CARIBOU, Maine – Fort Fairfield native Jonathan Helstrom is taking the lead at Caribou Utilities District.
Helstrom, who most recently managed the Fort Fairfield Utilities District, assumed his new role on Sept. 1 following the departure of former Caribou Utilities manager Hugh Kirkpatrick in June.
Helstrom joined Fort Fairfield Utilities District in 2006 as a lab operator and wastewater technician. He worked as general manager for over seven of his 18 years there before joining Caribou. In 2019, he earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
Helstrom said that in Caribou he’s looking forward to managing a larger operations system and getting to know the district’s needs.
“Although our systems are in good shape [in Caribou], we’ll be doing some preventative maintenance work,” Helstrom said.
In Fort Fairfield, Helstrom’s most ambitious project involved overseeing construction of a new wastewater treatment facility, now on North Caribou Road, which cost $12.5 million and was mostly funded through state and federal grants.
Helstrom said he wants to use those experiences to help Caribou’s district when major upgrades become necessary.
“I’ve developed a knack for finding grant opportunities. I always say that I never like to pay the full price on anything. There are always ways we can get to offset rates for our users,” Helstrom said.
In Caribou, one of the city’s larger projects will involve expanding sewer lines farther down South Main Street to benefit Chadwick-BaRoss, which wants to enlarge their current parts and service repair building. Helstrom plans to have more conversations with city leaders about the district’s role, he said.
Though Caribou Utilities District’s charter now allows for broadband services, Helstrom said he does not currently plan to explore building a broadband network within the city. In recent years, that proposal lost steam after the district did not obtain major grants.
“I don’t foresee that being a viable option right now,” Helstrom said. “I really want to focus on our core mission to provide safe and affordable drinking water and safe sewer discharge.”
Helstrom’s past experiences within utility management stood out from the beginning, said Caribou Utilities District Board of Trustees chairperson Gary Aiken.
“We’re very confident that he’ll be capable of running our operations and he’s certainly got leadership skills,” Aiken said. “Before he was hired, he talked with all our employees, and they had nothing but good things to say.”
Helstrom lives in Fort Fairfield with his wife Christine, an occupational therapist and rehab department manager at Cary Medical Center; and their two sons.
