FARMINGTON — Franklin County commissioners voted Tuesday to award $161,781 in grants to fund several projects in the county targeting economic development in the unorganized territory.

Most of the projects ranged from replacing and repairing ATV and snowmobile bridges to updating trail mapping to promoting hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, guiding, camping. For the most part, the project costs were well over the requested county funding.

The county has a Tax-Increment Financing Advisory Committee that reviews all grant applications and scores them. The recommended projects go to commissioners for review and possible approval.

The grant money comes from a tax-increment financing agreement with Helix Generation LLC, an affiliate of LS Power Equity Advisors. It was initially made in 2008 between TransCanada Maine Wind Development Inc. in relation with a 44-turbine wind energy facility in northern Franklin County, which is now owned by Helix.

Not receiving full funding Tuesday was the Greater Franklin Development Council’s request of $50,000. Instead, commissioners voted 2-1 to award $30,000. Chairman Terry Brann of Wilton and Charles Webster of Farmington voted in favor, while Commissioner Clyde Barker of Strong opposed it. He supported $50,000.

The council raised $53,000 to match the $50,000 requested from the county. The overall cost for the project is $103,000.

Council Executive Director Charles Woodworth said he is working with Saddleback Mountain in Sandy River Plantation to bring jobs to the area and on an initiative to get broadband internet service to several towns, including Carthage, Weld, Temple and townships of Perkins and Washington, among other projects. There is an opportunity to leverage a federal grant for the broadband initiative, he said.

He has worked with many businesses, including Stratton Lumber Inc. in Eustis, which added a third shift, he said.

There are bigger issues than jobs, he said, including people moving out of the area. If people want to come to Franklin County to live and work from home, they face the obstacle in many areas of not having fast enough, if any, internet speeds. In some areas schoolchildren cannot do their schoolwork because of internet connectivity issues, he said.

In December 2018,  commissioners voted 2-1 to take no action on a request to use $40,000 from the county’s tax-increment financing funds for economic development, but to leave the matter on the table. The council had raised $45,000 to match it at that time.

Brann and Webster reiterated Tuesday what they said then that they want to see jobs created and businesses coming in to the county. Barker said Woodworth did what commissioners asked him to do.

Fifteen of 16 counties in the state invest in economic development, Woodworth said after the meeting. With the investment counties can go after state and federal funds, he said. Franklin County is the exception, he said.

“I am bringing us forward and I’m looking to model us after other successful efforts,” he said.

Woodworth co-administers the TIF funding with county Clerk Julie Magoon. Neither have a vote on the recommendations for grant funds.

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