5/11/2009 Hathaway Creative Center

08-09 Board of Directors:
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Ally Karter - President
Sarah Sugden - President Elect
Seth Sherwood - Vice President
Cathy Langlais - Secretary
Steve Kelleher - Assistant Secretary
Allan Rancourt - Charitable Treasurer
Don Borman - Operations Treasurer
Marc Pitman - Club Service
Mark Ford - Rotary Foundation
Eric Haley - Past President
Nancy Gallagher - Public Relations
Debbie Knox - Community Service
Ed Riggs - International Service
Reg Perry -  Fundraising
Tom Longstaff - Vocational Service

Waterville Rotary Club Web Site
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http://www.clubrunner.ca/waterville

Today's Program: Hathaway Creative Center Update (Paul Boghossian)

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Developer Paul Boghossian provided a progress report on Waterville's Hathaway Creative Center. Here are his comments.

We're excited to welcome the Waterville Rotary to the Hathaway Creative Center. As you've heard, this is a joint meeting between Noontime Rotary and Sunrise Rotary. So a particular welcome to the Sunrise people who found an out of sequence spot in their schedules to join us today.

This afternoon you'll have a bit of a backstage introduction to the Hathaway. Part of the wonder of what we've created here is quickly adaptable Class A space as a strategic tool in bringing jobs to Central Maine.

In the past, if a major employer wanted to locate here (say 100 to 300 jobs in 10,000 to 20,000 square feet) it meant the delay and expense of new construction or cobbling together various spaces in different buildings to assemble the requisite square footage. Now we can say to major employers that 90 days from your phone call we can have space ready for you. In this building, which is about 230,000 sf, about 50% of the commercial space is spoken for; that means about 50,000 sf is readily available.

When you leave today I hope you'll go out as ambassadors to tell the world not only about how wonderful a place the Hathaway is to live and work but what a great place Central Maine is to live and do business. With your help I think we can easily bring 300-400 jobs to town over the next 1-2 years. And while I'd love to have a 300 person firm give me the go ahead this afternoon, I'd much prefer 100 three person firms to come on board. Frankly, I think that better sets the stage for the kind of creative vitality we're looking for in the Hathaway and in Central Maine. In other places I've witnessed the energy and added employment that can result. At least one of those 100 three person firms will go on to become a 300 person firm and, in the meantime, small companies in close proximity to one another invariably will end up collaborating and growing together to their mutual benefit.

Having said that we predicted, and, in fact, have seen some broad themes develop in terms of the kind of firms that will likely want to locate in the Hathaway. The five themes are:

Health and Wellness,

Financial Services

Media and Technology

General Retail

Arts, Crafts

Film and Food and

Outdoor Recreation

Let's talk a bit about each category.

Before we open for questions, I wanted to share with you a glimpse into the future of the Lockwood Mills Complex of which the Hathaway is the first phase. As I mentioned, the Hathaway is 230,000 sf. Next door is the former CMP building which is 53,000 sf. On the corner is the former Marden's Building which is around 140,000 sf. So in total we have nearly half a million sf. That's a lot of space but we're off to a robust start in filling it up.

In the next phase we're looking to put a conference center in the CMP building and connect it to the Hathaway with an overhead walkway. Our research has shown that Waterville is well positioned to host statewide conferences, especially if we build a really cool downtown riverfront venue such as we have here. Also in that building we'd like to have a kitchen incubator which is one of Audrey's initiatives. We think that the availability on a per hour basis of a commercial kitchen is a powerful inducement for food-related businesses to locate in the Hathaway. We believe, owing to the proximity of the Maine Organic Farmers and Growers Association in Unity, that Waterville could be at the epicenter of organic food in Maine. If you touch the organic food business in any way, you'll want to be here. We also think that such a thrust could be a major theme around which KVCC could bolster its culinary program, and that the conference center could be a huge asset to their hospitality initiative, especially as we move to put a hotel next door.

Another thing we'd love to see in the CMP is what I call an artisan marketplace. Think of a year-round version of the arts and crafts tent at the Common Ground Fair. Artists want to be there because other artists are there, and the public wants to be there because there is real art and craftwork happening in a festive atmosphere. It is a model that has worked well in other locales, and it can for Waterville too. We think that visitors will want to get off the highway and seek it out. Closing the loop, artists especially will want to be there because the public comes to experience and, more importantly, to buy.

I would be remiss if I did not talk about film. Waterville has already staked out the high ground on film in Maine and needs to consolidate and build upon that position. The recent formation of the Maine Film Center, a collaboration between Railroad Square, MIFF and Colby (which is bolstering their film studies offerings) is a good start. We think there is a role for the Hathaway to play (no pun intended) in helping this increasingly important aspect of our local creative economy to flourish. I see production and editing studios as well as distribution and test marketing happening here.

Last but not least is the Marden's Building. We already have interest in a hotel there; likely an extended stay product like Spring Hill Suites. Also slated for that site is more apartments and some higher visibility retail for the first floor. Parking will likely be in a parking garage in the "ball field" parking lot across the street with access to the complex by an overhead walkway spanning Water Street and perhaps another overhead walkway spanning Spring Street to the Concourse or Main Street.

Before I close I have to say a word about the loft apartments in the Hathaway. There are 67 of them and they are beyond beautiful and unlike anything you've seen unless you frequent major metropolitan areas. There are loft studios, 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom and 3 bedroom versions with outstanding views at monthly rents from $630 to $1850 including heat and the convenience of never having to shovel snow. Some people living in the building will have the luxury on a frigid January day of taking the stairs to work; in their fuzzy slippers if they so choose. You must see these apartments. When they step inside people invariably ask "can I buy it?" By the rules of the tax credits under which we did the renovation, they must remain as apartments, not for-sale condos, for seven years. After that residents will have a right of first refusal if a sale happens.

So lots of exciting things are in store for the Hathaway, for Waterville and for Central Maine. Thank you for your help in spreading the word about what a gem we have here. With your help we can beat a cogent path to real economic development that capitalizes on our collective strengths as a people, as a city and as a region. And, in the process, maybe have a little fun too.

I'd be pleased to take questions. Thanks.

Ally then presented Paul with a Four Way Test Key Chain as a token of our appreciation. The next meeting will be on Monday, May 18 at the Alfond Youth Center.