With one tenant in place, the BugTussle Brooder at the former Fieldcrest Manor hopes to add two to three more by the end of the year. (Alexander Violo photo)
BugTussle Brooder, the small-business development space at the site of the former Fieldcrest Manor Nursing Home in Waldoboro, has added its first tenant and is looking for more small businesses to set up shop in the repurposed space.
Seth Hall, of Waldoboro, and his daughter, Jerusha, purchased the 126 Depot St. property from LincolnHealth in August 2016 through the company S and J Llama LLC. Their intent is to convert the property into a space for small businesses and startups.
The first business, Medomak Woodworking LLC, has moved into the location and is up and running. (See “Medomak Woodworking becomes first tenant of former Fieldcrest Manor” in this edition.)
Hall said the plan is to find more tenants, noting there are a couple of interested parties, and to continue doing electrical work at the facility.
“We will be undertaking a marketing plan as part of our ongoing work,” Hall said.
Hall said one idea was to use a portion of the building as a fiber arts center with classroom and studio space, due to the popularity of fiber arts in the Midcoast.
He said the portion of the building dating to the 1960s has smaller rooms perfectly suited for studio space. The rear portion of the building, where Medomak Woodworking has moved in, has higher ceilings and more space, and is better suited to activities with more of an industrial emphasis.
Hall said his company hasn’t begun advertising yet, but the hope is to get the word out and add more tenants.
“Our goal is to add two to three additional businesses by the end of the year,” Hall said.
Hall said the building encompasses 20,600 square feet of usable space located on a property totaling 13.5 acres.
Hall said in addition to utilizing the interior space at the brooder, the hope is to continue using the area around the property for agriculture. Spear Farms Inc., of Nobleboro, currently farms the property, and Hall has spoken with the business about the possibility of switching to a completely organic harvest on the site.
“We see a lot of value added in a locally produced, organic product,” Hall said.
Hall said ultimately the goal is to have the facility powered by solar, by adding a solar array to an adjacent field.
“It’s perfectly situated for a large solar array, possibly 100 kilowatts,” Hall said.
Hall said he is most excited about the chance to bring employment opportunities to Waldoboro.
“We got a really great thing here and hope to do more,” Hall said.
