OLD TOWN, Maine (From news reports) -- It may still look like a closed mill, but officials for the Old Town Division of ND Paper say there is still work going on inside to make opening the facility in early summer a reality.
"We are still in the process of a combination of fixing the equipment that is there and bringing in what we need to get the facility running," said Communications Manager Amy Lee.
China's ND Paper, a subsidiary of a company called Nine Dragons, released its plans to produce unbleached softwood pulp at the Old Town mill last October.
"There's a good global market for unbleached softwood pulp currently," Lee said, "and there is a great availability of locally sourced wood in Maine for that."
When asked about where the Old Town mill's product will be sold, Lee said, "The unbleached softwood kraft pulp we will produce will largely support our parent company's Asian operating platform, although there will be some domestic use, as well."
Lee said they are still actively hiring for the mill hoping to be fully staffed at 130 employees when it reopens. They have had over 1,000 applicants for the mill and the Rumford division H.R. department has been assisting with the hiring process.
Workers took a big step towards the opening when workers were able to restart the No. 5 Package boiler and get it up and running again last February. Lee said that was the first major piece of the puzzle. It also made the mill much warmer for the workers this winter.
ND Paper has 650 employees at its Rumford Division mill.
