To the editor,
Every day on my way home from work, I drive past the old Aroostook Flooring mill on Route 11. The building has been empty since 1990. The roof collapsed in the back section three winters ago. The chain-link fence that was supposed to secure the property has a gap you could drive a pickup through. And the willow trees that gave this town its name have grown up through the loading dock, so that what was once a place of work is now a place that looks like a set from a post-apocalyptic film.
I know its history. I know Stu Pelleticier bought the site in 1990 with plans to reopen, and I know those plans never materialized. I know the property has changed hands twice since then and that the current owner lives in Florida. None of that changes what the building has become.
The Gazette ran a feature on the mill’s history not long ago, and it was a fine piece of writing. But history does not excuse neglect. The building is not just an eyesore — it is a fire risk, a safety hazard for the teenagers who will inevitably find that gap in the fence, and a drag on property values for everyone on the north end of town.
I am asking the selectmen to investigate whether the town has any legal mechanism to compel the owner to secure the property, or, failing that, to explore the possibility of a demolition order. Willow Creek cannot afford to let its industrial history rot in plain sight.
Respectfully,
Mrs. Claire Michaud-Leblanc 89 Route 11 Willow Creek