Mainebiz

V O L . X X I V N O. X I V J U LY 9 , 2 0 1 8 6 was passed onto wholesale buyers and consumers. e herring fi shery is overseen by the New England Fishery Management Council, which said in a June 29 news release that large quota reductions of the herring fi shery may be necessary in coming years. N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E Central Maine Power, a subsidiary of AVANGRID Inc., said it has energized a new section of 34.5-kilovolt transmis- sion line in Lewiston and has complet- ed upgrades to its Norway Substation. Both projects are part of the larger Lewiston Loop upgrade, an $82.4 mil- lion improvement designed to strength- en and add fl exibility to the electric delivery system serving the area. Three Maine health centers re- ceived nearly $150,000 through the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act. Sebasticook Valley Health and York Hospital each received $50,000 and the Bangor Region Public Health Advisory Board's Substance Abuse Prevention Task Force received $49,791. Design Maine, a publication featur- ing architecture, building, interior and commercial design projects in Maine, announced it will publish its fi rst is- sue in September. Susan Grisanti will serve as publisher and editor-in-chief; Heidi Kirn, as creative director, and Karen Bowe, as associate publisher. GMRI raises $22.8M to support its research e Gulf of Maine Research Institute successfully completed its fi ve-year Campaign for the Gulf of Maine, rais- ing $22.8 million to support its research and educational activities. e campaign stretched from 2014–18, and included a mixture of endowment and operat- ing gifts, providing long-term sup- port for: Senior scientists and marine research focused on the Gulf of Maine ecosystem; science education to benefi t students and teachers from all 16 of Maine's counties; and institutional leadership positions. GMRI has grown rapidly since building its Commercial Street lab in 2005. e organization Avangrid will spend $2.5B to fortify network Avangrid Inc. (NYSE: AGR), which owns Central Maine Power Co., said it will invest $2.5 billion to protect its power grid from the impact of severe storms. e investment will focus on Maine, Connecticut and New York. In addition to improving the infrastructure, it will use technology that will help customers better man- age their energy consumption. In the past 16 months, Avangrid utilities in Maine, New York and Connecticut incurred more than $450 million in storm damage and restoration costs. Bait shortage puts squeeze on lobstering fl eet e prospect of a shortage of her- ring bait for Maine's lobster fi shing fl eet already is driving price increases for bait fi sh this summer. e Bangor Daily News reported that over the past decade herring catches have dropped about 40% and the price of the bait fi sh has climbed about 80%. "We've defi nitely seen diversifi cation in the bait supply, but the price of all bait products is going up, and herring is kind of driv- ing it," Patrice McCarron, the Maine Lobstermen's Association executive director, told the newspaper. In 2016, the lobster industry was forced to buy pogies and other bait fi sh from fi sher- men as far away as New Jersey, creating an extra layer of cost that eventually B U S I N E S S M A I N E Business news from around the state S T A T E W I D E S O U T H E R N Blue Hill Co-op moves ahead with plans for new store B y M a i n e b i z S t a f f The Blue Hill Cooperative plans to build a new and larger store on South Street, with close proximity to Blue Hill's downtown. "We plan to break ground after Labor Day with the goal of a soft opening in June 2019, followed by a grand open- ing in July 2019," General Manager Kevin Gadsby told the Ellsworth American. The Blue Hill Co-op raised $2 million and will fi nance another $4 million to pay for the project. The co-op will be on 5.5 acres. The fi nancing will pay for design and construc- tion of a freestanding store, inventory and equipment. It will also provide working capital for growth and development. The South Street location will include expanded retail space as well as a larger café. There will be a community room for member-owner and public use. The expansion is expected to provide additional jobs, tax revenue and oppor- tunities for local farmers and vendors. The expansion is expected to increase the number of customers and increase the average purchase amount with greater selection, reduced prices from increased buying power and the convenience of additional parking. E.L. Shea of Ellsworth will serve as general contractor, pending town approval of the project. Blue Hill Planning Board Chairman Scott Miller told the American that the board will review the project at its July 9 meeting, after holding a public hearing on the application. Upgrade in both space and facility The co-op is now in leased space at 4 Ellsworth Road in Blue Hill. The co-op opened as a food-buying club in 1974 and is structured as a consumer cooperative. It has more than 1,700 active owners who invest $200 in the business and make at least one purchase a year. Owners receive a patronage rebate when the co-op's elected board of direc- tors decides the amount of profi t is high enough and the fi nancial needs of the business are low enough to warrant a distribution. Operating for more than 43 years in leased spaces, the co-op spent the last seven years preparing to relocate. The plan is to construct a custom-designed, energy-effi cient expanded storefront on land the co-op owns in the South Street commercial area. Owner equity and retained earnings fi nanced the planning stages for a new building. Owner membership has grown 21% in the last fi ve years, with 2017 being a record year for new memberships, at 317. To date, the co-op has 1,775 owners. B R I E F P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F B L U E H I L L C O O P E R AT I V E A rendering shows the Blue Hill Cooperative's planned new and larger store on South Street in Blue Hill.

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