Prior to 1941, the Formerly Used Defense site (FUDS) and the surrounding area were an undeveloped portion of the Presque Isle Air Force Base (AFB). In 1941, the Department of Defense (DoD) obtained the property and constructed the dry-cleaning building on the west side of Central Drive in July 1961. The Laundry Annex, as it was known, operated as a laundry facility and serviced 17,000 Air Force personnel and dependents. In 1974, these properties were considered excess/surplus and were transferred to the state of Maine and city of Presque Isle. Transfer of the property was subject to restricting the future use of the property for public airport purposes.  Therefore, the property cannot be used, leased, sold, salvaged, or disposed for anything other than airport related purposes without written consent of the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The land use is further restricted by Municipal Zoning Ordinance (zone Light Industrial). The site has been owned by the city of Presque Isle and managed as a vacant lot by the Presque Isle Industrial Council since November 25, 1974. 

As the dry-cleaning facility for the Laundry Annex. The site formerly contained a 100-gallon heating fuel oil underground storage tank (UST) located near the eastern corner of the former building. The building was demolished in the early 1980s, and a 100-gallon UST, registered under Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), was removed on August 3, 1994, from beneath the foundation slab. Sampling and analyses of the UST contents detected concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The foundation slab remained through 1998, when it was removed and replaced with fill and topsoil.

Several investigations were conducted at the site between 1996 and 2017, to assess the presence of chemicals related to historical site uses and characterize the nature and extent of identified contaminants.  These investigations are summarized in the Remedial Investigation Report (dated January 2023).

The outcome of the investigations has resulted in a “No Further Action” determination at the site, as identified in the project Proposed Plan. USACE will hold a public comment period during which your questions or comments on the Proposed Plan of No Further Action may be submitted to USACE prior to final remedy selection.