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Fort Kent's major employers dodge the worst of the flooding, but a closed bridge might pose problems for local commerce.

By TUX TURKEL, Staff Writer May 2, 2008

The floodwaters that swamped Fort Kent's riverfront business district will hurt small businesses on Main Street, labor experts said Thursday, but aren't likely to have a lasting effect on the area's major employers.

Businesses and residents were still waiting, however, for the reopening of the International Bridge between Fort Kent and Clair, New Brunswick.

The 78-year-old steel span is an important local route for forest products and residents moving between Maine and Canada. It handles roughly 400 vehicles a day, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The bridge remained closed Thursday, awaiting inspection after the high water level drops. State transportation officials said the bridge might not reopen until Monday.

"The businesses in the flooding zone are going to be extremely impacted," said Craig Holland, an analyst who covers Fort Kent for the Maine Department of Labor. "But given the time of year, the major industry sectors probably won't be as affected."

Forestry operations are scaled back now for mud season, Holland said, and potato planting at local farms hasn't begun. The winter tourism season is over, and summer visitors to the St. John Valley haven't arrived.

And although pumps were reportedly running in buildings at the University of Maine at Fort Kent, the town's largest employer, the campus and other big work sites, including Northern Maine Medical Center and clothing maker Creative Apparel, appear to have dodged the worst of the flooding.

Fort Kent has a work force of roughly 2,100, according to the latest labor statistics. The unemployment rate in March was 7.1 percent, above the state average of 5.8 percent. Employers with more than 50 workers include Daigle & Houghton truck dealers, the Forest Hill nursing home, Paradis Shop 'n Save, Daigle Oil Co. and the public schools.

Some workers also commute to the Fraser Paper mill in Madawaska, roughly 25 miles away.

A busier bridge at Madawaska is the next nearest crossing for the St. John River, usually handling roughly 2,000 vehicles a day. If the Fort Kent crossing were to suffer heavy damage, Holland said, it would cause problems for local commerce.

Alain Ouellette was disappointed Thursday when he was blocked from trying to cross the International Bridge to see family members in New Brunswick. Ouellette, director of planning and development at the Northern Maine Development Commission, grew up in Fort Kent. He said he'd never seen water cresting over the bridge.

Surveying the business district, Ouellette said it was too early to assess the damage. Several retail businesses were closed, including a furniture store, shoe store, an art gallery and three restaurants.

Business leaders plan to meet this weekend to discuss what to do next, he said. The town, which has flooded many times in its history and is coming off one of the snowiest winters on record, is home to people who are used to making the best of a bad situation, Ouellette said.

"Fort Kent," he said, "is famous for making lemonade."

Staff Writer Tux Turkel can be contacted at 791-6462 or

tturkel@pressherald.com