CARIBOU, Maine —The first 10-pin bowling alley in Aroostook County since Loring Air Force Base closed in 1994 has delayed opening alongside an accompanying restaurant until December due to supply chain and contractor issues.
Both Evergreen Lanes and Rendezvous Restaurant, which serve as throwbacks to businesses of the same names once located on Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, have faced delays due to the late arrival of building materials and limited availability of local contractors. They were supposed to open in July, then in late fall and now are postponed to December.
At a time when Caribou leadership is trying to revitalize its business community, the kinds of roadblocks this project has encountered make progress difficult.
“Pretty much half of the materials we needed ended up being delayed because of shipping issues,” said Deana Williams, office manager for C.S. Management, a property maintenance company that entrepreneur Shawn Pelletier owns.
Pelletier declined to comment on how much inflation and material costs have affected the project’s total cost, but said that it exceeds the initial $4.7 million reported to the City Council in March.
Electricians are installing the building’s mechanical box, which only recently arrived after being on backorder for 10 months, Williams said. Other final work will include completion of the Rendezvous Restaurant’s bar and kitchen and an outdoor patio area, she said.
Located in a 35,000-square-foot building on 60 Access Highway, Evergreen Lanes is one of several businesses benefiting from Caribou’s newly expanded Downtown Tax Increment Financing District.
Business owners with properties located within TIF Districts receive a portion of the assessed tax value after development is complete.
In March, city councilors approved a 14-year credit enhancement agreement with Pelletier Enterprises, LLC that will calculate tax incentives at 80 percent of the current value for the 60 Access Highway building.
This is not the first time that councilors have signed a credit enhancement agreement with Shawn Pelletier, who owns Pelletier Enterprises and other local companies.
In 2018, councilors designated 7.26 acres of land surrounding the former Hilltop Elementary School as a TIF District for the development of Hilltop Heights Senior Living. That facility opened in 2021 and is managed by the six-member Caribou Senior Living, LLC, which includes Pelletier.
Once opened, the new business will feature 25,000 square feet of bowling lanes and restaurant seating areas and a 2,500-square-foot arcade.
During an October City Council meeting, Pelletier said he hoped the new bowling alley would become a go-to destination for statewide bowling leagues and a positive force for economic growth.
“Believe it or not, we’ve had a considerable number of people apply for jobs. A few of them are people from out of state who are in the bowling business and interested in relocating,” Pelletier said.
