Laidlaw Energy Group, Inc.(fka LLEG)

[berlin nh resident]

(Mayor)Bertrand said the mayor and council continue to oppose a biomass plant on the mill property. He said a biomass in the center of Berlin is not the direction the council wants for the city.

Economic development theme of council meeting

BERLIN — The city council focused on economic development at Monday’s work session, reiterating its position on the mill property and receiving updates on two major initiatives underway. City Planner Pamela Lafl amme and Androscoggin Valley Chamber Interim Executive Director Dick Huot reported on the Coos County Branding Project which has been underway for 18 months. Funded by the state and a variety of economic development and business groups, the effort hired Roger Brooks of Destination Development, Inc., to do an assessment and marketing plan for the entire county. Based in Seattle, Brooks is a nationally known expert on tourism development. The assessment was completed last year and since then the consultant has been working on a branding, product development, and marketing plan. Brooks will unveil his preliminary plan at a public workshop on Oct. 14 at White Mountains Regional High School. The fi nal plan is scheduled to be released in December. Huot said the fi ve chambers of commerce in the county are working together on the initiative and will develop a brochure for the county. He said the chambers understand the responsibility of implementing the plan over the long term will fall on them. “I’m pretty excited about the whole thing,” Huot said, noting that getting fi ve chambers working cooperatively is a fi rst for the state. He said his chamber is also working with the Umbagog Area Chamber and the Bethel, Maine Chamber to promote the Mahoosuc region. Laflamme said Northern Community Investment Corporation has just received additional money to fund the initiative for 18 months, once the plan is finalized. She said it is important to get the communities and public to buy into the plan. Laflamme and Huot are part of a team that is meeting with all the local selectmen and boards to get the word out about the initiative and the upcoming workshop. Mayor David Bertrand said he hopes to see a good showing at the workshop. The presentation on the Coos County Branding project, was followed by a more free flowing discussion on economic development and the city’s master plan. Economic Development Director Norm Charest has requested the council consider hiring a facilitator to put together an economic development vision and strategy. Charest said the city and region are at a very critical and exciting time. For the first time in generations, he said the city is facing a future with no paper mill. He noted many on the council ran on the platform of a new vision for Berlin. Charest said he feels he can do a better job if everyone is on the same page. Bertrand said the mayor and council continue to oppose a biomass plant on the mill property. He said a biomass in the center of Berlin is not the direction the council wants for the city. City Manager Patrick MacQueen said he believes the master plan provides the vision and strategy for the city. The city is in the process of updating the current plan. Laflamme pointed out the city is spending $25,000 on the economic development portion of the update and has hired a subcontractor, RKG Associates, for help with that section. She said a public visioning session will be set for this fall. The entire plan will be completed in March. Charest said the master plan and Coos Branding project will provide a lot of important data. He said the challenge will be executing the findings of both studies. He suggested using Androscoggin Valley Economic Development Director Jim Wagner to help develop a new strategy. Huot, who also serves as chair of the Berlin Industrial Development and Park Authority, said that body is willing to get involved in developing an economic strategy. Councilor Lucie Remillard said she feels Charest, Laflamme, and Huot should work together to come up with a strategy. She agreed with Councilor Dick Lafleur, who argued it is the council’s role to set policy, not to develop strategy. Councilor Tom McCue said sometimes staff spends a lot of time developing a policy that does not entirely meet the council’s goals. He pointed to the vacant building ordinance. He said the council has spent three months working on the proposed ordinance. He said it may be helpful to have more council input earlier in the process. “There’s so many different moving parts of this engine called economic development,” he noted. Councilor David Poulin said the council is receptive to good ideas and wants to be business friendly. He urged Charest to come to the council with ideas and projects. “This group hasn’t said no yet,” he said. “We’ve got to move. We got to do something,” Charest called the conversation very valuable and said it provided him with some direction. Wagner said there are a couple of other key initiatives, including the Coos Action Plan and the Workforce Development Grant, that dovetail with the master plan and branding efforts. Bertrand asked Wagner for an update on the Greenova wood pellet plant at the city’s industrial park. Wagner is employed as a consultant for Greenova. After filing its permit applications, Greenova decided modify the project to do it in two phases and redesigned the layout for the plant. Wagner said most of the permits for the redesigned project are approved. He said they are still waiting for an air emission permit and a conservation easement. Greenova hopes to start clearing the site and cutting trees within a few weeks and still hope to get the foundation poured before winter.

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