BIDDEFORD — On his first official trip to Biddeford since being elected governor, Paul LePage met with city officials behind closed doors before touring the Pepperell Mill Campus and the University of New England.
Although information regarding discussions with city officials was not released, LePage’s other stops were open to the media.
The governor said he was impressed with the development at the former mill buildings of the Pepperell Mill Campus, which contains North Dam Mill and the former WestPoint Home, and comprises more than 1 million square feet of space.
Developer Doug Sanford led the fast-paced tour ”“ the governor was on a tight schedule ”“ of his property, showing off some of the small but innovative businesses housed in the former mill as well as some of the renovated residential units.
Sanford also discussed his goals for future development, such as building a parking garage to accommodate growth, using a public-private partnership; and his desire to house an educational component on the grounds to train Maine’s youth for the jobs of the future.
“I like what they’ve done,” said LePage. He said the small businesses being created at the Pepperell Mill Campus are important in changing Maine from a “welfare state.”
Sanford said he hopes the state can help create growth at his property, possibly through funding mechanisms or policy shifts, to benefit the entire region.
There has been renewed interest in the Biddeford mills: The governor’s visit follows a visit on Feb. 22 by U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.
“We think this is long overdue,” said Sanford. “Biddeford-Saco is the economic engine for York County, the fastest growing county in Maine.”
Mayor Alan Casavant said he was happy to have the chance to show off Biddeford’s mill development to the governor, and he hopes that this recent interest by state and federal officials can bring greater opportunity to the area.
LePage also met with UNE President Danielle Ripich and the university’s College of Osteopathic Medicine Dean Marc Hahn at the school’s Biddeford campus.
He was taken on a driving tour of the $20 million Harold Alfond Forum construction site, a 106,500-square-foot athletics and student life complex slated to open in late 2012. He visited UNE’s George and Barbara Bush Legacy Collection at the George and Barbara Bush Center and met with Doctors for Maine’s Future Scholarship students from the College of Osteopathic Medicine.
LePage told the students, “I hope you stay in Maine after you graduate. We need your talent.”
The Finance Authority of Maine, in association with the Maine Legislature, established the Doctors for Maine’s Future Scholarship Program in July 2009 to provide a tuition subsidy of up to $25,000 annually for eligible students who enter qualifying Maine-based medical school programs, according to a release by the university.
In addition, Professor of Anatomy Dr. Frank Willard, an expert in spinal injuries and chronic pain, told the governor about some of the research under way at the medical school.
— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.
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