It's been a little over a year since the Fraser Pulp Mill in Berlin closed.
When it ceased operations, some 250 people lost their jobs.
New Hampshire Public Radio was at the plant for the final day of operations - interviewing mill workers and community leaders.
One year later - NHPR correspondent Todd Wellington checked in with some of those featured to see how they're doing.
ONE YEAR AGO, WORKERS AT FRASER PAPER WALKED OUT OF THE PULP MILL FOR THE LAST TIME.
THERE IS STILL ACTIVITY AT THE SPAWLING COMPLEX ALONG THE ANDROSCOGGIN RIVER.
BUT IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH TURNING TREES INTO PULP.
SEVERAL PIECES OF HEAVY EQUIPMENT ARE SORTING AND REMOVING PILE-AFTER-PILE OF DEMOLITION DEBRIS.
FOUR OF THE PLANT’S FIVE SIGNIATURE SMOKESTACKS ARE STILL INTACT.
BUT MUCH OF THE PLANT’S INFRASTRUCTURE HAS BEEN TORN-DOWN BY THE PROPERTY’S NEW OWNER – NORTH AMERICAN DISMANTLING COMPANY.
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(“WHAT’S LEFT IS YOU HAVE THE BOILER, THE CO-GEN, THERE’S A BRICK BUILDING WAY OVER THERE THAT THEY WANT TO SAVE THAT’S FOR OFFICE BUILDNGS WHICH I THINK IS A GREAT IDEA…â€)
THAT’S BERLIN MAYOR BOB DANDERSON.
ONE YEAR AGO HE CALLED FOR PART OF THE MILL TO BE CONVERTED INTO A BIO-FUEL PLANT.
IT APPEARS HE MAY BE GET HIS WISH.
A NEW YORK-BASED ENERGY COMPANY HAS PROPOSED TURNING THE MILL’S MASSIVE BOILER INTO OF A 50-MEGAWATT POWER PLANT FUELED BY WOOD-CHIPS.
AND PSNH HAS EXPRESSED INTEREST IN THE PROPERTY TOO.
DANDERSON SAYS HE STILL THINKS IT’S A GOOD IDEA – DESPITE CONCERNS BY SOME WHO SAY THE DOWTOWN SITE SHOULD BE USED DIFFERENTLY.
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(“YOU COULD HAVE OTHER TYPES OF THINGS PROBABLY AT THIS SITE BUT IT WOULDN’T BE AS PRODUCTIVE FOR THE COMMUNITY. MYSELF AND THE COUNCIL ARE VERY CONCERNED THAT WE WANT TO GET AS MUCH VALUE OUT OF THE AREA AS WE POSSIBLY CAN – BUT YET KEEPING IT ASTHETICALLY PLEASING – YOU KNOW…A POWER PLANT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE UGLY.â€)
BESIDES BEING AN ECONOMIC GENERATOR, THE MILL WAS ALSO THE CENTER OF DAILY LIFE FOR MANY OF THOSE WHO WORKED THERE.
A PLACE WHERE FRIENDS WERE MADE AND FRIENDSHIPS LASTED FOR DECADES.
***AUDIO CUT – INSERT OLD AUDIO OF THE GUYS PLAYING AT THE FORTUNE COOKIE HERE
REMEMBER THESE GUYS?...THEY’RE FORMER MILL WORKERS MIKE DUGAS AND BRAD WILSON – A K A “THE MICHAEL BRADLEY BANDâ€.
ON THE DAY THE MILL CLOSED A YEAR AGO, THESE GUYS PLAYED AT A LOCAL HOT-SPOT - “THE FORTUNE COOKIE†- IN NEARBY GORHAM.
DUGAS FOUND WORK SHORTLY AFTER THE MILL CLOSED.
HE’S NOW COMMUTES 35 MILES EACH WAY TO HIS NEW JOB AS THE PARTS MANAGER AT THE LITTLETON HARLEY-DAVISION.
DUGAS SAYS IT’S DEFINITELY BEEN A YEAR OF CHANGE, BUT IT HASN’T ALL BEEN BAD.
