Five Maine Communities Create New Jobs Through a New Economic Development Program

A new economic development program aims at providing communities with gap funding to assist certain businesses in creating new jobs and retaining old ones. Find out which communities are participating.

"These awards have a direct impact on jobs and new revenue benefiting not only these particular communities but the entire state," said Commissioner Gervais. "We'll be assessing the full results for 2012 very soon."

The funds are allocated by the federally funded program ‘Community Development Block Grant Program.’ People with low to moderate income are directly affected by the programs.

"These funds are instrumental to the continued expansion of the yard," said Front Street Shipyard President JB Turner. "Without this money we would have been stopped dead in our tracks and unable to hire 10 new people," continued Turner.

Currently five Maine communities are participating: Lincoln - LMJ Enterprises, LLC $200,000 for increased production, retaining 8 jobs. • Belfast - Front Street Shipyard $200,000 for a 30 ton capacity crane; heated spray booth and upgraded dock, creating 10 new jobs. • Fort Kent - Riverview Homes, Inc. $90,000 for expansion of workshop facility, 3 new jobs. • Winslow - Orion Ropeworks, LLC $115,000 for municipal owned infrastructure improvements, creating 4 new jobs. • Hartland - Tasman Leather Group, LLC $200,000 for new steam generators and increased production, creating 7 new jobs.’

Do you live in one of the five communities?