MCOG Monthly Newsletter

Fishing and aquaculture are big business in the Midcoast. Recently, MCOG took a close look at the challenges and opportunities facing one small town, St. George, as these industries evolved. The study aimed to understand its marine community, the economic benefits it brings, and its vulnerability to changes in economies and climate. The goal was to show how a decline or shift in the marine industry could affect vulnerable populations in St. George. The study also suggested areas for investment in new opportunities, especially as the fishing industry aims to diversify and reduce reliance on just one product, like lobster. This study provides a valuable toolkit for St. George, and others like it, to invest in the future of their working waterfronts.  

If you would like to connect with MCOG on working waterfront issues, please contact Dan DeBord at ddbord@midcoastcog.com 

Here is a link to the report.

In response to the impacts of recent coastal storms, the State is providing grants between $5,000 and $50,000 for projects that help coastal communities increase the long-term resilience of their public waterfront facilities and access locations. Projects involving vulnerability assessments, design of resilient infrastructure, and climate-resilient public access planning will be prioritized. Grants will be awarded in June 2024 for projects with a start date on or before July 1, 2024. Projects must be completed by December 31, 2025. 

Letters of Intent are due by March 29, 2024; final applications, by invitation only, are due May 31, 2024. 

Click here for more information, or reach out to Meg Rasmussen, MCOG’s Community Resilience Planer at mrasmussen@midcoastcog.com 

The deadline for Northern Border Regional Commission Catalyst, Forest Economy Program and Timber for Transit pre-applications has been extended to March 22, 2024. Applications must be submitted using NBRC’s new Grants Management System, which will open March 11. Applicants are encouraged to begin developing pre-application materials outside NBRC’s online system. Guidance is available Here. 

Greater Portland Council of Governments is accepting a second round of Domestic Trade Grant applications until April 11. GPCOG is administering this program on behalf of the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development. Under this program, grants of $10,000 to $250,000, depending upon business size, are available to help develop new markets and increase domestic sales for targeted industries. For more information and to apply, please  

visit https://www.maine.gov/decd/domestic-trade/grants. 

We are still cooperative purchasing with our friends at GPCOG.  

For March, public officials are being asked to submit any estimate needs for paving by March 17. You can submit your estimates by clicking the link here. We also want you all to be aware that contract awards for catch basin cleaning, road striping, heating fuels, and transportation fuels are expected later this month. If you did not put an estimate in, you are still eligible to contact the companies to request the awarded amount.  

We will send out a separate notice when the bids are awarded, and we highly encourage municipality and county officials interested in these bids to contact Max Johnstone (mjohnstone@midcoastcog.com) so they may be included in the email list. For heating and transportation fuels, the awarded bid amounts will only be available for a week, so it is important for your officials involved in this process to contact the vendors as soon as awards are announced. 

Maine Audubon, Androscoggin Valley Soil & Water Conservation District and Midcoast Council of Governments are holding a free informational Stream Smart workshop at Topsham Town Hall on March 26 from 9am to 12pm. This workshop is specifically aimed at informing municipalities of the value of Stream Smart crossings as well as providing information about funding that is currently available to help offset the costs of these culvert replacement projects. 

Applying the Stream Smart principles to your road crossings can help connect and maintain fish and wildlife habitat while protecting roads and public safety. Stream Smart crossings can also help you prepare for the large and frequent storm events that have been washing out roads around the state and the northeast. The morning will be indoors in a classroom setting and in the afternoon we might go out in the field to visit real world examples of road-stream crossings. We ask that participants bring their own lunch if they’d like to participate in the field visit at noon. Registration is required. Click here to register. For more information, email: conserve@maineaudubon.org 

The Midcoast Economic Development District (MCEDD) Committee has been meeting monthly to undergo a CEDS (Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy) process. As the EDA website states, “Simply put, a CEDS is a strategy-driven plan for regional economic development.” Right now, the MCEDD Committee has been going through data to gain an understanding of regional trends across demographics, housing, industry and workforce, public infrastructure, and natural resources/hazards within the MCOG region.  One such example of the data is the graph below, which shows the employment variability within each LMA. The first column represents the average number of employed workers in January-March, and the second column shows the average number of employed workers from June-August. The third column is the numerical change between the two seasons and the last column shows the percent variability from off season to peak season.

