Local scrap dealer buys historic Otis Falls Mill in Jay

LEWISTON (Scrap Monster): According to newspaper reports, a local scrap metal dealer has purchased the assets of the historic Otis Falls Pulp & Paper company mill in Jay, Maine. Sources indicate that Joe Clark III of Farmingdale bought the mill from Mary Howes and Tim DeMillo of Otis Ventures, who currently owns the mill. The deal amount is not known, they said.

Commenting on the deal, Clark stated that he plans to develop the property after taking down the buildings. No concrete plans are being finalized as of now, he added. He is also looking into other alternatives by preserving some part of the property. Clark, who owns several scrap-metal firms in the region, stated that his confidence in the development potential of the mill was the main driving force behind entering into the deal.

The Otis Falls Pulp & Paper Company mill was built in the year 1888 by industrialist Hugh J. Chisholm, at a time when paper making was emerging as the town’s predominant industry. It was the third largest paper-mill in the entire US at that time. In 1905, International Paper built a mill on the opposite side of the river, which became known as the Otis mill. In 1978, this mill was sold to Wausau Paper. The company, after operating the mill for several years, announced closure of the mill in March 2009. The operations at the mill stopped permanently in May, 2009.

The 600,000-square-foot mill was then bought by Howes and DeMillo from Wausau Paper. Several efforts were being carried out to redevelop the property, but not yielding desired results.