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(“…..I DON’T WORK NIGHTS ANYMORE…AND DON’T MAKE THE SAME AS I DID BUT YOU KNOW… RE-ADJUST… AND THAT’S IT.â€)
THE FORTUNE COOKIE WERE HE AND BRAD WILSON PLAYED THE NIGHT THE MILL CLOSED DOWN HAS ALSO CLOSED.
BUT DUGAS SAYS THE BAND IS STILL VERY MUCH OPEN FOR BUSINESS.
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(“I’M STILL PLAYING IN THE BAND. WE HAD PLAYED OVER AT THE GORHAM COMMON, OVER AT THE TWIN MOUNTAIN COMMON WE PLAYED OVER AT THE TRAIL HOUSE…AND A NUMBER OF OTHER PLACES…THE FORTUNE COOKIE IS SHUT-DOWN?….YEAH, THE FORTUNE COOKIE UNFORTUNATELY – WHERE A LOT OF THE MILL WORKERS WORKED - IS NOW CLOSED…â€)
HIS BAND-MATE BRAD WILSON ALSO FOUND A NEW JOB AFTER 31 YEARS AT THE MILL.
HE NOW WORKS AS A RESIDENTIAL INSTRUCTOR AT AN EASTER SEALS GROUP HOME IN WHITEFIELD.
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(“THE KIDS LIVE RIGHT THERE SO WE DO DIFFERENT THINGS WITH THEM. I WORK WITH THEM AFTER SCHOOL THERE AND TAKE ‘EM SWIMMING OR TAKE-EM OUT TO BASEBALL GAMES. WE JUST KEEP ‘EM BUSY THERE…AND I EVEN GET A CHANCE TO PLAY MUSIC FOR ‘EMâ€)
LIKE DUGAS, WILSON HAS FOUND A WAY TO ROLL WITH THE CHANGES OVER THE LAST 12 MONTHS.
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(“YOUR WHOLE LIFESTYLE CHANGES…YOU’RE GOING FROM A CERTAIN AMOUNT THAT YOU MAKE THERE DOWN TO A DIFFERENT LEVEL. YOU GOTTA RE-GROUP YOUR WHOLE LIFE. BUT THERE IS LIFE AFTER THE MILL, I FEEL.â€)
ONE OTHER PERSON FEATURED IN THAT STORY WAS JIM WAGNER.
WAGNER HAD WORKED IN SALES FOR FRASER PAPERS.
BUT HE LEFT THE COMPANY WHEN IT DOWNSIZED ABOUT SIX-MONTHS BEFORE THE SHUT-DOWN.
SINCE THEN HE’S STAYED IN BERLIN AND HAS JUST TAKEN A NEW JOB AS ANDROSCOGGIN VALLEY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR.
HE WORKS WITH SEVERAL DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS INCLUDING THE LOCAL ECONOMIC RECOVERY GROUP, THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND EVEN THE NORTHERN FOREST HERITAGE PARK.
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(“MY DAY INVOLVES TALKING CONSTANTLY WITH THE BUSINESSES THAT HELP ACHIEVE SUCCESS IN THE NORTH COUNTRY BECAUSE WE FEEL THAT WE HAVE TO KEEP WHAT WE HAVE. …WE’VE LOST A LOT OF JOBS SO THAT MEANS ALL THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE ESTABLISHED SMALL BUSINESSESES HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE…WE NEED TO KEEP THEM AND WE NEED TO HELP THEM EXPAND.â€)
WAGNER’S ALSO TRYING TO RECRUIT NEW BUSINESSES TO THE AREA AND TO BETTER MARKET THE VALLEY AS A TOURIST SPOT.
HE SAYS THE NEW JOB IS A BIG ONE - BUT HE REMAINS OPTIMISTIC.
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(“I THINK THE WHOLE COMMUNITY IS RE-INVENTING ITSELF. I THINK THE FACT THE PULP MILL IS DOWN IS A TRAGEDY BUT IT’S ALSO A TRIUMPH IN THE FACT THAT WE CAN WRITE ANOTHER HISTORY…ANOTHER PAGE IN OUR HISTORY BOOK….â€)
FOR N-H-P-R NEWS, I’M TODD WELLINGTON
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