MAINE PUBLIC • April 11, 2025
The fate of the former Androscoggin Mill in Jay is uncertain once again, as the new owner contends with the impact of tariffs. Godfrey Forest Products has started demolition on the site to build a new facility to manufacture oriented strand board — a material similar to plywood, said owner John Godfrey. But he said the facility will require equipment from Europe and electrical components from China — and even domestic machinery is affected by the rising costs from tariffs on steel. And the tariffs could reduce demand for construction materials domestically. "So the tariffs represent a double whammy of raising the cost of building the factory and perhaps diminishing the market's desire for our product," Godfrey said.