BIDDEFORD — Pieces of the Maine Energy Recovery Company waste-to-energy incinerator will be sold off to the highest bidder at auction today and Thursday.
Removal of the facility, which many have blamed for stagnating revitalization of the city’s downtown and mill district, is that much closer. In November, the City of Biddeford purchased the facility for $6.65 million with the understanding that the incinerator would shut down ”“ which it did Dec. 31, 2012 ”“ and be dismantled this year.
The first step in the process of taking apart the facility, which is more than 25 years old, is selling off the components. Everything from the turbine generator and the boilers to copper wiring and rubber belts is on the auction block.
It took more than a month to set the more than 1,400 lots that will be auctioned off, said Cathy Welch, the project manager for the auction company Stuart B. Millner & Associates. The company specializes in power plant deactivation and decommissioning.
Prior to the auction, brochures about what is available were sent to more than 30,000 parties, said Welch.
On Wednesday, potential bidders were able to view the items on site.
The smaller items are being sold off today, beginning at 10 a.m. Larger items go on sale at the same time on Thursday.
“Virtually everything” is for sale, said Maine Energy plant manager Ken Robbins.
Some items, like office furniture, will be kept by parent company Casella Waste Systems, based in Rutland, Vt., to be used at some of its satellite offices, he said.
More than 200 registered bidders will participate live, either on-site or over the Internet, said Welch. Usually half the bidders come in person and half take part online, she said.
For those participating remotely, pictures of the items will be posted on the auction company’s website. Bid spotters will take the online bids, which will be taken into account as if the bidder were on-site, said Welch.
Some buyers will pick up their purchases right away, said Robbins; all items must be picked up by mid-June. Demolition of the facility will begin soon after, he said.
The demolition company hasn’t been chosen yet, said Robbins. Until the auction is completed and it’s determined what equipment will be left behind, it’s still uncertain what the job will entail.
When the facility is torn down, only the smoke stack will remain. Fees from cellular companies leasing space on the stack will be used to pay a portion of the city’s purchase cost.
Robbins said he hopes that the auction proceeds will cover the cost to demolish the incinerator.
When the plant was in operation, there were nearly 80 employees, he said. Now, said Robbins, only he and about 16 other employees are left.
By March 15, only half of the remaining employees will be on duty, he said, to provide security and other necessary operations until the demolition process begins.
After the demolition is completed, said Robbins, remediation of the site will be conducted before it is turned over to the city. Environmental studies conducted on behalf of the city found dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyl, which are carcinogenic, on some portions of the site.
The standards to which the site must be remediated have been agreed upon by the city and Casella, said Robbins. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the city and Casella were all involved in developing the remediation plan, he said.
— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.
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