Grant

July 25 - 29, 2016

$1.595 million in Economic Adjustment assistance to Central Maine Community College, Auburn, Maine, to expand Central Maine Community College’s Precision Machining Technology Laboratory to accommodate students and businesses’ increasing demand for employee training, product development, and access to specialized equipment not available within their workplaces. With more than 300 paper mill layoffs within the region over the past two years, this investment provides critical opportunities for new and displaced workers to develop skills leading to high quality jobs. This investment is part of a $3.19 million project.
$1.4 million in Economic Adjustment assistance to the Weslaco Economic Development Corporation, Weslaco, Texas, to support the creation of a center within a building currently owned by the City of Weslaco. The center will provide start-up businesses with incubator space, a “know-how” network to address tenants’ needs for partnerships, suppliers, and potential sources of capital, and offer students training, entrepreneurship related courses, and technical and financial support. This investment is part of a $2,386,326 project that the grantee estimates will help create 55 jobs.
$1,243,004 in Public Works funds to City of Bangor, Maine, to support the further expansion of C&L Aerospace, which is engaged in the business of totally refurbishing commercial turboprop and jet aircraft, and supplying parts and repair services to certain models of aircraft worldwide. The project will assist in the construction of an aircraft paint facility in a former military hangar and two attached operations and storage buildings, refurbishing of the aircraft access doors of three hangars already in use, resurfacing of four hangar floors, and installation of upgraded electrical and fire suppression systems. This investment is part of a $2,486,008 project that the grantee estimates will create 50 high-skill, high-wage jobs and leverage $1 million in private investment.
$711,600 in Economic Adjustment assistance to the Maine Development Foundation, Augusta, Maine, to assist with the recovery and revitalization of Maine’s forest products and economy by identifying industry, public and non-profit stakeholders and providing research and data assessments. The project will support, coordinate and track long-term economic recovery efforts that result from findings and recommendations made by the August, 2016 Maine Forest Economy Economic Development Assessment Team (EDAT). This investment is part of a $906,872 project.
$513,930 in Economic Adjustment assistance to the Environmental Health Strategy Center, Portland, Maine, to support diversifying Maine’s forest-based economy by creating a road map to advance bio-based manufacturing, marketing bio-based assets to investors in new technologies and processes, and providing manufacturers with technical assistance to implement new bio-based technology. Promoting the manufacture of bio-based chemicals and advanced materials from renewable biomass will enhance Maine’s competitiveness in the global bio-based industry. This investment is part of an $856,549 project.
$509,810 in Public Works funds to the City of San Juan Economic Development Corporation and Hidalgo County, San Juan, Texas, to fund critical road and sewer infrastructure and a lift station to support development of a project site in San Juan. The new and improved infrastructure will enhance the marketability of the region and its assets by enabling existing companies to expand while attracting new industrial development. This investment is part of a $728,300 project that the grantees estimate will create 78 jobs and leverage $5 million in private investment.
$345,000 in Public Works funds to the Bangor Target Area Development Corporation, Orono, Maine, to construct interior upgrades within the Target Technology Center to create wet laboratory and supporting office space necessary to accommodate the research and development operations of the Twin Rivers Paper Company and expansion of the Cerahelix Corp. This project addresses the need for the development of new, globally-competitive forest products in order to be competitive in the severely tightening pulp and paper industry. This investment is part of a $690,000 project that the grantee estimates will create 5 jobs, save 534 jobs, and leverage $3.5 million in private investment.