KINGFIELD – It’s not finished yet, but the Poland Spring Water Co. plant is ready to open its doors Saturday afternoon for a first-time view.

Tours of the factory, located just south of the town, will be available from 1 to 3 p.m., plant manager Cameron Lorrain said Tuesday.

A lapse between construction phases allows time for people to see the plant without hard-hat restrictions. The structure is complete, as are offices, break rooms and shipping areas. Some equipment has been installed, but more, such as overhead conveyor systems, must be placed, he said.

In the planning stages for years, the project went before the town in 2006 for review and approval before start of construction in December that year. Poland Spring Water Co., a subsidiary of Nestle Waters North America, spent more than two years searching for a site for the bottling plant then securing permits needed to build it.

The Poland-based company proposed building a $60 million to $80 million bottling plant on five acres south of town to pump about 200 million gallons of water annually from the town’s aquifer.

Poland Spring wants to start operations during the second week of October, Lorrain said.

Job applications are being taken for supervisory and administrative jobs, to be followed by maintenance positions. Another 50 to 60 jobs will be filled once operations start. Another 30 to 40 jobs could be created as those operations expand, he added.

Lorrain, an operation manager for the Poland Spring facility and an employee for the past 10 years, recently moved to Strong, he said.

“Everyone is welcome to come Saturday. We’d love to have them come take a look,” he said.