Remediation at Millinocket’s lagoons stalled after subcontractor seeks $2M change order

Project lead Steve Sanders told the meeting that the lagoon remediation mobilized in late 2024 and advanced through spring 2025 but stalled when a subcontractor informed the prime contractor it had reached its procurement limit and was seeking a $2,000,000 change order. “We got about 0.875 of the way done… and that contractor came to us and said, we’ve reached our contracted amount of amendment and we need a $2,000,000 change order to move forward,” Sanders said.

Sanders said the prime contractor had a lump‑sum contract with the project and that subcontract procurement practices created the problem; negotiations between the redevelopment group and the prime have been ongoing since October. He also said the subcontractor placed a mechanics lien that had not been prosecuted and that the project team believed the lien was unenforceable. Organizers said they have a strong contract and expected to resolve the dispute without litigation, though timelines have been delayed and work paused. Remaining remediation work is modest enough that presenters said it could be folded into the early construction phase of the salmon project if settlement and capital raising proceed.