JAY – The Northern Border Regional Commission will award nearly $500,000 combined to the towns of Jay and Kingfield to help rebuild a section of a road and to partially fund upgrades to municipal wastewater pump stations.

U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Angus King, I-Maine, and U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin, R-Maine, announced $1.35 million in grant awards in news releases Tuesday. The money is for six projects across Maine to improve or upgrade local infrastructure and encourage the private sector in investment in communities.

The commission is expected to make the official announcement on the grants on Friday.

The 2008 Farm Bill authorized the Northern Border Regional Commission, as a result of several years’ work by the center and other organizations, with support from members of the region’s congressional delegation. The Commission’s focus is to help address the community and economic development needs of the most severely distressed sections of the Northern Forest region, according to the commission’s website northernforest.org/programs/regional-strategy/northern-border-regional-commission.

“These grants are investments in the future of Maine communities,” Collins and King said 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.”

“I am pleased to see the NBRC is making such a strong commitment to Maine’s Second District,” Poliquin said in a statement. “These grants will give our tightknit communities the resources they need to upgrade and be open for business.”

In Jay’s case, voters approved a grant application for $250,000 to the Northern Border Regional Commission Economic and Infrastructure Development Program and Androscoggin Valley Council of Governments in June to rebuild a section of Old Jay Hill Road in North Jay.

With the affirmative vote, residents also approved transferring $50,000 from the Public Works Department’s 2014-15 budget to the designated grant program reserve account for the required 20 percent match.

The section of Old Jay Hill Road to be rebuilt runs from Routes 17 and 4 to the access road to Polycor. The Canadian-based company is developing the North Jay White Quarry and is building a plant to make granite curbing. Polycor’s $4 million investment would create 20 direct jobs and 20 indirect jobs and inject approximately $3 million per year into the local economy, according to the company.

“We’re very excited about the news,” Jay Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere said. “A bit of good news at a time when we really could use it.”

In Kingfield’s case, the town was awarded a grant of $247,000 to partially fund upgrades to the municipality’s aging wastewater pump stations that will support the town’s expanding downtown businesses. The overall project is expected to cost more than a $1 million, Kingfield Administrative Assistant Leanna Targett said.

The system was put in in 1984 and was only supposed to last 15 years, she said.

On Feb. 11, 2013, voters approved appropriating and authorizing a majority of the municipal officers to borrow, on behalf of the Kingfield Wastewater System, up to $115,000 through bonds or notes, or from existing reserve accounts or the undesignated fund balance as matching funds to receive grants to make improvements and repairs to the wastewater collection and treatment system.

“Between the $440,000 CDBG grant and the $247,000 Northern Border Regional Commission grant, we are ecstatic,” Targett said.

Other grant awards went to Old Town-Orono Fiber Corp., $250,000; Lincolnville Sewer District, $250,000; Presque Isle, $250,000; and Greenville, $109,000.

dperry@sunmediagroup.net

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