JAY — It looked like the former Wausau Paper Otis Mill was just closed for the day.
On a tour of the facility Monday, a steady hum of overhead lights was about the only sound heard.
Absent were the hundreds of people who worked there and the noise of the papermaking machines. Tools, equipment, forklifts and furniture were among the items left behind when the mill closed for good in June.
Mary Howes and Tim DeMillo, wife and husband of Jay, make up Otis Ventures LLC, the new owners of the mill that straddles the Jay, Livermore Falls line.
“When we originally came down in here, we were interested in buying a milling machine and now we own the whole thing,” Howes said Monday as they gave a tour of the mill.
That includes the 650,000-square-foot mill with 28 bathrooms, two paper machines, dryers, heavy-duty overhead cranes, a research and development laboratory, great views of the Androscoggin River and history dating back to the late 1800s.
Wausau closed the mill under strict guidance from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Howes said. No chemicals are left on site, chemical tanks are cleaned out and floors power-washed.
The couple is hoping to transform the place into an industrial and business complex, with warehousing opportunities and a possibility of educational training. They also have plans to open up a section of the mill as part of a museum recognizing the history of papermaking.
Howes’ grandfather came from Canada to work on the mill and other family members have worked there, she said, including herself one summer in 1982.
“It’s definitely a longterm project,” Howes said, as she looked around.
They have shown the mill to a couple of respective clients, interested in possibly using different sections.
The couple was originally interested in the real estate and a salvage company was going to buy the machinery and equipment. But they decided to put in an offer on the whole package.
“It was a great opportunity,” Howes said.
Railroad tracks run right by the mill while an unused spur runs above a section of the mill known as the tunnel.
The machinery in an industrial kitchen, where large blenders were used to make the coating for paper, is still intact, DeMillo said.
“Part of the reason we got involved in the purchase of everything in the place, instead of just the real estate, is we had some concerns about what we would have left for a building,” he said.
Howes explained the papermaking process as she walked by a paper machine and equipment.
The company made a lot of odd specialty paper over the years and at the end was making masking tape backing and painters tape among other products.
“The community has reacted very positively and basically if we didn’t buy this, it was going to get leveled,” Howes said. “That would be a lot of history gone.”
Howes and DeMillo also have another stake in the mill. The couple’s Howie’s Welding & Fabrication provided new steel beams to the mill during renovations of some areas.
They want to keep paper machine No. 9 for historical and museum purposes and sell No. 11, Howes said.
Five people currently work at the mill, and a sophisticated, security system helps watch over it. They’re still weatherizing it for the winter and draining all of the pipes.
“I’ve been here 33 years,” Larry Castonguay of Jay, a senior engineer for Wausau, said. “I’m happy to have the opportunity to stay on and hopefully help make something of the place.”
Howe and DeMillo are looking forward to their venture.
“We’re excited. Some days we’re a little overwhelmed,” Howes said. “I think its a definite positive. . . . It’s still cool. Every time we come down here, I’m still amazed at everything in here.”
JAY — It looked like the former Wausau Paper Otis Mill was just closed for the day.
On a tour of the facility Monday, a steady hum of overhead lights was about the only sound heard.
Absent were the hundreds of people who worked there and the noise of the papermaking machines. Tools, equipment, forklifts and furniture were among the items left behind when the mill closed for good in June.
Mary Howes and Tim DeMillo, wife and husband of Jay, make up Otis Ventures LLC, the new owners of the mill that straddles the Jay, Livermore Falls line.
“When we originally came down in here, we were interested in buying a milling machine and now we own the whole thing,” Howes said Monday as they gave a tour of the mill.
That includes the 650,000-square-foot mill with 28 bathrooms, two paper machines, dryers, heavy-duty overhead cranes, a research and development laboratory, great views of the Androscoggin River and history dating back to the late 1800s.
Wausau closed the mill under strict guidance from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, Howes said. No chemicals are left on site, chemical tanks are cleaned out and floors power-washed.
The couple is hoping to transform the place into an industrial and business complex, with warehousing opportunities and a possibility of educational training. They also have plans to open up a section of the mill as part of a museum recognizing the history of papermaking.
Howes’ grandfather came from Canada to work on the mill and other family members have worked there, she said, including herself one summer in 1982.
“It’s definitely a long-term project,” Howes said, as she looked around.
They have shown the mill to a couple of respective clients, interested in possibly using different sections.
The couple was originally interested in the real estate and a salvage company was going to buy the machinery and equipment. But they decided to put in an offer on the whole package.
“It was a great opportunity,” Howes said.
Railroad tracks run by the mill while an unused spur runs above a section of the mill known as the tunnel.
The machinery in an industrial kitchen, where large blenders were used to make the coating for paper, is still intact, DeMillo said.
“Part of the reason we got involved in the purchase of everything in the place, instead of just the real estate, is we had some concerns about what we would have left for a building,” he said.
Howes explained the papermaking process as she walked by a paper machine and equipment.
The company made a lot of odd specialty paper over the years and at the end was making masking tape backing and painters tape, among other products.
“The community has reacted very positively and basically if we didn’t buy this, it was going to get leveled,” Howes said. “That would be a lot of history gone.”
Howes and DeMillo also have another stake in the mill. The couple’s Howie’s Welding & Fabrication provided new steel beams to the mill during renovations of some areas.
They want to keep paper machine No. 9 for historical and museum purposes and sell No. 11, Howes said.
Five people currently work at the mill, and a sophisticated, security system helps watch over it. They’re still weatherizing it for the winter and draining all of the pipes.
“I’ve been here 33 years,” Larry Castonguay of Jay, a senior engineer for Wausau, said. “I’m happy to have the opportunity to stay on and hopefully help make something of the place.”
Howe and DeMillo are looking forward to their venture.
“We’re excited. Some days we’re a little overwhelmed,” Howes said. “I think it’s a definite positive. . . . It’s still cool. Every time we come down here, I’m still amazed at everything in here.”
Mary Howes and Tim DeMillo walk through the old Wausau Paper Mill in Jay on Monday. The couple from Jay purchased the 650,000-square-foot facility with plans to convert it to a business complex.
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