MILLINOCKET (AP) – A Millinocket developer hopes to begin construction by next fall on an upscale resort in the shadow of Mount Katahdin that would include a 60- to 80-room hotel, a restaurant and inn, and a facility for conferences and weddings.

An adventure lodge, agriculture center and 58 houses, compounds or cabins also are proposed for Hammond Ridge, a development to be sited on about 1,450 acres of former Great Northern Paper Co. land on Millinocket Lake in unorganized territory between Baxter State Park and Millinocket.

Matthew Polstein, a Millinocket town councilor, unveiled details of his project Wednesday and said earlier estimates placing its cost at $15 million were conservative.

“We will build and operate this resort in a sustainable fashion and in a way that honors the spectacular natural beauty of Mount Katahdin, the West Branch region and Millinocket Lake,” Polstein said. “The design, development and operation of the resort will highlight the local culture and heritage of the region and create a sense of community for guests and residents alike.”

Potential activities offered by the resort include cross-country skiing, mountain biking, trail hiking, skeet- or trap-shooting, snowmobiling and bird-watching, he said.

Polstein said the resort would not infringe upon the public’s use of existing snowmobile or hiking trails near the Baxter State Park Road, but he seemed skittish at allowing hunters too close to the hotel or wedding center.

Polstein said he is considering the use of biomass boilers and windmill-type devices to generate electricity for the resort, which aims to instill in its guests an appreciation of nature in a quiet, pristine environment.

“We want people to do better at home (in preserving the environment) because of what we do here,” he said.

The resort would accommodate up to 400 guests, and Town Manager Eugene Conlogue and other local officials said the project would diversify the local economy, create jobs and increase the region’s population and contact with outside investors.

“The burden on taxpayers for the infrastructure improvements this would require is unknown, but would not be huge,” Conlogue added. “It does not interfere with other activities in this area or the area’s potential to draw manufacturers or other industries.”

Polstein said he wants to apply for a zoning variance and submit site plans to the state Land Use Regulation Commission so that construction can begin by fall.