Poland Spring Begins Construction of $2.1 Million East Fryeburg Spring Water Station

Investment will help create and maintain jobs in Maine.

EAST FRYEBURG, Maine, May 4 /PRNewswire/ — Poland Spring today announced that construction was commencing on its $2.1 million spring water station in East Fryeburg. The station is situated on a parcel of land set back from Route 302 and will add 55 acres to create 750 acres of publicly accessible land when construction is completed. The project represents the company’s ongoing commitment to investing in the people and economy of Maine and the Lake Region.

“This project represents a significant investment in the local economy and will help create and maintain jobs during tough economic times. We expect to award 90% of all construction contracts to Maine companies from the immediate area and throughout the state,” said Mark Dubois, Poland Spring’s Natural Resource Manager.

The station will be constructed over a period of 4-6 months. The facility enables spring water to travel via underground pipeline from a source in Denmark, Maine and then be shipped to Poland Spring’s bottling facilities. The project will generate annual tax revenue for the town of Fryeburg and the company is exploring creative new ways to partner with the local community.

“Fryeburg really needs new businesses and you couldn’t ask for a better company than Poland Spring. I hope this project in East Fryeburg leads to further investment here by Poland Spring. I wish they had located a bottling plant here instead of Kingfield and I think they would have if we had opened the door for them,” said Jim Dutton, former Fryeburg selectman.

Poland Spring’s operations provide good jobs with full benefits to almost 800 Maine workers with an annual Maine payroll of $40 million dollars. Additionally, Poland Spring spends $65 million dollars a year with Maine-based companies.

Poland Spring is committed to lasting community partnerships and has spent more than $2.5 million in Maine on charitable causes since 2000. It donates thousands of cases of water to communities when disaster strikes, provides water to local homeless shelters and fire rescue companies, and supports conservation initiatives in the communities where it operates. In Fryeburg, Poland Spring recently made a $35,000 donation of three medical defibrillator units to Fryeburg Rescue to improve area emergency care capability. At the state level, Poland Spring supports the Gulf of Maine Research Institute’s LabVenture bus so that fourth and fifth-grade school children from every community in Maine can travel to Portland and learn about Maine’s water resources.

In 2007 Poland Spring opened a local office in Fryeburg to strengthen communication with the community. The office is staffed every Thursday from 10 to 4. “The opportunity to hear directly from members of the Lake Region community is always productive,” said Dubois. “As we move forward, we are committed to keeping our neighbors and area residents updated about our progress and our ongoing commitment to the region.”

Regular project updates will be posted on the Poland Spring community website at http://fryeburg.polandspringme.com where members of the public can submit their questions or comments.

ABOUT POLAND SPRING: Since 1845, Poland Spring has been using an abundant, renewable resource to make the most popular spring water brand in the Unites States. Today, Poland Spring operates three bottling plants in Poland Spring, Hollis and Kingfield. The Kingfield facility, opened in February of this year, represents a $60 million investment and 40+ new jobs in western Maine. Poland Spring also operates satellite spring sources located in Fryeburg, Poland, Dallas Plantation, Pierce Pond Township and St. Albans. Today Poland Spring:

• Employs 800 Maine people across the state
• Has invested over $439 million in capital in Maine since 1992
• Provides about $40 million to the economy in payroll
• Spends over $65 million directly with Maine vendors
• Has invested over $2.5 million in community giving since 2000 to support schools, fire and rescue, environmental conservation, and many local and statewide causes.

SOURCE Poland Spring