2007 Annual Report Executive Summary
Aroostook County Enterprise Community
Business Attraction/Marketing - The Aroostook Partnership for Progress (APP) is a public-private partnership that was formed as a result of the initial Empowerment Zone regional meeting held shortly after designation in 2002. APP is dedicated to aggressive and effective results-oriented economic development actions that leverage the financial commitments and talents of the private sector in close partnership with the public sector. Dedicated staff is provided through the Northern Maine Development Commission (NMDC), which ensures close coordination between APP economic activities and resources from other NMDC divisions. Significant energy was spent in obtaining replacement jobs for the MBNA sites in Presque Isle and Fort Kent, which resulted in ConnectNorthAmerica coming into the Presque Isle location and Synergy Solutions in Fort Kent.
The impact of the APP/NMDC activities resulted in 664 jobs created, 150 jobs retained with over $18M in private investment and $4M in public investment.
Tourism – Aroostook County Tourism (ACT) is a standing subcommittee of the Northern Maine Development Commission’s Executive Board with staffing and administration provided by NMDC. In addition to a presence at trade shows (especially snowmobile shows) to promote the recreational opportunities in the region, NMDC staff helped the CanAm Sled Dog Race committee obtain a grant from the Maine Office of Tourism to promote their yearly event. We successfully completed a task that has been on our “to do” list for several years which was to GPS all of the snowmobile trails in our region. NMDC staff is now working on creating a presence on Google Earth for this information; allowing prospective riders to download or print maps of just the areas that are of interest to them.
Labor Force Assessment – The County of Aroostook, with funding from USDA Rural Development’s Rural Business Opportunity Grant program, completed a report on the regional labor force and business needs. NMDC provided grant administration for this study that analyzed the capability of the workers in the region, as well as the skill set needs of companies. Special attention was paid to the issue of large numbers of the work force approaching retirement age in the next five years; their attitudes toward retirement and area company’s initiatives in retaining these workers.
Handicapped Accessibility Program – Thanks to a grant from USDA Rural Development and matching funds from partnering organizations ALPHA One, Aroostook County Action Program, and the Aroostook Area Agency on Aging, NMDC will be making home modifications to 15 homes which will allow disabled individuals to remain in their houses. This funding is targeted to low-income, very low-income elderly/disabled households in the Aroostook County Empowerment Zone (ACEZ) with the goal of reducing the waiting list for those needing this help and creating a collaboration that will be successfully able to compete for similar funding in the future.
Emergency Public Awareness Campaign – Partnering with the Aroostook County Emergency Management Agency, NMDC successfully competed for EMS grant funds that would undertake a public awareness campaign for residents of the region. The project will provide information on building a disaster supply kit, how to communicate with family members during an emergency, how to stay informed in an emergency, a complete listing of emergency numbers for shelters and contact persons and a listing of all emergency service resources.
Scenic Byway Designations – Two successful National Scenic Byway designations were awarded in the region, the Million Dollar View Scenic Byway and the Grindstone Scenic Byway, thanks to efforts of NMDC staff. Designations require significant time and coordination on the part of neighboring communities along the byway and long-term commitment to strategic planning and implementation. NMDC provides the “glue” that helps these towns plan and execute improvements along these strategic travel corridors.
Empowerment Zone Set-aside Grants – NMDC successfully competed for funding from two set-aside grants sources. A Rural Business Enterprise Grant was awarded that will put in place a small manufacturers training/marketing grant program; as well as initiating a regional customer service program; while a Rural Business Opportunity Grant will target creative economy businesses with assistance for business planning, marketing and accessing financial resources.
Aroostook County EZ Summary Page Aroostook County EZ Funding Page