatives made the right move by delaying. "Congratulations on stepping back from the plate and having the courage to do that," he told Lenna at the bond bank's monthly board meeting Wednesday. There were no immediate repercussions from failing to sell the bond this week because the state Department of Transportation did not need the funds immediately. However, there will be consequences if the market turmoil lingers, Lemoine said. The $50 million TransCap bond is meant to pay for 10 highway reconstruction projects involving more than 20 miles of road in eight counties. It is part of a larger transportation package approved by the Legislature last session that includes $160 million in bonds earmarked for bridges. Those bonds are scheduled to be put on the market in annual $40 million issues, from 2009 through 2012. Lemoine said the jobs associated with the 10 transportation projects covered by the $50 million bond could be jeopardized if the markets don't recover. As a rule of thumb, about 34 jobs are created for every $1 million in transportation funds, meaning that up to 1,700 jobs could be affected. "If this problem is not fixed, then you can look at the list of projects and the jobs that they would have created and say that is not going to happen," Lemoine said Thursday. Lenna said the "frozen, distorted" bond market is particularly surprising because municipal bonds are considered very stable, with a default rate of less than 1 percent. But that perceived stability has been knocked out of kilter by the financial crisis. "It's like this poison has been introduced into the financial circulatory system," he said. "(The bond market) is where governments and towns and counties go to borrow the money that lets them build schools and build sewer plants and pave roads and do all of that infrastructure that needs constant maintenance," Lenna said. "If this market were to contract substantially, if investors decide it is not as secure as they thought it was or they thought there are other places to put their money, the impact on our ability to get money to build schools and hospitals and all of this stuff would be affected. "It's a big deal. It's a really big deal," Lenna said. In addition to re-floating the TransCap bond, the Maine Municipal Bond Bank is looking to re-enter the market next week for its semi-annual bond sale, with a $99 million bond representing local projects for more than 20 municipalities. Lenna said he hopes the market will have settled down by then. Maine's situation is not unique, said Susan Gaffney, an executive with the Government Financial Officers Association, a nationwide trade association. "We're hearing from many state and local entities that they are having problems with pricing and accessing the market," she said, noting that most are also choosing to delay activity until the market stabilizes. "This is a problem with liquidity and not a problem with municipal securities as a product." If anything, Maine is in a better position than most, since it has a limited number of bonds in play. Some major cities have daily activity in the market. "You are in better shape to wait and let the market recalibrate," Gaffney said. The TransCap bond sale delay will not hurt the 10 transportation projects, state transportation officials said. One of the projects, to repave a section of Route 4 in Sandy River Plantation, is already under way, and a second project, to repair a section of Route 1 in downtown Kittery, has been put out to bid. "Right now, we're fine. We're funding (the work) with money from elsewhere," said Mark Latti, spokesman for the Maine DOT. "Now, if things continue and we're unable to sell the bond by the end of the year, it would pose some challenges. It would mean those projects would be delayed." Revenue to repay the TransCap bond will come from five sources, including 7.5 percent of annual receipts from the state gas tax, currently at 28.4 cents per gallon for gas and 29.6 cents for diesel. But gas consumption is down, eating into that revenue. Other sources of TransCap revenue are $10 from each $25 vanity license plate fee and $10 from each $33 vehicle registration fee. Last month, Maine DOT announced it was suspending work on about 85 miles of road, a little more than 10 percent of the work planned for the year, because of rising asphalt prices. "It's a difficult environment," Latti said. "All state agencies are experiencing difficult times, and it's a balancing act between available funding and available contractors. We're really in extraordinary times." Staff Writer Noel K. Gallagher can be contacted at 791-6387 or at: ngallagher@pressherald.com

enlarge John Patriquin/PPHStaff Photographer One of the road projects covered by the delayed $50 million bond involves the Warren Avenue-Riverside Street intersection in Portland. The projects, and roughly 1,700 jobs, could be jeopardized if the markets don’t recover.   WHAT IS A SERIES BOND? THE $50 TRANSCAP BOND is not sold on Wall Street as a single entity. It is a 15-year term series bond. The Maine Municipal Bond Bank works with an underwriter, which negotiates with Wall Street banks for pieces of the bond. SERIES BONDS are usually sold in $5,000 increments for various periods of time. The interest rate goes up slightly with longer time periods, such as paying 2 percent on a one-year bond and 2.17 percent for a two-year bond. PROJECTS INVOLVED The $50 million Transcap Bond will pay the design and construction costs for the following projects: • Intersection improvement at Warren Avenue and Riverside Street in Portland • 58 miles of Route 4 in Sandy River Plantation • 3.38 miles of Route 1A in Ellsworth • 2.74 miles of routes 125/136 in Freeport • 2.04 miles of U.S. Route 2 in Gilead • 2.48 miles of Route 11 in Wallagrass • 3.65 miles of Route 26 in Poland • 0.72 miles of State Route 6/15/16 through downtown Dover-Foxcroft • 1.0-mile section of Route 117 in Norway • 0.84 miles of U.S. Route 1 in downtown Kittery Source: Maine Municipal Bond Bank/Maine Department of Transportation

