WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced that the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) will award $1,356,000 in grant funding to six different projects across Maine to improve or upgrade local infrastructure and encourage private sector investment in their communities.

“These grants are investments in the future of Maine communities,” said Senators Collins and King in a joint statement.  “The Northern Border Regional Commission is an important organization that helps communities in the northeast to grow their economies and create jobs, and we are pleased these six projects in Maine will receive NBRC support.”

The NBRC is a federal-state partnership that was created by the US Congress in 2008 in order to help alleviate economic distress and encourage private sector job creation throughout the northern counties of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York. In its five-year history, the NBRC has awarded seventy-five grants totaling more than $14.2 million

The recently-announced funds are available through the NBRC Economic & Infrastructure Development Grant program and are part of a larger investment of $5 million in grants provided to projects in the NBRC’s four state service areas.

The funding in Maine is being awarded as follows:

Town of Jay: $250,000 to upgrade a portion of a municipal roadway and encourage private investment in an adjacent quarrying operation and granite curbing plant.

Old Town-Orono Fiber Corporation: $250,000 to help create a high speed fiber optic network in which numerous internet service providers can competitively offer services. The goal is for the high speed connectivity to catalyze the region’s established and growing R&D sectors.

The Lincolnville Sewer District: $250,000 to assist a substantial upgrade of the district’s shoreline wastewater system. The resulting improvement aims to eliminate any overboard discharging of waste and help improve the water quality for Penobscot Bay’s tourism recreation and clamming industries.

Town of Kingfield: $247,000 to partially fund upgrades to the municipality’s aging wastewater pump stations that will support the town’s expanding downtown businesses.

City of Presque Isle: $250,000 to construct improvements to a municipally-owned building that, according to Aroostook manufacturer  Acme Monaco, will allow the company to undergo a product line expansion, keep 72 existing jobs, and create 23 new ones.

Town of Greenville: $109,000 for energy efficiency upgrades to a municipally-owned building that it leases to GlacierWear, a manufacturer of fur products. The lower energy costs are expected to help the company create an additional 10 jobs over the next two years.

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