A great deal of time, money and energy were spent over the past year to make Aroostook County a better place in which to live and work. Here’s a list of 10 projects to keep an eye on in 2025 that are expected to help The County maintain its momentum.
Clearing the way in Caribou
Caribou took the first major steps this year toward eventually demolishing the city’s long-defunct power plant, a hindrance to riverfront development goals.
After labeling the massive 12,288-square-foot steam plant a Superfund site, the Environmental Protection Agency removed more than 30 tons of asbestos and other hazardous waste this fall. The $2 million cleanup was paid for with federal Superfund money.
The city is now applying for a federal Brownfields grant to dispose of the remaining waste and eventually demolish the steam plant.
In early 2025, Caribou-based County Environmental Engineering will set its sights on the adjacent, 10,290-square-foot diesel plant, which contains 14,220 square feet of asbestos, primarily in the roof, but also in window glazing, floor tiles and mastic.
The city obtained a $900,000 Brownfields grant in 2023 that will fund cleanup efforts at the diesel plant.
The demolition of both plants will give the city major progress toward its goal of redeveloping the area near the Aroostook River for recreational, business and housing opportunities. Talks have included the possibility of a park and walking/bike trails on and near the power plant site.
A New Caribou Police Station
Debate has surrounded the city’s vision for a new police station from the start, but now officials seem more determined to move forward with the popular but expensive project.
Caribou has been working with the Bangor-based firm Artifex to design a station intended to give officers more space than what is in the current station below city hall.
In December, the majority of councilors voted to let Artifex turn its latest floorplan into a graphic design that the council will need to approve before starting construction.
But several councilors and citizens voiced concern over the current $10.3 million price tag for designing and building the station, and the proposed 11,110-square-foot size, which is similar to police facilities in Waterville and Gorham. Voters agreed in 2022 to let the city borrow no more than $10 million on the project.
Police Chief Corey Saucier later expressed support for Artifex’s proposal, saying that his department needs that amount of space for daily operations and to sustain partnerships with other law enforcement and mental health agencies.
The project appears poised to move forward.
Revamping Caribou Roads
Two partnerships with the Maine Department of Transportation could lead to Caribou reconsidering how to structure its roads to better support future development.
Caribou is one of several Aroostook municipalities that have joined the MaineDOT’s Village Partnership Initiative, which looks at potential road and sidewalk improvements to encourage safety and downtown walkability.
During a December public meeting, the city’s consultant road engineers explained how Caribou’s infamous “downtown loop” could incorporate more two-lane roads that better connect with the rest of downtown and to the riverfront region. They also proposed re-engineering many city streets to include shared lanes for pedestrians and cyclists.
The city will also be pursuing a Planning Partnership Initiative with MaineDOT to explore whether the state could allow for more curb cuts, such as driveways or other access points, along Caribou’s portion of Route 1.
The Caribou Connector was first constructed in 1965 and extended in 2012. It is one of several “controlled access highways” in Maine that limit access points to reduce traffic and safety issues.
This fall, MaineDOT officials seemed receptive to finding ways to increase the number of access points. Doing so could incentivize more commercial and housing developers to build in Caribou, said Troy Haney, who chairs the Caribou Development Committee.
Tackling blight in Caribou
As Caribou looks toward potential new housing, officials must also contend with blighted properties that citizens say threaten the character and wellbeing of neighborhoods.
In 2024, the city oversaw the cleanup of remaining debris at 15 Prospect St., a property long deemed hazardous, and condemned several other problem properties on nearby Collins and Washburn Street.
But in September, code enforcement officer John Gibson resigned after only three months on the job, leaving a void for Caribou, which had searched over a year for a code officer after the retirement of Ken Murchison in 2023.
The city is still seeking qualified applicants for a code enforcement officer and planner, City Manager Penny Thompson said during the December city council meeting.
