Dear all, We hope you have been enjoying the wonderful fall weather and leaves. Below is our newsletter for the month. As always, please reach out with any questions. | | |
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MCOG Fall General Assembly Meeting |
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Mark your calendars for November 16th for an all-day event at Watts Hall Community Arts, 174 Main St, 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 a panel on housing and a group discussion regarding strategies to prevent amenity-related growth from overwhelming our communities and region. Lunch will be provided. We will send more information over the next few weeks, so stay tuned! |
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Rural Affordable Rental Housing Program Funding Available |
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We’re pleased to share that MaineHousing recently announced the next round of funding available through the Rural Affordable Rental Housing Program. Applications are due on December 7, 2023. The program guide can be found here. MaineHousing, in partnership with the Genesis Fund, will be hosting a session for interested parties to learn more about the Rural Affordable Rental Housing Program (RARHP) on Thursday, October 12th from 3:30pm-5pm. This session will be held at MaineHousing’s office at 26 Edison Drive in Augusta. Folks who can’t attend in person are welcome to join by Zoom using the link below. During this session, MaineHousing staff will provide an overview of the program and the application requirements and will answer questions. In addition, the Genesis Fund will provide a summary of available technical assistance for project development and application submission. This session will be geared for new and experienced housing developers (and those new to MaineHousing). |
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Housing Opportunity Grant Received |
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MCOG received a $75,000 Housing Opportunity Grant from the Department of Economic and Community Development. Matched with local dues, this $83,000 program will conduct an analysis of housing gaps in the MCOG region. As part of the project, MCOG will establish 3 subregional planning groups for Brunswick/Harpswell and Sagadahoc County, Knox County, and Waldo County, each focusing on issues specific to their communities. With the quantitative housing need assessment, MCOG will also conduct a qualitative analysis by conducting over 40 interviews of employers throughout the region. That analysis will help describe prospective employees in terms of skill sets, income potential, and clarify further housing need. |
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Midcoast Economic Development Committee (MCEDC) |
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The MCEDC consists of a Steering Committee of community officials combined with an Advisory Committee of over 20 private and public sector officials who represent various economic interests in the MCOG region. The role of MCEDC is to create and maintain a regional economic development plan that meets the Economic Development Administration (EDA) Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS; making local infrastructure projects eligible for EDA funding) and is consistent with the goals and actions of the MCOG Strategic Plan. The first organizational meeting of the MCEDC Advisory Committee is slated for October 25 at 8:30 am (in person at the Waldoboro Town Hall, or by zoom). |
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September Workshop Recordings |
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Subdivisions- MCOG and Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission held a joint workshop on the basics of Subdivisions on September 19th. The meeting can be found on the MCOG Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/lUFY5nLrO4Q?si=CLk5rjTSNZSXDnyi
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Form-Based Standards- MCOG was pleased to have Randall Arendt provide examples and insight on Form-Based Standards, and why it is important for communities to look into this area. The workshop was held on September 21st. Thank you to the City of Bath for hosting this workshop. The recording can be found on the MCOG Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/mxKHX_bbb98?si=6rUVDvZdaYom4ukO |
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10-Year State Economic Development Plan and State Workforce and Talent Strategy Listening Session October 3 at 10am 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 Growth Management Act October 6 at 12pm Maine DACF, MAP, and several Regional Organizations are launching a series of monthly webinars targeted to help planners in Maine with understanding common occurrences in their field of work. This month, the session will focus on the Growth Management Act. This is highly encouraged for the planners in our region. The meeting will be held via Zoom and will be emailed out upon request.
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Advanced workshop on StreamSmart culvert design October 17th and 18th Is your town staff or road commissioner looking to improve and upgrade culverts in light of recent storms? Maine Audubon will be holding a two-day Stream Smart Phase II field workshop in Manchester, ME. This two-day, hands-on workshop will introduce stream survey techniques and concepts associated with ecologically sound road/stream crossings. Stream Smart Phase II is intended to provide information that will enable participants to gather and analyze field data relative to ecological objectives (i.e. fish passage and connected stream processes) when designing replacement structures at stream crossings. There is a $70 fee (includes 2 days of workshop and lunch both days), however, if the registration fee poses any kind of hardship, contact conserve@maineaudubon.org. For more information or to register click here. 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. |
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Come down to Harbor Park to talk to local businesses and organizations about opportunities to electrify, get all your questions answered about EV ownership, and learn how the City of Rockland has electrified to save money and emissions, too. The Expo will include e-tool and e-bike demos, a panel discussion on EV ownership, e-boat and EV displays, and activities for the whole family. Admission is free to the public. | | |
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MCOG has sent off drafts of the West Bath and Appleton Comprehensive Plans for state review. We have also been receiving requests from municipalities that have expressed interest in starting the process. If your community is looking for assistance or guidance through this important process, please feel free to contact Max Johnstone at mjohnstone@midcoastcog.com. |
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Economic Recovery Implementation Hub |
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New Business Grants totaling $379,450 were awarded to nine small businesses. Businesses were located in Bath (3), Topsham (2), Nobleboro, Spruce Head, Thomaston and Wiscasset. MCOG will open a second application cycle to award the remaining $140,000 in Winter/Spring of 2023-24. In October, MCOG will begin offering technical assistance and entrepreneurship training targeted to new and minority-owned businesses via a contract with Coastal Enterprises, Inc. |
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11 MCOG Region towns awarded Community Action grants of $50,000-$125,000 |
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Congratulations to the following MCOG-region towns for their recent Community Action Grant awards! Bath Bowdoinham Camden Rockland Harpswell North Haven & Vinalhaven Northport Phippsburg South Thomaston Topsham MCOG is assisting the towns of Brooks and Montville in launching their Community Resilience Partnership enrollment processes through the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation for the Future. Upon completion of the enrollment steps, these towns will be eligible for $50,000 in no-match Community Action Grants for resilience projects identified during the enrollment phase. Interested in learning more about enrolling your town in the Community Resilience Partnership? Contact our Community Sustainability Planner Meg Rasmussen mrasmussen@midcoastcog.com. |
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Energy Assistance Available |
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The Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab is assisting communities with expert advice through their Clean Energy to Communities initiative. Three types of assistance are available: -In Depth Partnerships to help communities develop a realistic, validated plan to put clean energy ambitions into action and address key energy challenges. -Peer-to-Peer Learning Cohorts that convene regularly for approximately 6 months to exchange strategies and best practices, learn in a collaborative environment, and workshop policy or program proposals, action plans, or strategies to overcome challenges around a common clean energy transition topic. January 2024 Cohorts include: Evaluating and Prioritizing Municipal Buildings for Energy Efficiency and Decarbonization Investment Enhancing Resilience at Critical Municipal Facilities Through Solar, Storage, and Microgrids Designing Engagement to Shape Communitywide Transportation Electrification
The deadline to apply for the January 2024 cohort cycle is Oct. 31, 2023. Click here to apply. -Expert Match to help inform time-sensitive decisions and identify and understand the range of options for achieving clean energy goals. For example: Residential and commercial solar deployment in cities, tribal communities, and rural areas Renewable energy procurement Community transitions, including jobs and economic development Energy efficiency measures for residential and commercial buildings Microgrids
The Expert Match technical assistance timeframe is 40–60 hours over 1–2 months. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, click here to apply. Questions? Contact Meg Rasmussen, Community Resilience Planner at mrasmusseen@midcoastcog.com |
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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, Meg Rasmussen, Max Johnstone, Adi Philson, Dan DeBord, and Charlotte Nutt |
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