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September 23, 2008 - 1,000 MW Pumped Storage Project proposed at Maine Yankee site Link to  Channel 6 News article 

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 September 19, 2008 Senate Committee Approves Water, Bridge, Dam Infrastructure Bills from ASCE News

The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee approved three bills this week aimed at fixing the nation's crumbling infrastructure. All of the bills are among ASCE's top legislative priorities as identified by the Infrastructure Action Plan for the 110th Congress.

The EPW Committee approved the Clean Water Act State Revolving Loan Fund and the Safe Drinking Water Act, S. 3500. The bill would authorize $20 billion for the CWSRF through 2012 and $15 billion for the drinking water SRF over the same time period. Additionally, towns receiving both loans for wastewater or drinking-water facilities with 10,000 or more residents must hire engineers in the private sector that meet the qualifications based selection (QBS) (PL-92-582) requirements of the Brooks Architect-Engineers Act of 1972.

The EPW Committee also approved the National Highway Bridge Reconstruction and Inspection Act (S. 3338), which would authorize $1 billion for the repair and replacement of the nation's aging and deficient bridges. The $1 billion would be in addition to the funding already appropriated under current transportation law. The bill would also require the Department of Transportation to take a full inventory of the nation's bridges and to create a "risk-based" system to prioritize those most in need of repair or replacement. Bridges received a grade of "C" on the most recent Report Card for America's Infrastructure. http://www.asce.org/reportcard ASCE testified in favor of this bill last week. Read the full testimony at http://www.asce.org/files/pdf/pressroom/ASCE_Senate_EPW_Bridges_Sept_10_2008.pdf

Finally, the Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act, (H.R. 3224), also passed the Committee. The bill would create a $200 million grant program for repairing high hazard non federal publicly owned dams. The Report Card for America's Infrastructure gave Dams a grade of "D" in 2005.

We will keep all Key Contacts updated with these bills as they continue to make their way through the Senate.

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September 4, 2008  EMMC parking garage OK’d - Historic buildings saved by decision
BDN Staff  By Eric Russell  http://www.bangornews.com/detail/50119.html

BANGOR, Maine — City planning board members Tuesday approved construction of a five-story parking garage at Eastern Maine Medical Center, a decision that will save two historic structures opposite the hospital from demolition.

The project, estimated at $16 million, still needs approval of the Bangor City Council, but would add 650 spaces to the 160 spots already on the lot for a total of more than 800.

City planner David Gould said Wednesday that planning board members expressed some concern the new parking structure would increase traffic on State Street, but most fears were alleviated.

“This isn’t expected to create any more traffic than what has been created by the parking garage at Hollywood Slots,” Gould said. “And things are moving pretty smoothly there.”

The garage at Hollywood Slots Hotel and Raceway on Main Street, at 1,500 spaces, is believed to be the largest in Maine.

Even though the project has not been fully approved, work already has begun on utility infrastructure that runs underneath the existing lot. The new garage will be built adjacent to a three-story garage at the hospital campus. With council approval, construction will begin this fall.

The decision to build a new garage culminated months of discussion among city leaders and a neighborhood work group tasked to ease EMMC’s parking problem while saving two historic buildings, the Wing Estate and the Robinson House.

Hospital leaders had contemplated tearing the two buildings down to make space for parking and other needs before a group of community members formed to help preserve the structures as historical sites.

The Wing Estate is one of a few Gothic Revival-style houses remaining in the city and is nearly two centuries old. The Robinson House dates to the 1930s and sits on the property of the former Howard House, which was built in 1781. It is believed to have been the first frame house in Bangor.

City and hospital leaders hope the new garage helps alleviate a serious parking crunch. As it stands, the hospital has 2,061 parking spaces on its State Street campus, or about 535 fewer spaces than it needs for its patients, visitors and staff.

Many employees currently park off-site and ride shuttle buses to the hospital, costing about $500,000 annually.

