Abandoned Madawaska Main Street shopping center to become health care facility

MADAWASKA, Maine — A new health care center for Fish River Rural Health is coming to the abandoned Mid-Town Shopping Center on Main Street in Madawaska. The town, which acquired the land through a charitable donation when the previous landlords left, will donate the land to Fish River for the new center.

Madawaska Board of Selectmen voted unanimously on June 23 to approve a memorandum of understanding with Fish River for the project to move forward, which is jointly part of a planned expansion for Fish River and Madawaska’s ongoing downtown revitalization efforts. The project does not include the  abandoned Kmart in the same lot, which is owned by Seritage Growth Properties, and not the town.

The new facility will relocate and more than double the size of Fish River’s current 13-person operation in town. CEO Heather Pelletier said she’s prepared to hire 14 new staff members out of the gate, including an additional counselor, dental hygienist and potentially add a new chiropractics program. The facility would expand the number of treatment rooms, increasing Fish River’s day-to-day capacity for care.