Berlin Business Directory
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Volume 119 No. 3 © WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 2013 50 cents Coös commissioners, state reps Congressman Kuster visits hold joint meeting, back ATV trail Gorham paper mill Congressman Annie Kuster drops by By Edith Tucker plained. “The industry expects [email protected] that three to six tissue ma- By Edith Tucker GORHAM — Rep. Annie chines will be installed per year [email protected] McLane Kuster, a Democrat of until 2020.” BERLIN — Coös County com- Hopkinton, made her first foray GPT tissue and away-from- mission chairman Tom Brady, a on Friday into the Second Con- home toweling sales are robust. Republican of Jefferson, wel- gressional District since being “I wish I had another tissue ma- comed his fellow commissioners sworn in. After stops in Ply- chine right now,” the mill man- — vice chairman Paul Grenier, a mouth, Littleton and Lancaster, ager said. Democrat of Berlin, and clerk she toured Gorham Paper and Blevins said he has told Pa- Rick Samson, a Republican of Tissue, LLC, (GPT) where three triarch Partners’ CEO Lynn Stewartstown — and nine of the paper machines were running. Tilton, who holds GPT in her 10 members of the county delega- Mill manager Willis Blevins portfolio, that the mill could tion of state representatives to updated Kuster on GPT that she support three tissue machines. Friday night’s joint meeting. Only had visited last when the new Current thinking, he said, how- Rep. Marcia Hammon of White- four-story building to house the ever, is that one tissue machine field, concerned about icy roads, ABK Italia tissue machine was would be located at GPT’s sister was not on hand. under construction. The new mill Old Town Fuel and Fiber in “We’ve turned a new page; machine produced its first com- Old Town, Me., which produces both the delegation and commis- mercial run of white toweling pulp, and the other at GPT. sioners are parts of a team, and on the night of Oct. 3, 2012. A rewinder designed to slit we must be sure not to trample on “American-made tissue has rolls of paper into narrower each other,” Brady explained. “As a competitive advantage over widths is already stored at the Republicans and Democrats we PHOTO BY EDITH TUCKER that made in China and South mill site in four containers. “It’s will talk to each other and work Second Congressional District Rep. Annie Kuster, a Democrat of Hopkinton, posed for a photograph on Friday America because it is both light- just a matter of time and weath- things out.” evening, Jan. 11, with state Reps. Herb Richardson and Leon Rideout, both Republicans of Lancaster, and coun- weight and bulky, making it ex- er as to when a new building will Delegation chairman Rep. ty commission chairman Tom Brady, a Republican of Jefferson, at a meeting held at the Coös County nursing pensive to ship, and because be constructed to house that,” Robert Theberge of Berlin noted home in Berlin. the market is growing around said Willis, noting that this that the relationship between the the world as the population and would require demolition of an commission and delegation is es- ministrator Jennifer Fish and sworn in on Jan. 3. “I have very and I traveled to Berlin to watch living standards rapidly rise in old structure. tablished in law and that he is ea- nursing home administrators strong personal ties to the North my brothers play hockey.” places like China, India, and see PAPER MILL, page A9 ger to mend fences and potential- Louise Belanger of Berlin and Lau- Country, which has included Kuster said that her first stop parts of Africa,” Blevins ex- ly to forge new alliances. ra Mills of Canaan, Vt. weekend recreation for much of earlier in the day was to meet Brady introduced Congress- “This is my first official day on my life. My father was an Wildcat with Plymouth State University man Annie Kuster to the group, the job back in my District,” Mountain investor; we went hik- see MEETING, page A9 which also included county ad- Kuster said, noting she had been ing in the summer in the Whites; Lack of a demolition permit is an issue at Groveton mill site By Edith Tucker companies that are interested in the Dec. 19 issue of this newspa- ently is the case in nearly every [email protected] relocating to the Groveton site; per under the headline “Hassan state. GROVETON — The current we and the North County area will sees mill demolition underway” The subject came up at the owner of the combined former be excited to see where the con- apparently sent NHDES employ- Jan. 9 Northumberland Planning Wausau and Groveton Paper versation leads.” ees to checking their files to see if Board meeting (see related arti- Board site believes that it has its Spokesman Jim Martin of the the state