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September 3, 2008  Work begins on Maine's largest wind farm; Work begins on Kibby wind farm
Donna M. Perry  Kingfield Irregular

FARMINGTON -- Work on the $320 million Kibby Wind Power project has started on Kibby Mountain in northern Franklin County.

The project that will span Kibby Mountain and Kibby Range in Kibby and Skinner townships has moved from the regulatory and business development stage to the implementation stage. The 44-turbine commercial wind farm has received all permits to move forward, project manager Wolfgang Neuhoff said Thursday, Aug. 28.

TransCanada MaineWind Development Inc., an affiliate of TransCanada Corp., a Canadian-based energy company, is also asking Maine Land Use Regulation Commission for approval of some minor amendments to the permit that will reduce environmental impacts, he said.  In the meantime, clearing for the 17 or so miles of roads has started and TransCanada has begun work with engineering, procurement and construction contractor, Reed & Reed of Woolwich. "They will be constructing the roads and the foundations for wind turbines and will be erecting the wind turbines," Neuhoff said. "They will also construct the electrical collector system --the lines that transport the power to the substation."

Ongoing clearing work is being done by Plum Creek, which owns the land TransCanada is leasing for the project. Once some of the timber was removed for the proposed roads leading to where the turbines will be erected, it gave the company better information to develop a revised layout that will lessen the impact on the environment, Neuhoff said.

Reed & Reed is doing survey work and geotechnical work. The latter entails drilling holes and collecting rock samples to analyze for strength and composition, he said. The contractor will start construction of roads this week, either by improving what already exists or building new roads. "We are now planning to have the first set of 22 turbines completely erected and online in December 2009," Neuhoff said. "The first turbine will be going up in June. The second set of 22 turbines is targeted to be on line in 2010."

Two other major contract packages for the project are going out to bid.  One is for engineering and construction of a substation off Gold Brook Road, a well-maintained logging road, and the second contract is for the construction of 27.7 miles of transmission line to connect the Kibby substation with Central Maine Power Co.'s Bigelow substation in Carrabassett Valley. "The work is scheduled to be awarded in the middle of October and construction on transmission line will start this fall and continue through winter," Neuhoff said. 

The installation of a temporary office for contractors and TransCanada started Thursday at the beginning of Gold Brook Road, off Route 27, in Chain of Ponds Township. It is estimated about 250 people will be employed during the construction phase of the wind farm, and it is expected there will be 10 to 12 permanent jobs once the project is operational.

The project is being built under a tax-increment financing agreement approved by the state and Franklin County commissioners in June. It is the second TIF agreement in the state to be approved for an unorganized territory and the third commercial wind farm to receive approval to be built in Maine.

TransCanada's taxable investment covered under the 20-year TIF is capped at $220 million in value with the minimum amount invested at $150 million. Anything over the $220 million valuation would be assessed taxes that would go into the statewide unorganized territory fund.

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September 2, 2008 - Central Maine Power informational meetings on $1.4 billion project
By Lynda Clancy http://knox.villagesoup.com/Government/story.cfm?storyID=126028

Central Maine Power Company announced Aug. 29 that it will hold a series of public informational meetings for the proposed Maine Power Reliability Program, a major upgrade of the company’s bulk power system and one of the largest transmission projects ever sought to be built in Maine.

The meetings will be held Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 3 and 4, and Tuesday, Sept. 9 in Saco, Waterville and Lewiston.

The meetings will provide an opportunity for the public, landowners and other interested parties to review materials concerning the construction of electric utility facilities and the associated environmental impacts and for CMP to hear public comments, according to the company's press release.

According to CMP's petition with the Maine Public Utilities Commission filed July 1, "Maine's bulk power transmission system, the vast majority of which was placed in service more than 30 years ago, is reaching the limits of its ability to meet the growing electrical demand of Maine customers while complying with the reliability and security standards mandated by law and administered by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (MERC), the Northeast Power Coordinating Council Inc. (NPCC) and ISO New England."

The MPRP consists of new construction or modifications of approximately 485 miles of 345,000 volt and 115,000 volt transmission lines and related substation improvements.

The project is a proposal that CMP said "is the result of exhaustive and comprehensive study and analysis into the needs of Maine's currently reliable but soon to be inadequate transmission infrastructure that was built to reflect the conditions of the 1960s."

The project is expected to cost approximately $1.4 billion and will require several state and federal regulatory permits and local approvals in approximately 80 municipalities, including those in the Midcoast.

The project "as proposed by petitioners is the most economic and environmentally sound means of ensuring that the power grid in Central and Southern Maine remains reliable and meets federally mandated reliability standards," according to CMP.

