Dear all, We hope you are enjoying the late summer weather and that the long weekend was relaxing and rejuvenating. We hope you enjoy our newsletter items this month. |
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MCOG Fall General Assembly Meeting |
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Mark your calendars for November 16th for an all-day event in Thomaston. The meeting will be keynoted by Erik Pages, Entreworks Consulting, and theme of the day will be “The Amenity Trap—how high-amenity communities can avoid being loved to death.” We will have several panels that include topics on housing, infrastructure, climate and natural disasters, and more. Lunch will be provided. We will send more information over the next few weeks, so stay tuned! |
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The Midcoast Economic Development Committee began monthly meetings this summer. The purpose is to incorporate the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) with a holistic view of the Midcoast region, including the state of housing, transportation, and the economy. The process is being kicked off by a series of story maps that will focus on demographics, housing, and employment/the economy. We will keep you all in the loop on this process as it progresses. |
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New planner—Welcome Dan DeBord!MCOG is pleased to introduce Dan, our new planner. In his position with MCOG, Dan covers a variety of planning topics, including transportation infrastructure, broadband planning, land use planning guidance, and sustainability and resiliency planning. Dan comes to Maine as a born and raised Virginian from the mountains of Southwest Virginia. Following graduation from the University of Virginia in 2018 with degrees in economics and history, he moved to Monhegan Island to take a job as an Island Institute Municipal Capacity Building Island Fellow there from 2018-2020. Since 2020, he has called Frenchboro (Outer Long Island) his home, working there first as a commercial fisherman and more recently in a municipal administration and grant coordination position. After 5 years of Maine outer island living, Dan is excited to return to the Midcoast region both for the variety of project experience opportunities this position offers and to no longer have to take a ferry to go grocery shopping. |
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COMPREHENSIVE PLAN WORKSHOP HOSTED BY HCPCOn September 20th at 6pm, our neighbors at the Hancock County Planning Commission will host a workshop covering Comprehensive Plan. This workshop will cover all stages and have special guests to answer any questions you may have about the process. The workshop will be hosted in Ellsworth; however, a Zoom link is available for interested MCOG members. Please email Averi Varney at avarney@hcpcme.org for a zoom link and any more details. SUBDIVISION WORKSHOP WITH LCRPC MCOG will be hosting a Subdivision-focused workshop on September 19th with our friends over at Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission. This workshop will run from 1pm to 3pm at the LCRPC office in Wiscasset. The meeting will also be recorded and people are able to attend via Zoom if they are unable to attend remotely by clicking here. Please send an email to mjohnstone@midcoastcog.com if you would like a reminder email. 10-Year State Economic Development Plan and State Workforce and Talent Strategy Listening Session MCOG is partnering with Coastal Counties Workforce, Inc., Maine Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) and State Workforce Board (SWB) to host regional listening sessions this fall to refresh both the 10-Year Economic Development Plan and Comprehensive Workforce and Talent Strategy. The Midcoast listening session will be held on October 3 from 10 am to 12 pm at the Central Lincoln County YMCA, 525 Main Street, Damariscotta. RSVP here
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PLANNING BOARD WORKSHOP WITH HCPC MCOG and Hancock County Planning Commission hosted a joint workshop covering the basics of Planning Board procedures. This material covered information by the Maine Municipal Association. If you have new members who were unable to attend the recent MMA webinar, feel free to refer your Planning Boards to our PowerPoint and recording found online. OCTOBER 24th WORKSHOP While we are finalizing details, MCOG is intending to host a workshop on October 24th to cover potential incentives municipalities can use to encourage development in their areas. We are getting things squared away with our potential guest speaker, but we will have more details for our next newsletter. FORM-BASED DESIGN STANDARDS WORKSHOP WITH RANDALL ARENDT The same week as the Subdivision workshop, MCOG will also have special guest Randall Arendt providing a workshop to cover Form-Based Design Standards. This workshop will be hosted by the City of Bath at 1pm on September 21st. Like the Subdivision workshop, this meeting will also be recorded and can be accessed via Zoom by clicking here. Please send an email to mjohnstone@midcoastcog.com if you would like a reminder email. This workshop is highly recommended for interested planners and/or planning board members that are looking for fresh looks into their zoning. |
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At the General Assembly Meeting in June, MCOG overwhelming supported an increase in dues from $1.25 to 1.50 per capita. The purpose of the increase was to increase the amount of funding MCOG has on hand to match Federal and state grants. For example, in the previous year, almost 80% of MCOG’s dues was used to match federal and state grants to bring services to our member communities. This left little funding left to match additional federal programs that could be accessed to assist our member communities and subregions. More importantly, it left little funding left to provide direct technical assistance through MCOG dues structure. Every MCOG community is entitled to 16 hours of free service that is generally paid for through dues. This increase to $1.50 per capita will take effect in FY25 and will impact the 2024 budget season. |
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$240 Million Available for Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience: NOAA is seeking proposals for transformational projects that will restore coastal habitat and strengthen community resilience under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. Please see the Notice of Funding Opportunity If you are interested in putting together a proposal and need assistance, please contact Meg Rasmussen, Sustainability Planner at mrasmussen@midcoastcog.com |
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The Board of Directors has approved the appointment of two new loan committee members, Adrianna DeRice Vargo, Smith Law, P.A., Brunswick, and Doug Erickson, SVN Masiello Group, Thomaston. The new members will bring legal and commercial real estate expertise to loan committee deliberations and decision-making. Staff are reaching out to additional candidates in Lincoln and Knox Counties. In addition to any new loan applications they may consider, the loan committee will convene this fall for the following purposes: to discuss organizational and strategy issues and to meet with local bankers to facilitate MCOG loan deal flow. |
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Quiz:Quick! What are the 5 steps to climate resilience? |
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You’d be right if you answered, Understand Exposure Assess Vulnerability and Risk Investigate Options Prioritize and Plan Take Action
The US Climate Resilience Toolkit offers a clear, step-by-step framework for addressing climate risks. For more information about hazard assessments, planning, implementation, and evaluation, please see the Maine Community Resilience Workbook (Charlotte, can you please include the link to MCOG's webpage where Adi put this?)- a practical guide for anyone seeking ways to tackle climate change within their community. Whether you're initiating new climate action plans or searching for funding to support your community's resilience goals, this handbook offers a wide array of expert recommendations with user-friendly links to valuable resources. |
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Know someone who may be interested in this newsletter? | | |
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Thanks for reading! The MCOG Team Mathew Eddy, Brian Dancause, Max Johnstone, Adi Philson, Dan DeBord, and Charlotte Nutt |
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