[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 47 (Friday, April 24, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3591-S3592]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. COLLINS (for herself and Ms. Snowe):
  S. 1988. A bill to provide for the release of interests of the United 
States in certain real property located in Augusta, Maine; to the 
Committee on Armed Services.


                      kennebec arsenal legislation

  Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, along with my colleague, the senior 
Senator from Maine, I am pleased today to introduce legislation that 
would bring about the release of certain interests of the United States 
in property that the Federal Government conveyed to the State of Maine 
more than 90 years ago. The property in question, which is situated on 
a bluff overlooking the Kennebec River in Augusta, Maine, is known as 
the Kennebec Arsenal.
  In 1905, the Secretary of the Army, acting pursuant to a 
Congressional mandate, executed a deed transferring the property to 
Maine. That conveyance was subject to the conditions that the property 
be used for what was then called the Maine Insane Hospital and that the 
United States could take possession should the President determine that 
the country had a need for it. In

[[Page S3592]]

1980, Congress provided that the first condition be broadened to allow 
the property to be used for any public purpose. Today, I seek to 
complete the transfer process through legislation that would 
effectively eliminate the conditions attached to the conveyance.
  Mr. President, the property is no longer needed for it former 
purposes, and my bill would set in motion a chain of events that would 
allow for new uses that would benefit not only the City of Augusta and 
the State of Maine but our entire country. With the exception of the 
Kennebec Arsenal, virtually all of the great arsenals of the nineteenth 
century have been demolished or so completely altered that their 
original appearance has been lost. The new uses contemplated by Maine 
would raise money needed for repairs that would maintain what historic 
preservation experts have described as the most perfectly intact of the 
nineteenth century arsenals.
  To be more specific, the State of Maine and City of Augusta plan to 
form a nonprofit corporation to oversee the property. That corporation 
would seek out private parties interested in using the land and 
buildings for such purposes as a marina, a museum, and a restaurant. 
Those parties would provide the capital for infrastructure development 
that would likely include sidewalks, streets, water, sewer and other 
utility service, and landscaping. In addition, the Arsenal's retaining 
wall needs repair, and a marina cannot be established without 
substantial dredging of the river.
  The objective of my bill is to open the way for these improvements 
and new uses by eliminating any reversionary interests of the United 
States. The existence of such interests is a barrier to the private 
sector making the long-term commitments required to fund the 
improvements. In other words, Maine needs clear title for this plan to 
go forward.
  Mr. President, the Kennebec Arsenal occupies an important place in 
the history of Maine and the nation. It was established in 1827 to deal 
with the threat of invasion from Great Britain, either from across the 
sea or from Canada to the north. The possibility of such an invasion 
was seen as a major threat to American security during the first half 
of the nineteenth century.
  Much of the tension with the British stemmed from our disputed border 
with Canada, and in the late 1830's that dispute nearly blossomed into 
a full-scale war. While the so-called bloodless Aroostook War proved to 
be more talk than action, it caused a flurry of activity at the 
Kennebec Arsenal, with newly fabricated munitions sent there in 
anticipation of full-scale fighting. Fortunately, cooler heads and the 
arrival of the spring planting season brought the parties to the 
negotiating table.
  During the Mexican War, rockets and fixed ammunition were 
manufactured at the Arsenal and shipped to the front. During the Civil 
War, the post became an important depot of military stores. Indeed, a 
fear that Confederate guerrillas based in Canada would seek to burn the 
Arsenal led to the stationing of extra guards there, but despite the 
approach late one dark night of an unidentified boat, nothing came of 
this concern. During the latter half of the century, the Arsenal's 
importance declined, and in 1901, the Army posted an order for its 
abandonment. That process culminated in the legislation signed by 
President Theodore Roosevelt providing for the transfer of the property 
to the State for use as a hospital to serve the mentally ill.
  Mr. President, I have offered this greatly abbreviated history of the 
Kennebec Arsenal to demonstrate the value of finding uses for the 
property that will guarantee its permanent preservation. That is the 
goal of the State of Maine and the City of Augusta, and this 
legislation will remove an anachronistic obstacle to the realization of 
that goal.
  I thank you, Mr. President, and I hope to have your support for this 
very important legislation when it comes before the Committee on Armed 
Services.

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