Loring Commerce Center

Loring Commerce Center

1970 aerial photograph of Loring Air Force Base
IATA: none – ICAO: ME16
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner		Loring Development Authority
Location		Limestone, Maine
In use		1990s-Present
Elevation AMSL		745 ft / 227 m
Website		http://loring.org/
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
Direction	ft	m	Surface
1/19	12,101	3,688	Asphalt/Concrete
Source: http://www.airnav.com/airport/ME16

The Loring Commerce Center is a industrial and aviation park that is home to over 20 employers with more than 1,300 employees. It was developed from the former Loring Air Force Base which was closed in 1994

It consists of over 3,800 acres (15 km²) of fully serviced commercial, industrial and aviation development sites in addition to numerous existing modern and practical buildings in a spacious, campus-like setting.

Loring Commerce Center is located in Limestone, Aroostook County, Maine.

Overview

Users of the facility include:

DFAS Limestone, a major component of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service office (BRAC 2005 consolidated 26 offices into 5 and this was one of the consolidation points
Maine Military Authority, refurbishes High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV’s) for the US Army and Marine Corps

Civilian users of the facility include:

US Dept. of Labor's Loring Job Corps Center
U.S. Fish & Wildlife National Wildlife Refuge (administering 4,700 acres (19 km²) of the base property)
Bigelow Aerospace
HB Specialty Foods, Inc. - Hydroblend
Kevric Farms
Limestone Country Club
Pines Loring Health Center
MacDonald Enterprises
RLW Property Management
S.W. Collins Company
SITEL Corporation
SAIC: Science Applications International Corporation
URS Corporation
Graphic Utilities Inc.
Loring Bio-Energy
Maineexpo
Maine Public Service Company
Stantec
Northern Maine Paving, Inc.
Northern Girl, LLC
Altaeros Energies
Russetto's Restaurant

The airfield at Loring Commerce Center was used by the popular jam-band Phish, to hold its massive festival concerts, "The Great Went" in 1997, the Lemonwheel in 1998 and "It" in 2003. Estimated attendance was 65,000 concert-goers and Phish was the only band. Fans camped on-site in tents, creating a community of fans that became the second largest city in Maine during both events.

In recent years Loring's runway have been home to speed venues such as: Loring Timing Association, Cumberland Motor Club and National Speed Shootout. In Summer of 2011 Bill Warner of Wimauma, Fla., driving a turbocharged Suzuki motorcycle set a new world record of reaching 311.945 miles per hour.

Full Time Fire Protection on site by Aroostook Fire Protection District 1, a regional fire district made up of Fort Fairfield & Limestone Fire Departments. Loring Fire Station, which is formerly known as the Structural Fire Station is manned 24-7 by Career Firefighters.

External links