Whoever fills that role will oversee continued efforts to combat blight, including at properties on Water Street and Main Street that succumbed to fires but whose debris remains visible downtown. Thompson said she is exploring whether a property like 7 Water St. which burned in early 2023, could be eligible for federal Brownfields funding.
Madawaska plaza progress
In Madawaska, Town Manager David Daigle said the next phase of urban development for the midtown shopping plaza is well underway.
Fish River Rural Health, a new health care facility, is expected to open in the plaza next fall.
“This is a great addition for our residents,” Daigle said. “The 30,000 square foot facility resides in our downtown plaza and will be accessible not only by vehicle, but is situated and surrounded by a multi-modal transportation system being constructed adjacent to the facility.”
The transportation system will let people travel to the plaza via ATV or snowmobile while also accommodating people who walk to health care appointments.
The town received a $2.1 million Economic Development Administration grant to help revitalize the plaza, and it has helped fund upgrades to water, sewer, electrical and lighting systems as well as entrance and sidewalk improvements.
There will also be some potential development in a former Kmart building located at the plaza, which was purchased by local developer Steve Pelletier.
“It is our understanding that Pelletier is gearing up for providing space for 2-3 tenants,” Daigle said.
Fort Kent water lines coming soon
In Fort Kent, one of the town’s largest upcoming projects will be the replacement of a roughly 1.66-mile water main in town. The project will replace water lines that are over 50 years old and are at a high risk of failure.
The water line runs along an area that is critical for many who live in Fort Kent. It supplies crucial facilities like Northern Maine Medical Center, Fish River Rural Health as well as nursing homes and businesses along Route 1.
The water main replacement project is estimated to cost roughly $6 million, and the town has applied for grants that would offset these costs. In April, officials applied for a $3 million loan via the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund with $1,050,000, or 35 percent forgiveness. Town officials will apply for a loan for the other half in 2025, with the same amount of forgiveness.
Town Manager Suzie Paradis said that the new water lines will also be larger in diameter. The project involves replacing 10-inch asbestos cement pipe with 12-inch ductile iron pipe. The work also includes replacing two parallel six-inch cast iron water mains with 2,900 feet of 12-inch ductile iron pipe.
Paradis said this project will be going out to bid in the new year.
Presque Isle Main Street facelift
Main Street could see updated infrastructure and a new look thanks to a collaboration with the Maine Department of Transportation’s Village Partnership Initiative. MDOT would kick in $27 million of the $30 million project, with the city responsible for the rest. The goal is to get more people downtown and inspire further growth.
Public meetings gathered community input and revealed engineers’ suggestions, which have included bike and walking paths, a proposed three-lane traffic route and safer access for pedestrians.
The momentum will carry into 2025 with a new event: a New Year’s Eve Star Lighting Celebration, culminating in the raising of a 6-foot star with a thousand lights, symbolic of the Star City.
New terminal for Presque Isle airport
The Presque Isle International Airport unveiled plans in 2023 for a new terminal, and in April of 2024 received $20.46 million in congressionally directed spending for the $30 million building. Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2025.
The project will nearly triple the space of the existing terminal. Additional projects will include groundwork, utilities and construction of an aircraft parking area, or apron.
Van Buren connectivity hub
The town is redeveloping its former police department, council chambers and firemen’s meeting room in the former municipal building into a community connectivity hub.
“This state-of-the-art facility will feature high-tech conference rooms, two telehealth rooms, and computer workstations, providing essential educational, technological, and healthcare services to our rural community,” Van Buren Town Manager Luke Dyer said.
In the new year the town will work on securing funding for this project, with the goal of total completion in 2026.
Van Buren community garden
The community garden project in Van Buren will begin full construction in the spring of 2025. The garden will have at least 10 spaces for local gardeners, two greenhouses, and it will feature four beehives for honey production. The garden is fully funded via grants from the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation, the Community Resiliency grant and the Maine Bee Wellness grant.
“This initiative aims to promote food sustainability, foster placemaking, combat elderly loneliness and provide valuable education on food production and environmental stewardship,” Dyer said.
