This week, the Buzz is unconventional, recyclable and definitely not speeding.
Fair warning: Mermaids ahead.
First up, big lease news.
eWaste Maine, an electronics recycling company, is consolidating operations and growing, moving from two buildings in Auburn and one in Gardiner to 75 Westminster St. in Lewiston, the former home of L.L.Bean.
The lease for the 94,952-square-foot space was brokered by Craig Young at CBRE/The Boulos Co.
eWaste will move into the the second floor of the building in April and the first floor at the end of November, when Modula, the Italian-based, high-tech storage company, moves out.
eWaste owner Rick Dumas said the time was right for the company, which will grow square footage by 30 percent.
eWaste recycles nearly 10 million pounds of electronics a year, and the company’s going to try to keep processing during the move.
“My operations manager says this is the proverbial ‘heart surgery on the jogger while he’s jogging,'” Dumas said. “The real key is to transition it in a way to minimize any downtime and keep the line running.”
Dumas has 28 employees and expects to grow that number, too, after the move.
Go 2017!
The numbers are in and 2017 was a good year to pick up a hammer in the Twin Cities.
It turns out Lewiston issued 630 building permits last year (that’s commercial, residential, new construction and remodels), according to the City Administrator’s Report this week.
In 2016, it had issued 608 permits, in 2015, 552, and in 2014, 546.
Over in Auburn, that city issued 345 building permits in 2017.
In 2016, it had issued 354, in 2015, 287, and in 2014, 277, according to Auburn’s economic and community development office.
Here’s to seeing what 2018 can bring.
Ugh! But my meter just ran out …
That same City Administrator’s Report also included year-end counts of the Lewiston Police Department’s service calls, which are too interesting not to share.
Among the highlights from 2017:
• 7,409 parking tickets issued
• 120 fireworks violations
• 7,185 vehicle stops
• 755 citations (along with 5,148 verbal warnings and 1,282 written warnings)
Feels like the odds of getting a ticket after a stop are around 10 percent, but that’s just me doing some quick math.
And while we’re here talking around the watercooler
After delighting co-workers with the number of parking tickets written in Lewiston last year, lay this on them:
Next week, Lewiston Public Library’s making mermaid poop.
It’s the brainchild of library technician Mary Randall and third in her poop series. (The first two involved unicorns and fairies, naturally.)
The event Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 4 p.m. is a way to get kids to stretch their science, technology, engineering and mathematics muscles without realizing it as they measure and mix liquid starch, glue and shaving cream to just the right slime — or fictional poo — consistency.
“(Last summer) I noticed a lot of kids were checking out things about unicorns, it’s a hot topic right now, so I thought what better way to combine my two favorite things, unicorns and messy STEM programming,” Randall said. “We had a huge turnout. It’s a really fun way to get kids in the door, get them messy, and in the library, to create programming that people wouldn’t normally think a library would host.”
Call 207-513-3133 to reserve your spot, no poop.
Quick hits about business comings, goings and happenings. Have a Buzz-worthy tip? Contact staff writer Kathryn Skelton at 689-2844 or kskelton@sunjournal.com.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