MCOG has completed the distribution of $900,000 in funds to help the regional law enforcement agencies with various equipment purchases. These funds were intended to replace outdated technology or to purchase new equipment that would improve the day-to-day operations of municipal and county officers. If your community submitted a reimbursement request but have not received a check from MCOG, please let Max Johnstone (mjohnstone@midcoastcog.com) know as soon as possible. 

MCOG appreciates the cooperation of the over dozen chiefs and sheriffs in our region. MCOG wants to express gratitude to the US Department of Justice for this grant opportunity, and to the Maine Congressional Delegates for including our request in the FY22 Appropriations Bill that allowed all this to happen. 

On February 28, MCOG disbursed a new $200,000 loan to a veteran entrepreneur, allowing him to acquire a home heating systems business with locations in Auburn and Topsham. MCOG participated in financing for this $1.1 million project along with Norway Savings Bank and Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments. 

We held two fantastic workshops in February with the cooperation of the LCRPC, HCPC, and members of the Maine Congressional Delegate offices. Due to the amount of overlap in materials and questions, we decided to only upload the workshop held with LCRPC. You can find the recording this workshop by clicking here.

The Community Resilience Partnership (CRP) provides tools, resources, and strategies designed to empower communities in preparing for and responding to the challenges posed by climate change. So far, towns in MCOG’s service region enrolled in the program have received $1,100,660 in Community Action Grants. The current funding round for Community Action Grants via the CRP has an application deadline of March 29th. 

To date, MCOG has helped 11 communities prioritize their climate actions, enroll in the program, and apply for funding. For the spring 2024 service provider round, MCOG has just been offered a conditional award to assist another 5 towns in our region with enrolling and working within the partnership. The enrollment process is clear and well-conceived, and it engages communities. The program also provides excellent support by GOPIF staff and the R1CC regional coordinators.  

An illustrative example is the experience of South Thomaston, a coastal town in Knox County. An ad hoc group of residents with diverse perspectives was tasked with spearheading the CRP enrollment process with MCOG’s assistance. Incorporating existing work from elected officials, the Emergency Management Agency, and others, they conducted required self-assessments, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the town’s strengths and challenges.  

Subsequently, through extensive community outreach including coffee hours, discussions with neighbors, public workshops and surveys, they listened to input on what actions were most important to the community. Using this information, they developed a prioritized list of actions, supported by the public and then endorsed by the Select Board. They are currently installing a solar array on town property to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and cut utility costs. The ad hoc group is now the town’s official Community Resilience Committee, and they continue implementing projects to reduce carbon emissions. 

The Community Action Grant funding also leverages a significant return on investment. A case in point is the town of St. George. The town had identified several areas vulnerable to flooding due to coastal storms and sea level rise including working waterfronts, town roadways and a popular historic lighthouse.  

Using $50K in Community Action Grant funding, they leveraged over $100K in in-kind professional services from a Maine-based engineering firm to employ innovative new software to create accurate 3-dimensional images that show, at eye-level, projected sea level rise scenarios. These visual aids engaged the community, fostering an understanding of the urgency to take action. The results were a process that helped the Select Board prioritize future town investments with community understanding and support.  

Furthermore, the program facilitates collaboration and coordinated efforts across our region. MCOG, for instance, convenes a monthly Coastal Knox Resilience Group, where municipal representatives share information and explore collaborative resilience projects. Supported by the US Department of Energy, the group is currently part of a project to develop a methodology to track and project electric vehicle adoption rates, aiding towns in planning for adequate public charging infrastructure. 

The CRP’s excellence is evident in its tangible results, return on investment, and the dedicated support provided by program staff and consultants to organizations like MCOG and the communities we serve. For more information, please contact Meg Rasmussen, Community Resilience Planner at mrasmussen@midcoastcog.com.