LIMESTONE, Maine – Bringing back large-scale industry remained an elusive goal in 2024 for those tasked with redeveloping the former Loring Air Force Base 30 years after its closure.
Progress toward that goal – or lack thereof – will likely be a big story in Aroostook County in the new year.
After the Air Force left in 1994, massive population and economic losses forced Aroostook leaders to create a new vision for the region, which led to the establishment of Loring Commerce Center. Initially, the 3,800-acre industrial and commercial park brought in thousands of jobs, surpassing those lost in the ‘90s. But most of those employers have since left, forcing the Loring Development Authority, the state-funded entity charged with redeveloping the site, to seek more innovative solutions.
This year saw perhaps the most potential for regrowth at Loring with the announcement of a $55 million potato chip processing plant and continued plans for a $4 billion sustainable aviation fuel production facility. Tourism also increased thanks to veterans returning to visit and renewed interest in Loring’s former weapons storage area.
At the same time, there were tensions over how to save one of Loring’s most iconic and underutilized structures, the 75-year-old “arch hangar.” Leaders and community members also got new insight into chemical contamination at the former base, commonly known as PFAS, and faced controversy over a large spike in local water rates. The authority also saw major changes in its leadership, with a new CEO and board members.
Here’s a quick review of what happened at Loring this year and the issues that will likely continue spurring conversation and debate in 2025.
A Potato Chip Plant
Early in 2024, Aroostook-based developers signed a deal to give Loring its largest new business in years.
In February, Bruce Sargent, owner of Falcon Transportation in Presque Isle, and colleagues said that they will build a $55 million potato chip plant under the name Taste of Maine Potato Chip Company.
The 80,000-square-foot facility will produce kettle chips and employ at least 75 people when production begins. Sargent had hoped to break ground in July and start production in fall 2025, but delays in wastewater permitting from Maine’s Department of Environmental Protection have held up the project.
Sargent said on Dec. 17 that he still intends to move forward with the project but declined to reveal further details.
Saving the Arch Hangar
Standing 90 feet tall in the middle, Loring’s massive airplane hangar took two years to build and is one of only two arch-shaped hangars in the country. Built between 1947 and 1949, the 340-foot wide by 314-foot long structure required workers to pour cement onto 12 individual sections of roof, creating its famous shape.
But the arch hangar has not received major structural repairs in 20 years and has mostly sat vacant. In fall 2023, the latex roof covering started tearing across the top, sliding down the arch and allowing snow and rain to seep in.
Frustrated with the lack of maintenance and repairs, volunteers from the Loring Air Museum worked with Sen. Troy Jackson to propose a bill in January that would have transferred ownership of the hangar to the museum. They faced stiff opposition from Loring officials, who wanted to save the hangar for aviation and aerospace companies. The bill, LD 1998, later failed after conflicting votes in the state house and senate.
This summer, Loring Development Authority launched the “save the arch hangar” campaign to raise funds for engineering studies that will determine the extent of needed repairs. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins proposed delegating $2 million in federal funds. Air Museum leaders said that they would support the fundraising efforts.
Loring is still on track to receive the $2 million in 2025, said Loring Development Authority Interim President and CEO Jonathan Judkins. So far, the campaign has raised $500,000 for the arch hangar. Loring will likely need $7 million to complete all studies and future repairs for the hangar, and $20 million total for other airport upgrades, including repairs for the control tower.
Airport Revitalization
Alongside efforts to save the arch hangar, Loring leaders want the commerce center’s expansive airport to be a go-to place for modern aviation and aerospace industries.
The Federal Aviation Administration recently changed the Loring airport’s status from a private airfield to public airport. After the Air Force departed in the ‘90s, the FAA had been reluctant to grant public status due to Loring’s close proximity to public airports in Presque Isle and Caribou, Judkins said.
Now that Loring’s airport is public, the challenge is to persuade the FAA to make the facility part of the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems, which would deem Loring eligible for infrastructure grants from the Military Airport Program, Judkins said.
The Military Airport Program is part of the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program, awarding grants and financial assistance to the civil sponsor of a military airfield to develop public aviation facilities and to entities converting former military airfields for civilian use, according to the FAA.