CMP and Public Service of New Hampshire filed a request on July 1 with the Maine Public Utilities Commission for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the MPRP. Applications for environmental permits and local approvals will be filed later this year.

The current estimate for the proposed project is $1.35 billion, of which approximately $1.1 billion is associated with transmission line work and $260 million with substations.

All three public informational events will be held between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. and the public may go at any time during that period to view the informational displays and address questions to members of the CMP program team. The meetings will be held as follows:

• Wednesday, Sept. 3, Holiday Inn Express, 352 North Street, Saco
• Thursday, Sept. 4, Holiday Inn, 375 Main St., Waterville
• Tuesday, Sept. 9, Holiday Inn at the Ramada Conference Center, 490 Pleasant St., Lewiston

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August 29, 2008 - Maine Airports Receive $900,000 in Federal Aid
By MICHAEL DABRIEO; OF THE BANGOR DAILY NEWS STAFF

The Hancock County and Augusta State airports are slated to receive grants worth more than $900,000 from the Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins announced this week.

The Hancock County Airport will receive $427,500 while the Augusta State Airport will receive $475,000.

"Maine's airports, both big and small, are critical resources for the communities in which they exist and the people they serve," the Senators said in a joint statement on Tuesday. "It is essential that we enhance and maintain the infrastructure and safety at each of these airports in order to remain competitive and efficient."

Both airports applied for the grants early this year and will use the funds to purchase an Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting vehicle and more safety equipment that is required by the FAA to upgrade from Class III airports to Class I.

The airports found they needed to upgrade when their primary carrier, Colgan Air Inc., announced that it intended to replace its 19-passenger planes with 34-passenger models by Oct. 31.

Both Hancock and Augusta airports, currently designated Class III, can accommodate planes with nine to 30 seats, said Hancock County Airport manager Bob Cossette. The airports need to upgrade to Class I to accommodate the 34-passenger planes.

"We were hoping we would get the grant," said Cossette. "Starting in the month of November we will achieve full upgrade and start receiving the bigger planes. It is a lot sooner than we expected."

The airports also need to build $400,000 storage facilities for the rescue and fire fighting vehicle and other fire fighting equipment to achieve Class I status, but both Cossette and Augusta State Airport manager John Guimond don't expect that to be completed for another year or two.

"We are going to apply for another grant, but that probably won't be approved until 2009," said Guimond.

The FAA "understands we can't do this overnight," said Cossette. "As long as we have the plans in order we will be able to receive the planes."

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August 28, 2008 Maine Internet speed increases, but U.S. lags
By Mal Leary 8/28/08   BDN Staff http://www.bangornews.com/detail/49699.html

AUGUSTA, Maine — Over the past year, the speed of Internet access has increased in Maine, according to a national online report. But the United States ranks only 15th worldwide in Internet speed, experts note, and that hurts Maine businesses trying to compete in international markets.

“How pathetic is that that the United States of America is 15th in the world?” said Public Utilities Commission member Jack Cashman. “Obviously, the country has a long way to go.”

The former commissioner of economic development and a businessman before joining Gov. John Baldacci’s administration, Cashman said he is “acutely aware” of the need for Maine to develop its Internet infrastructure, one he hopes will eventually be the best in the Northeast. He said the future of Maine’s economy depends on having strong broadband access.

“There are companies in Maine that are competing around the world,” said Sen. Lynn Bromley, D-South Portland. She co-chairs the Legislature’s Business, Research and Economic Development Committee, as well as the state’s Economic Growth Council. “While it certainly is good that we have improved here in Maine, we are in competition with countries that are doing far better than we are.”

The report is based on data from nearly 230,000 Internet users throughout the country that took the online “Speed Matters” test conducted by an online advocacy group of the same name.

Comparison data with other countries are from the U.S.-based Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.

In the 2007 test, Maine ranked 35th in the nation, but improved to 21st in the 2008 test. The measure was of download speed with upload speed about the same as last year.

“I think we can all applaud the improvement,” said Rep. Chris Rector, R-Thomaston, a member of the BRED Committee and the council. “But we have a long way to go to provide the Internet infrastructure we need to compete in the worldwide economy, and make no mistake about it, we have to compete.”

The speed difference can be dramatic, according to the “Speed Matters” study. It points out that an entire movie can be downloaded in Japan in two minutes. In Maine it can take two or more hours to download the same movie.

Japan is rated fastest in the study with South Korea No. 2. Finland is in third place and France in fourth place. Canada ranks eighth in the world with a median download speed of 7.60 megabits per second. Maine had a speed of 2.56 megabits per second, according to the study.

