12 Maine towns and organizations awarded $5M for economic development

Central and northern Maine towns and nonprofits will receive a total of nearly $5 million for infrastructure upgrades and economic development through this year’s Northern Border Regional Commission grant program.

The NBRC’s State Economic and Infrastructure Development Investment Program awarded $4,855,281 in grants to 12 Maine organizations and similar amounts to organizations in New Hampshire, Vermont and New York.

The Maine funding, announced Monday, will go to the following.

Axiom Education & Training Center in Machias will receive $150,000 to support digital literacy skills learning for approximately 10,000 adult learners throughout Maine.
Limestone’s Loring Development Authority will receive $500,000 to replace 20,000 feet of aging sewer pipes and manholes, resolving overflows of untreated wastewater.
Frenchville will upgrade and replace parts of its existing water pump station with the $758,000 it receives.
Hermon will receive $50,000 to modernize its pump station and increase wastewater capacity for both existing and new industrial properties.
Eastern Maine Development Corp. will receive $350,000 to provide technical assistance for climate resiliency planning, growth strategies for second stage businesses and access to capital.
Pittsfield will use its $245,000 to reconstruct 4,100 feet of its sidewalk, replace an electrical control and add broadband fiber to improve its downtown.
The Greater Augusta Utility District will get $1 million to replace a utility crossing of the Kennebec River, provide water system looping resiliency with additional piping, and increase the fiber optic system reliability with new fiber cable.
Vinalhaven will construct and improve infrastructure along its Main Street with its $1 million in funding.
Guilford will receive $280,000 to enhance existing green space and improve sidewalks, walking paths, and signage to develop a walkable downtown. The funding will also be used to create a downtown Wi-Fi network for residents.
Millinocket will create a new terminal for the town's municipal airport with a $203,439 award.
Danforth will receive $229,000 to help increase the downtown’s economic development capacity, expand entrepreneurial opportunities and support ecological restoration.
The Western Foothills Land Trust will receive $89,842 to improve access to biking and Nordic ski trails, warming huts and equipment at Roberts Farm Preserve in Norway. The funding will also be used to create 72 parking spaces with four electric vehicle chargers for its outdoor farmers markets and events space.

“The Northern Border Regional Commission serves as a critical resource for northern and central Maine, making investments to help increase job growth and boost local economies,” U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Angus King, I-Maine, said in a joint statement Monday. “We welcome this investment, which will support important economic development projects, create and sustain quality jobs, and help grow Maine’s rural economy.”

The Northern Border Regional Commission, founded in 2008 and based in Concord, N.H., is a federal-state partnership for economic and community development in northern Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York.

Each year, the NBRC provides federal funds for economic and community development projects throughout the northeast, including the Maine counties of Androscoggin, Aroostook, Franklin, Hancock, Kennebec, Knox, Oxford, Penobscot, Piscataquis, Somerset, Waldo and Washington. The grants can go to state and local governments, Indian tribes or nonprofits.