The FAA has yet to issue a final judgment on Loring’s NPIAS status but Judkins is arguing that the airport will be distinct from those in Presque Isle, which is the region’s only hub for commercial passenger flights, and Caribou, which caters to private aircraft.
Loring’s airport contains two and a half miles of runway, 383,000 total square feet in hangar space, a 38,000-square-foot jet engine repair facility, control tower and lighting vault and numerous other manufacturing buildings. It’s the type of facility that can give Loring its own niche in Aroostook aviation and Maine’s emerging aerospace industry, Judkins said.
“We’re not looking to retract from the region but add to it,” Judkins said. “There is a broad swath of companies that could utilize our facility for jet engine repair, small helicopter companies and rocket launches.”
Areas near the airport have been a key focus of the Air Force’s study of chemical contamination at Loring due to past use of firefighting foam containing PFAS. Research indicates that PFAS has spread into waterways in and near Loring, including those that farmers use for irrigation.
So far the news has not deterred large-scale development. Michael Darcy, CEO of DG Fuels, said in November that his company relocated their planned sustainable aviation fuel facility to a section of Loring farther from the airport to hopefully avoid potential issues with PFAS.
Infrastructure Upgrades
Outside the airport, Judkins and colleagues also plan to rejuvenate infrastructure that has not seen upgrades in decades.
In spring and summer 2025, work will begin on demolishing six blighted and vacant apartment buildings in the Manser Drive complex, repairing potholes and turning nearby four-lane roads into two-lane roads, as part of $3.1 million in congressionally directed spending that Loring received in 2021. The Manser Drive units had long been a concern among Limestone officials, who have advocated for stricter code enforcement.
Starting next year and continuing into 2026, upgrades at Loring’s 70-year-old wastewater treatment plant will repair broken and cracked clay pipes, preventing groundwater and rainwater from seeping and overwhelming the treatment system. The project will be paid through $1 million in congressional funds and is estimated to save Loring and the Limestone Water & Sewer District thousands in treatment costs.
So far major repairs are not needed at Loring’s water treatment plant, Judkins said. The water system was the site of controversy after business and residential tenants spoke against a spike in water rates. Ten people filed a complaint with the Maine Public Utilities Commission, which is still reviewing that complaint and Judkins’ response.
Maine Rural Water Association issued a boil water order in October but that was due to higher than normal concentration of “suspended particles,” such as soil or organic matter, and not because of the infrastructure, Judkins said.
Judkins stated Tuesday that the water rate increases remain necessary for covering increased expenses pertaining to water treatment, though future upgrades will need to be covered through grants.
Leadership Changes
In January, Judkins, Loring’s finance director, stepped up as Loring Development Authority’s interim president and CEO after longtime leader Carl Flora retired.
Former board chairperson Jeremy Fischer noted at the time that Judkins’ interim status would help the board evaluate how the position might evolve with Loring’s redevelopment.
Soon after arriving, Judkins expressed desire to start a more aggressive outreach to technology, aviation and aerospace companies about Loring’s assets.
In March, the Maine Senate appointed three new Loring Development Authority board members – Carolyn Dorsey, UMaine System vice chancellor for strategic initiatives; Jim Gardner, former Easton town manager; and Jeffrey Pangburn, vice president and senior relationship manager at TD Bank in Bangor – and reappointed Lee Umphrey, president and CEO of Eastern Maine Development Corporation, now the board’s chairperson.
All three new board members have county roots and expressed desire to help the region grow economically by investing in modern industries at Loring.
There are now three vacancies on Loring’s board. The 3-year terms for Kris Doody, Cary Medical Center CEO; and Suzie Paradis, Fort Kent town manager, expired Nov. 4, and former state representative Patrick Paradis of Augusta has stepped down due to health issues. All three replacements will likely be appointed during the next legislative session after Gov. Janet Mills announces her nominations, Judkins said.
The future new board members might get to weigh in on the future of Loring Development Authority’s most pivotal role.
With Judkins finishing one year as interim leader, the authority’s board will need to conduct a performance evaluation and decide whether to remove “interim” from Judkins’ title, said Umphrey during the board’s December meeting. The board agreed to pursue that evaluation after the new year.
Thus far Umphrey and colleagues have praised Judkins’ leadership.
“Jonathan is not only passionate about making Loring a better place but also about forging partnerships that will make that possible,” Umphrey said Thursday.
