Feds award $2.9M for infrastructure upgrades in 3 Maine counties

Collins photo Courtesy / MEDILL DC, FLICKR; King photo Courtesy / U.S. Naval War College, FLICKR U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Angus King, I-Maine, announced the federal government has awarded a total of $2.9 million in grants to support eight infrastructure improvement projects in the counties of Aroostook, Knox and Somerset.

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By Staff

The federal government has awarded a total of $2.9 million in grants to support eight infrastructure improvement projects in the counties of Aroostook, Knox and Somerset.

The awards, ranging from $250,000 to $500,000, were made by the Northern Border Regional Commission, a federal-state program that provides funds for economic and community development in rural areas of Maine, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont.

“The Northern Border Regional Commission’s continued support for rural Maine is welcome news for people across our state,” U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Angus King, I-Maine, said in a news release announcing the awards. “These investments will strengthen our communities, bolster local economies and improve the quality of life for rural Maine people.”

The grant recipients are:

Madison Electric Works, which will receive $310,000 to expand the Town of Madison’s industrial park, expected to include a new natural gas pipe, water treatment system and electrical transformers, and 200 feet of new sewer and water lines.
Mapleton Sewer District, $340,000 to extend a sewer line across Route 163 in Mapleton, creating six new jobs.
Presque Isle Utilities District, $500,000 to construct a pumping station and make sewer system upgrades.
Southern Aroostook Development Corp., $250,000 to construct and equip a 12,000-square-foot industrial facility, creating 10 jobs and supplying mouse food formulas for The Jackson Laboratory.
Town of Hartland, $500,000 to upgrade an existing wastewater treatment facility.
Town of Rockport, $250,000 to expand the public sewer.
Town of Thomaston, $250,000 to finish the final phase of the Thomaston Business Block Redevelopment Project, expected to create 41 jobs and contribute $1.15 million in new economic activity.
Town of Washburn, $500,000 to add 3,600 feet of water main piping for wastewater handling.

In Maine, 12 counties are eligible for NBRC economic and infrastructure grants, which have a maximum of $500,000 and must be matched with non-federal funds equaling at least 20% of the amount.

Over the previous eight years, the NBRC made 34 awards in Maine, totaling $8 million. In 2017, eight projects received a total of $2.2 million in NBRC grants.