Both Bromley and Rector said the need for the “big pipe” to move more data at higher speeds was recognized by lawmakers earlier this year when funding was provided for a large fiber-optic connection that will benefit both the University of Maine System and The Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor.

Research projects at both institutions require moving huge amounts of data to other universities and research centers around the world. But world-class Internet speeds coexist in Maine with what some see as the equivalent of a string tied between two tin cans.

“It’s hard to believe, but there are businesses getting by with dial-up,” Rector said. “It is really amazing.”

University of Maine Business professor Nory Jones teaches e-commerce. She confirmed that some Maine businesses are still using dial-up Internet connections, while others have state-of-the-art fiber-optic connections with “very high-speed access.”

Jones said broadband is crucial to Maine’s economic future.

“Everything in business today depends on using the Internet,” she said. “Everything is dependent on moving data.”

Jones said the entire supply chain of the retail economy depends on computers and the ability to transfer data from retailers to warehouses and manufacturers. She said even very small businesses use computers every day for basic functions such as bookkeeping and credit card purchases.

“I am still astonished when I come across a fairly decent-sized, mid-size business in Maine that is not taking advantage of the Internet,” Jones said. “It happens more than you would think.”

Baldacci said he was very pleased that Maine had “catapulted” ahead of other states. He predicted Maine would continue to improve its access with steps already taken by his administration and the Legislature.

“What we have to have is a national policy that recognizes the importance of the Internet to international commerce,” he said. “We are doing our part; the federal government needs to do its part.”

Baldacci said he expects the next session of the Legislature will deal with expanded state efforts to provide broadband access throughout the state.

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August 19, 2008 - Department Of Homeland Security Official Visits UMaineORONO (NEWS CENTER) -- Admiral Jay Cohen came to get a tour of the UMaine's advanced engineer wood composites laboratory.  Admiral Cohen also got a chance to visit with 20 Maine research and development companies that set up exhibits explaining their work. Those companies make everything from wood composite hull boats to maps.

"Universities, especially this laboratory, is known for the creation of new products and technology but to get them out into the marketplace it's a collaboration with companies, and we have many wonderful companies in Maine that are doing research and are doing development," said University of Maine President Robert Kennedy.

Senator Susan Collins invited Admiral Cohen to take the tour.

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 August 19, 2008 - Two island groups pursuing wind power to combat escalating costs
Bangor Daily News  Bill Trotter  btrotter@bangordailynews.    Link

Since their earliest days, residents of Maine’s offshore islands have been known for being self-reliant, using what is immediately available to them in order to help sustain themselves.

The natural resources of these islands made them attractive to early colonists from Europe who were looking to establish permanent settlements in the Western Hemisphere. The islands had wind to move sailing vessels, trees to provide lumber for housing, and surrounding waters filled with fish to feed the islanders.

But myriad economic changes over the past century have had significant effects on these aspects of island living, prompting many island residents to look to the mainland for food, jobs or other resources. Now that some of these changes are becoming even more pronounced — affecting mainlanders as well as island residents — some Maine island communities are reconsidering natural resources that helped lead to their permanent settlement centuries ago.

Rapidly escalating energy costs is one of the biggest issues facing many of the island communities, island officials have said, and have led two groups of offshore Maine islands to tackle the issue head-on by pursuing wind power projects. The Fox Islands Electric Cooperative, which serves Vinalhaven and North Haven, and the Swan’s Island Electric Cooperative, which serves Swan’s Island and neighboring Frenchboro, each are looking into the possibility of erecting a few large wind turbines in order to help satisfy their electricity needs and perhaps even reduce electric bills for their members.

According to island officials, members of the two co-ops and residents of other islands that have their own electric power distribution entities pay rates that are roughly twice those paid by a typical residential customer on the mainland, and three times the national average. The average monthly electric bill on many of the islands, they say, is about $150.

"Electricity prices are killing us out here," said George Baker, a Harvard Business School professor and seasonal Frenchboro resident who has been working on the projects with the co-ops and the Rockland-based Island Institute. Baker, who is on sabbatical this year from Harvard so he can research the economic feasibility of the projects, also sits on the board of the Swan’s Island Electric Cooperative.

According to Baker, the possibility of generating electricity from wind power, which would shield island residents from the volatility of world energy markets and enable them to mitigate costs by seasonally selling excess power back into the regional power grid, has proved to be a strong motivator in pursuing the projects.

"Wind blows [on the islands] all the time," he said recently. "It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to say, ‘Gosh! Maybe we should consider wind power here.’ It truly is a no-brainer."