Several Aroostook County Businesses Earn Grant Awards

The Maine Department of Economic and Community Development is announcing that a total of 14 municipalities from Fort Kent to Sanford have been awarded funding under the Community Development Block Grant Program administered by the Office of Community Development within DECD.

The latest round includes funding from the following grant programs: Economic Development, Workforce Development, Micro-Enterprise Assistance, and Downtown Revitalization.

The Economic Development Program provides communities with gap funding to assist identified businesses in the creation and/or retention of jobs for low and moderate income people. The $2,700,000 allocated for 2014 is administered by DECD as part of the federally funded Community Development Block Grant Program. Communities and businesses in Aroostook County that are benefiting from this round of awards are as follows:

• Madawaska - Evergreen Manufacturing Group - $150,000 for additional manufacturing and warehouse space; creating 5 jobs.

• Madawaska - Gateway Hospitality - $150,000 for refurbishment of former Gateway Motel to transitional living facility; creating 5 jobs.

• New Canada - Hebert Construction - $90,000 for expansion of existing business in to expand manufacturing capability; creating 3 jobs.

• Fort Kent - $150,000 for facade improvements to downtown buildings recovering from previous flood damage; matched by $50,000 from building owners.

• Frenchville - $150,000 for micro-enterprise grants to a potential 12 micro-enterprise businesses for new heating system, replacement freezers, dog grooming station, air conditioning, etc.; matched by $63,927 from participating business owners.