Waterville, Maine, October 21, 2024 – Today at the GrowSmart Maine (GSM) annual Summit, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Maine State Director Rhiannon Hampson announced that the agency will award the nonprofit a grant to support its work providing technical assistance to rural Maine communities. She made the announcement prior to introducing Dr. Basil Gooden, USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development, who delivered a keynote address at the event. Hannah Pingree, Director of the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future, was also a keynote speaker. Kate Cough, Editor of The Maine Monitor, joined them on stage as moderator, along with Nancy Smith, GSM’s Chief Executive Officer.
From the stage at the Waterville Opera House, Director Hampson announced that Rural Development will award $44K to GSM through its Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training Grant Program (CF TAT). USDA announced the funding opportunity in June, with $540K available nationwide in what proved to be a highly competitive process. A total of six projects will be funded across the country. With the grant, GSM will support towns in developing community-driven plans for facilities equipped to serve residents day-to-day and during future disasters.
“Gone are the days when we could rely on shoveling snow off the roof and making sure the street grates were clear of debris to make it through a storm. We live in a world now that drives us to plan in new ways for increasingly severe weather,” said Director Hampson. “Rural Mainers have always been innovative and responsive – and we’re putting those qualities to work in resiliency planning. With this CF TAT award to GrowSmart Maine, USDA Rural Development is employing one of our best assets – our partners – to create opportunities for communities like Houlton to build and implement a vision for their future."
Currently GSM partners with ten Maine towns through its Building Community Strength (BCS) initiative (funded with support from Rural Development and American Farmland Trust). The grant announced today will enable the Augusta-based nonprofit to further support its community partners as they develop the capacity to plan and fund infrastructure projects that increase local resiliency.
One member of the BCS cohort recently took a major step forward on an important infrastructure project. Last week Rural Development announced that the town of Mexico has been selected for Community Facilities Disaster funding to help build a new fire station to replace a structure damaged in severe flooding last year. The town of Houlton is another member of the cohort, one which will benefit from the CF TAT funding. Build Maine will be an implementing partner in the work.
Increasingly, rural leaders must prioritize disaster preparedness and climate resiliency when planning facility improvements. Rural Development is there to support the additional costs and expertise entailed by funding technical assistance providers like GSM, providing disaster repair grants, and with its Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program. Said Director Hampson, “The Biden-Harris Administration is ensuring that every Mainer, regardless of ZIP code, can benefit from these historic investments and help lead the way forward for our future generations.”
Background
USDA Rural Development’s Community Facilities Programs offer direct loans, loan guarantees and grants to develop or improve essential public services and facilities in communities across rural America. Recent Community Facilities grant recipients in Maine include the town of Greenville, the town of Corinna, and the Calais Community Hospital. For more information about Maine’s programs, please contact Bob Nadeau, Community Programs Director, USDA Rural Development, at 207-990-9124 or Robert.Nadeau@usda.gov.
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