SPOTLIGHT: Somerset Grist Mill and Maine Grains

Cross-Sector Partnerships
Written By Toolkit Team

Two Skowhegan, Maine residents partnered to turn a county jail into a gristmill that boosts the grain economy and transformed a deteriorated property.

Facing the vacancy of an historic 14,000 square foot Victorian jailhouse in their downtown, and the lack of gristmills which once serviced a robust grain economy in central Maine, Amber Lambke and Michael Scholz partnered to buy the building for $65,000 in 2009, and formed the Somerset Grist Mill. The former county jail transforms a blighted part of downtown Skowhegan into a thriving food hub and community gathering place.

Maine Grains, which opened in 2012, housed in the Somerset Grist Mill, works to fulfill a mission to provide a strong, positive community impact by creating jobs, improve land utilization, focus on a holistic food chain, reap the rewards of fresh food to our health and happiness and serve as a successful model of local economic growth.

Time Frame: 5 years

  • Cost Range: ranges

  • Key Words: Cross-Sector Partnerships,

Toolkit Team
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