Much has been written regarding Nestle’s efforts to secure an agreement with the Rumford Water District to extract millions of gallons of water.
Most speaking in favor of this agreement either work for Nestle or would benefit greatly from it. Both Hartt Transportation and RC Moore haul Nestle water. Cianbro is the construction company that built the Hollis and Kingfield plants.
Jeffrey Castonguay, president of Hartt Transportation, wrote of Nestle (Poland Spring) as a “job creator” (letter, Jan. 20). Not so for the town of Hollis. In 1999, Nestle projected 150 new jobs for the town. As of December 2016, only 25 Hollis residents are employed at the plant — the largest bottling plant in North America. In fact, the total number of jobs in Maine has not increased since 2009.
David Wilson, executive vice president of RC Moore Inc., also wrote of Nestle as a “job creator” (letter, Jan. 21). Interesting. Nestle withdraws millions of gallons of water from two pumping stations in Fryeburg, yet the town only gained one part-time job.
Peter Vigue, chairman and CEO of Cianbro, referred to Nestle as a “homegrown success story” (guest column, Oct. 9, 2016). In 1992, in a corporate takeover, Nestle gained control of Perrier, the company that had owned the Poland Spring brand since 1980. Poland Spring may go back 170 years, but Nestle’s ownership does not. Poland Spring was a Maine company. Nestle is not. Nestle is a Swiss-owned corporation and is registered as such with the state of Maine.
Nancy Conway and Vera Littlefield, Hollis
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