AUBURN — Renovations to the Vincent Bottling plant in New Auburn are all but finished, and officials have scheduled an open house for the senior housing project Wednesday.

Richard Whiting, executive director of the Auburn Housing Authority, said he expects a handful of the building’s future tenants, some former tenants and plenty of New Auburn residents to be on hand for a first look at the building.

“It’s a holiday for a lot of people, and I know plenty of people in New Auburn are anxious to see it,” Whiting said.

Mayor Dick Gleason is scheduled to attend the ribbon cutting officially opening the building at 10 a.m. It will be open for viewing until noon.

The building first opened as the Vincent Bottling Co. in 1927, bottling
soft drinks like Nehi and ginger ale for sale in Maine. It’s in the
center of New Auburn, at the intersection of Mill, Main and South Main
streets.

The housing authority has tried to incorporate some of the building’s history into the decor, including old photographs of bottling plant employees in a community room.

Whiting said he expects residents to begin moving in next week. The building includes 17 one- and two-bedroom units, including four handicap-accessible apartments.

So far, nine residents have committed spaces in the building. The housing authority has 30 more names on the waiting list for the remaining units.

The project was paid for using proceeds from $2.6 million in Maine housing tax credits, which are being sold through the Northern New England Housing Fund. Bangor Savings Bank loaned another $2.5 million for the project. 

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