Point
East… a "made in Maine"
showcase
By: Bob Kalish
Times Record Staff
Wiscasset
Don't tell Scott Houldin it's difficult
to do business in Maine. Houldin is
Project Manager for the Point East Maritime
Village development, which is a subsidiary
of National RE/sources, a "brownfield"
company that specializes in taking over
highly industrialized sites and turning
them into residential or commercial
sites.
What makes the Maritime Village story
unusual is that it is happening with
all Maine-based vendors. The homes,
the marina, the rugs on the floors of
the homes and some of the furniture
will be fashioned by Maine-based workers
and craftsmen. That is not an accident.
"We as a company felt supportive
of the state's efforts on the economic
front," Houldin said. "We
wanted to utilize the superior craftsmanship,
the attention to detail we found I regional
vendors."
 The
site for development used to be a coal-fired,
then oil-fired electric generating plant
that closed in the early 1990's. The
large brick building that once housed
massive Westinghouse turbines will remain,
transformed into an office/retail space
that includes the marina and boatworks.
Where towering oil tanks stood (three
of them to be exact) will now be the
scene of homes and condominiums, an
underground garage, and open land.
"We've worked with the EPA and
the state DEP, hand in hand," Houldin
said. "Where the oil tanks and
pipelines were, now we've been cleared
to the higher residential standards."
The homes are high-end, with starting
prices of from $400,000 up to more than
$1 million. At those levels, the Maritime
Village couldn't afford to settle for
anything less than the best, according
to Houldin.
That's why the 200-slip marina and
boatyard is being managed by Hinckley
Yachts, out of Southwest Harbor, the
kitchens designed and built by The
Kennebec Company of Beth and homes
themselves manufactured by Waterford
Homes in Waterford and assembled by
Modular Home Solutions in Woolwich.
"We spent a year and a half doing
diligent research," Houldin said.
"We felt the homes should be designed
to look and be organic. Our architects
deliberately wanted the homes to blend
in with other homes in the state and
in Wiscasset."
According to Poe Cilley, director
of marketing for Point East, the Maritime
Village is being marketed to older couples
in the higher economic levels who want
a nice place to come to for the summer
or to live year-round. Homes or condominiums
come in five models, each sheathed in
gray shingles to blend in with the surroundings.
This devotion to a concept of organic
architecture was one of the reasons
Jeff Peavey, President and Chief Operations
Officer of Kennebec Company, joined
the project.
"This kind of project is not typical
for us," Peavey said. "We
generally distribute direct to the consumer.
But what impressed me the most was the
determination to use only the best Maine
crafts in their scheme."
Kennebec company makes customized
kitchens for new and restored houses.
They have won several awards and have
been featured on the PBS show, "This
Old House."
We've never been involved in this
kind of project," Peavey said.
"But our architects were able to
participate in the up-front planning
of the model homes and the people at
Point East listened. I was very impressed
with their commitment to the concept
of early century Maine because so are
we. When we restore a kitchen, we pay
attention to detail, and that was part
of this process, also."
Peavey said the first model house
is under construction already and Kennebec
Company is excited about it.
"We're very happy to be involved,"
he said.
So is Hinckley Yachts. The company,
known for its manufacture of fine yachts
and other boats, has facilities in Trenton
and Southwest Harbor. Ed Roberts, vice
president of marketing, said from his
corporate office in Rhode Island, that
the Maritime Village project offered
a unique opportunity.
"We see this as an opportunity
to expand our services to our customers,"
he said. "Our boatyard in Wiscasset
will be a place where our customers
can come for light servicing, varnishing,
cleaning, things like that."
When completed, the Wiscasset facility
will have room for 200 boats. Roberts
said the company expects to be open
by next spring.
The heart of the project is the homes,
and here, too, Point East wanted local.
Waterford Homes in Waterford manufactures
the homes while Modular Home Solutions
in Woolwich builds them on site. Brian
Mulligan, owner of Modular Home Solutions
said what attracted him to the project
was that he didn't need to educate the
people at Point East about the advantages
of modular construction.
"That was my first thought when
I was contacted by Point East,"
Mulligan said. "They already knew
about modular and then didn't need educating.
Modular is new for Maine but it's been
proven in other places."
Modular homes are built in factories,
then assembled on site. The advantages,
according to Mulligan and Houldin, are
that the building of the parts of the
house are better controlled with sophisticated
machinery and climate controlled.
"The ultimate cost is less, too,"
Mulligan said. "You can have a
completed house in six months as opposed
to a year when build completely on site."
Inside the model home will be furniture
made by another Maine firm, Thomas
Moser Cabinetry. Steve Wyman, the
company's showroom manager in Freeport,
said what attracted them was the project
and its location.
"It's such a beautiful spot, and
the homes are ones we'd gladly be associated
with," he said. "Plus Point
East has a reputation of fulfilling
their promises."
Point East also owns a 400-acre parcel
a few miles down the road from Maritime
Village, which has been turned into
a mixed-use technology "i.park."
The land was part of the decommissioned
Maine Yankee Atomic Power Plant, which
was shut down in 1997. |
