News from APP/NMDC

Notes from APP and NMDC

Volume 2, Issue 78

Jan. 3, 2013

In This Issue

New Limerick CDBG Grant

Aroostook Day at the Legislature

Easton Comprehensive Plan

Collaboration leads to workforce training funds for Louisiana Pacific

NEW LIMERICK - The Town of New Limerick was recently awarded a Workforce Development grant to assist Louisiana Pacific Corporation with personnel training needs.

Northern Maine Development Commission (NMDC) staff, in conjunction with LP and the Town of New Limerick, prepared the application for the nearly $70,000 of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding on behalf of the municipality.

The $68,250 for job training and orientation classes at the LP facility coincides with a projected increase in employment.

"NMDC provided technical assistance under the CDBG program, provided grant writing services for the Letter of Intent, Phase I application and the Project Development application," said Joella Theriault, NMDC community development specialist. "NMDC will also enter into a contract to administer the CDBG funds, assure compliance with all CDBG rules and regulations and assure that 51 percent or more of the CDBG funds were used to benefit low-to-moderate income (LMI) individuals."

"LP came to us to discuss their workforce and job training needs as they expected to ramp up production over the next year," said Ryan Pelletier, NMDC director of economic and workforce development. "In these economic times, it is difficult to identify non-traditional sources of training monies as LP was not eligible for some of the more traditional training programs such as those under the Workforce Investment Act. This is a great example of a public-private collaborative that NMDC helped facilitate and assist one of our region's largest employers."

"This is a great example of business, economic development and a community coming together to address workforce development needs and to strengthen our local community," said Ryan Bushey, LP human resources manager.

In 2007, LP began an expansion and conversion of its facility from an oriented strand board (OSB) to a laminated strand lumber (LSL) facility. LSL, is a structural engineered wood product based on wood-strand technology and it is used in a wide variety of residential construction applications including headers and beams, wall studs, roof beams and rafters, truss chords, rim board and stair stringers. The LP facility is only one of a few producers of LSL in North America.

Shortly after the 2008 completion of the expansion, the housing market and economy stumbled but now the housing market has recovered enough to start hiring new employees.

Both the stronger new home construction market and the increase market penetration of LSL have increased demand. According to the CDBG application, to meet that demand, LP's current employees are working very long hours and lots of overtime. Additional workers are needed to meet the demand for the LSL product.

The grant will be used to provide classroom training and orientation to 26 new, full time employees.

"I would like to thank NMDC for their leadership and the Town of New Limerick for their assistance and cooperation in making this grant a success for our business and our community," added Bushey.

For more information on CDBG applications or other economic and community development opportunities, contact Theriault at (207) 543-1892 or by email at jtheriault@nmdc.org.

Aroostook Day at the Legislature set for Jan. 29

Utilizing the natural resources of Aroostook County and educating our greatest resource will be center stage at the 2014 Aroostook Day at the Legislature Wednesday, Jan. 29.

LEADers Encouraging Aroostook Development (LEAD), a key partner in the Aroostook Partnership for Progress (APP), organizes the event.

"We sponsor Aroostook Day as an opportunity for members of the private, public and non-profit sectors in Aroostook County to interact directly with our elected state representatives on issues of importance to The County," said Jim Davis, LEAD president. "This year's theme revolves around educating our representative about the importance of updating the mining regulations in the State of Maine to achieve the dual objectives of enabling economic growth and protecting or improving the stellar environment we enjoy in northern Maine and the importance of science and technology education to provide the future Maine workforce."

The two featured speakers will be APP President Bob Dorsey and Maine School of Science and Mathematics (MSSM) Executive Director Luke Shorty.

Dorsey said, "This is an important event, a chance to discuss the importance of mining to Aroostook's economy, the linkage to technical jobs with higher wages that this industry would bring and the ever increasing importance of education with special emphasis on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) that is needed to fill many of the technical careers that mining will bring."

This will be the first time MSSM has taken part in Aroostook Day at the Legislature and Shorty said he is excited about the opportunity to trumpet the school and its programs.

"It allows us to show how much of an educational asset and the value and excitement that MSSM brings to the State of Maine, not just for high school students, but for middle school students and teachers statewide," he said. "I will be talking about some of the major successes and growth MSSM has seen over the last couple of years and the programs and partnerships that we are offering to further the mission of STEM education throughout Maine."

Ryan Pelletier, executive director of LEAD, said the event at the Senator Inn begins with a social hour, followed by a meal and then more formal presentations.

"Once the meeting is over, delegates are usually asked to give a brief update to the attendees of what is happening with them and issues that they see happening or coming up," he said. "The next day we try to hold a meeting with officials on a subject that LEAD has an interest, in the past it has been transportation related but this year it will focus on education to industry initiatives in the region."

Pelletier said invitees include LEAD and APP members, NMDC Executive Board, Aroostook-Washington Workforce Investment Board, Aroostook and Washington County legislators and legislative leadership.

Anyone who would like more information or to attend Aroostook Day at the Legislature is urged to contact Judy Dinsmore at Northern Maine Development Commission by email at jdinsmore@nmdc.org or by phone at (207) 498-8736.

Editor's Note: APP President Bob Dorsey recently drafted an OP/ED letter about the potential for mining. To read the text click here.

Easton comprehensive plan being developed

EASTON - Northern Maine Development Commission (NMDC) is working with the Town of Easton to update the community's 1993 Comprehensive Plan. The plan will be a blueprint or map to guide Easton in the years ahead with economic and community development. The plan will identify issues for eligibility in many state and federal grant programs and in many cases; the issues must be identified in the plan before they can be considered for funding. The active participation of residents, as well as non-residents, is vital to the successful completion of the plan.

One of the main purposes of comprehensive planning is to discover how things are connected. For example: how trends in population (either up or down) affect the community (i.e. the schools, jobs, businesses, taxes, etc.); how the supply of affordable housing for young households is related to the ability to attract new jobs; how one and two acre lot sizes are related to traffic congestion; and how efforts in the past to encourage and control growth may have succeeded. The plan will help the community realize its strengths and weaknesses and too build upon those potentials and offer long term planning necessary to strengthen any weaknesses.

If you have questions about the plan please call Jim Gardner, Town Manager, at 488-6652 or Jay Kamm, Senior Planner NMDC, 498-8736.

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