agency had issued a per- cle) after the town select board paperwork and permits in order state Department of Environmen- mit, which turned out not to be agreed to advise that board not to to allow it to continue to demol- tal Services (NHDES) in both an e- the case. grant Groveton Acquisition’s re- ish the mill buildings. mail exchange and phone inter- GREAT president Brian Bres- quests for lot line adjustments “(There are) no issues with view explained that the company nahan said that he has seen a and a minor subdivision. The PHOTO BY EDITH TUCKER permitting,” wrote Eric Wnuck, a does not have the needed demo- copy of a federal Environmental state had apparently notified the Mill manager Willis Blevins was pleased to show Second District managing member of Green Steel, lition permit in hand. Protection Agency (EPA) permit, town office that demolition work Congressman Annie Kuster the new tissue machine in operation on LLC, of Scottsdale, Ariz., in an e- “I reconfirmed this morning however. could not continue without a Friday afternoon at Gorham Paper and Tissue (GPT), thanks to sub- mail exchange. “We have an as- that we (NHDES) are still waiting Nonetheless, New Hampshire state permit. stantial investments by Patriarch Partners LLC, a New York private- bestos removal contractor stag- on information from them (Green requires a state permit as appar- equity firm headed by Lynn Tilton that bought the Gorham mill in ing right now with anticipation of Steel),” Martin explained on Mon- May 2011. the waiting permit expiring to- day. “They have submitted some morrow (Jan. 14) and the abate- information to us, so that may be ment permit becoming effective. what they are referring to.” Site Evaluation Committee modifies This permit was submitted to DES Last week, Martin confirmed at the end of Dec. 2012. in a phone interview that Green “There has been no stoppage Steel had begun demolition work Berlin Station certificate of demolition or hindering of our on Dec. 11 without a routine dem- progress at the Groveton site,” olition permit in hand. The com- By Edith Tucker more effectively utilized. Wnuck continued. pany operates locally under the [email protected] Cate Street reports that the “As a matter of fact, we have name Groveton NH1. BERLIN — After listening to project on schedule and expected had positive conversations with A photograph published in testimony, viewing site plans and to be operational by the end of asking questions for an hour-and- the year, most likely on Oct. 17, Week 1 photo winner a-half on Thursday morning, all when the keys will be turned over nine members of the state Site to Cate Street. Commissioning — Evaluation Committee (SEC) vot- burning wood for limited ed unanimously to amend Berlin amounts of time in order to test Station’s permit — a Certificate of and tweak the system — will like- Site and Facility — to build and ly begin in June. A subsidiary of operate a 75-megawatt biomass Delta Power Services, LLC, a Bab- power plant on a section of the cock & Wilcox company, holds a former Burgess pulp mill site. separate six-year $19 million-plus Now named Burgess BioPow- contract to provide operations er, Cate Street Capital’s $275 mil- and maintenance services (O&M) lion project has a 20-year pur- for the plant. The hiring process chase power agreement with Pub- will soon begin. lic Service of New Hampshire Although the Certificate called (PSNH) to buy 100 percent of the for Berlin Station to pay for the electricity produced in the wood- PHOTO BY EDITH TUCKER design, development, and con- burning plant. Cate Street Capital spokesman Dammon Frecker, standing, presented struction of a River Walk on the The amended certificate will information to the state Site Evaluation Committee on Thursday morning edge of the Androscoggin as rec- allow Babcock & Wilcox Con- at Berlin City Hall and secured a unanimous vote, 9 to 0, to amend ommended by a citizens’ commu- struction Co., Inc. (BWCC), the Burgess BioPower’s state permit, including dropping the requirement nity benefits committee, the City contractor hired to engineer, pro- that a River Walk be constructed on the east side of the Androscoggin later determined that the pro- cure, and construct (EPC) the en- River after the City decided this community benefit would be impractical. posed project was flawed and im- tire facility, to reconfigure the plan calls for one pile of similar Former Crown Vantage practical and should not be con- wood yard by continuing to build shape plus one oval pile. forester Phil Bryce, formerly of a 450-foot-long A-frame overhead see COMMIITTEE, page A9 Frecker also testified that the Milan, who is the Interim Com- stack-out conveyer and an under- impermeable or paved surface missioner of the state Depart- pile reclaim conveyor system.