Biddeford, Casella delay sale agreement
Casella Waste Systems and the city of Biddeford have extended the deadline to negotiate the purchase of Maine Energy Recovery Co.
The deal on the $6.65 million facility owned by Casella was set to close by Nov. 15. The two parties have now agreed to a deadline of Nov. 30, giving them time to complete due diligence on all aspects of the agreement, according to Biddeford Mayor Alan Casavant.
"Because we do not have all test results from the site in hand, and associated paperwork, the city and Casella have agreed to delay the signing until all information is available," said Casavant in a press release.
One issue central to the negotiation is the stipulation that Casella decommission the waste-to-energy facility, an issue that Casavant says has been blown out of proportion by those in the local social media sphere "dominated by uninformed, would-be pundits and critics who are spreading gross misinformation with wild abandon."
The mayor refutes the idea, propagated by one local blog, that the Casella site is highly contaminated, saying that the negotiating committee is "vigilantly working to provide the city with a final package that financially and environmentally meets the highest standards, thus allowing the community to move forward with economic development and revitalization."
Earlier this month, Casella and the city planned to keep the deal on hold pending a decision from the state's Department of Environmental Protection on whether the company could expand its Juniper Ridge Landfill in Old Town.
The DEP plans to hold a public hearing on that matter early next year.
The Journal Tribune reported that Casella's long-term plan remains taking waste currently processed in Biddeford to the Old Town facility but that it will, in the meantime, take waste from 14 municipalities that contracted with Maine Energy to a transfer station in Westbrook, which is currently under construction.
Most Recent
Most Recent
Comments