KINGFIELD – In downtown Kingfield on Tuesday morning, folks expressed relief at Monday’s announcement a petition drive to tax bottled water had failed, and excitement about the heightened probability Poland Spring will build a bottling plant in town.
Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap announced Monday that organizers of the petition drive, spearheaded by former legislator Jim Wilfong of Stow, didn’t submit enough valid signatures to put the the tax question on the ballot next November. The announcement was met with tempered relief by Poland Spring representatives.
Poland Spring Water Co. spokesman Tom Brennan went so far as to say Monday that he thinks the company “will get through this. We’re going to build a plant in Kingfield,” although he was careful to add that, “there are no guarantees here.” If there is significant support in the Legislature for a tax on Poland Spring, he said, “that’ll send a message.”
Although a number of Kingfield residents have expressed opposition to Poland Spring’s plans in the past, Tuesday morning everyone who agreed to comment on the possibility a bottling facility might be built supported the new plant.
Planning Board member Foster Robinson said, “I’m for the plant.” The petition failure is very good news, he said.
Grand Central Station shop owner Diane Keoskie said she welcomes the new business she expects a plant to bring to town. Grand Central Station employee Rhonda Coffren said, “This area needs the boost in jobs. There are too many people here without work.”
Mike Gilmore of Freeman Township said he is “cautiously optimistic” about the possibility a plant might be built.
“If the town’s going to get new industry, we’ll never get a cleaner” one than Poland Spring, Gilmore said. He added that a $100 million facility would probably bring “tremendous change” to Kingfield and could “change the character of the town.
“Hopefully, the good will outweigh the bad,” he said.
Brennan said Poland Spring officials plan to “talk to people” in Maine’s Legislature to “feel out the business climate in Maine before we can make a formal commitment to go forward” with the plant. “We need to understand if there is support for a tax on us in the Legislature.”
Nevertheless, Brennan said, Monday’s announcement the petition drive had failed “was like dodging a bullet” for Poland Spring. “Had it connected with us, it would have seriously threatened our ability to do business in Maine.”
Currently, Poland Spring is getting everything together to submit permit applications for a plant to Kingfield’s Planning Board and to the EPA. Plans for the proposed plant have already been drawn up, he said.
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