Hello!
Hi. Thanks for visiting. This is the beginning of a very long road, parts of which are completely unmapped. But it’s a road worth making and I hope this first post gives you reason to agree.
First, a little background. I first learned about Mason Station in 2012. Back then, there was an energy project I was working on, part of which was owned by National Resources, the current owner of Mason Station LLC (MS). That project evolved and National Resources is no longer part of the project. But I always remembered the Mason Station site and wanted to find a way to bring it back to life. I’ve been working on the redevelopment of the former Loring Air Force Base (now the Loring Commerce Centre) and other brownfield projects around the U.S., so it’s the type of project I gravitate towards.
In August of 2022, I reached out to Aaron Svedlow, my partner on this project, and asked what he thought about a Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) located at the site, given the large substation on the property. He and I both work in renewable energy and have experience evaluating sites, interconnections, and markets for projects like this. After some analysis, we agreed it was worth exploring further. So we reached out to MS and began discussing an option to lease space for a BESS.
MS expressed an interest in the idea and agreed to share information with us in order to continue looking into the idea. In March 2023, after conducting feasibility studies and sharing our plans and experience with MS, we provided them with a draft Term Sheet to lease property on the site.
In April 2023, MS presented a different idea to us. They felt it was time for them to move on from the property and that Aaron and I represented the right kind of development team - Maine-based, clean energy-focused, maritime-ties, etc… - to assume ownership and take a fresh approach to the site. After very careful consideration, we felt this was worth exploring, but first, we needed to speak with the community, the DEP, and other key stakeholders. We would not be purchasing the property, we would be stepping into the owner’s shoes, through a Membership Interest Purchase Agreement, and inheriting both the assets and liabilities of the company. This is serious stuff, and we needed to do a lot of stakeholder outreach, market studies, and due diligence.
We knew, and learned more about, the history of the site and previous attempts at redevelopment. We knew we needed something to give us credibility in order to speak with stakeholders about the project. So in May 2023, we signed a Term Sheet for the transfer of ownership. This began our initial period of public outreach.
From June 2023 through August 2023 we set out to see if our ideas for the site were in line with the community. There were certain things we knew we wanted to do (BESS, marina, etc.) that if the town didn’t want, we wouldn’t go any further. We conducted market research, ran due diligence, and attended dozens of stakeholder outreach meetings with local government and state agencies to evaluate the potential acquisition, test public support, and gauge interest from potential partners and tenants.
Stakeholder Meetings Included:
Wiscasset Town Manager / Code Enforcement Officer
Wiscasset Town Selectboard (executive session)
Wiscasset Waterfront Committee & Working Group
Lincoln County Commissioners
Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission (Mary-Ellen Barnes, Emily Rabbe)
Wiscasset Climate Action Team (local committee set up for the Community Resilience Partnership program)
Maine Department of Environmental Protection – Uncontrolled Sites (Zooms, calls, and emails)
Maine Governor’s Energy Office
Maine Department of Economic and Community Development
We also met with various companies, groups, non-profits and individuals in Clean Energy, Commercial Fishing, Aquaculture, and Real Estate Development. And these meetings continue to this day.
Encouraged by this initial due diligence and stakeholder outreach, we negotiated an exclusive Option Agreement for the purchase of Mason Station LLC. This agreement provides preliminary site control sufficient to secure development financing, project partners, and agreements with prospective tenants. And most importantly, it allows us to fully develop the project and prepare conceptual plans to present to the Selectboard and Planning Board Committee.
This is a glimpse of where we are in the process. As I said earlier, we have a long road ahead of us, but the groundwork we are laying now - engaging with the community and speaking with leaders, elected officials, and other key stakeholders - will ensure we start off down the road in the right direction.
Thanks for reading, and please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’d love to hear from you.
Best,
Ryan and Aaron