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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 11 S E P T E M B E R 1 6 , 2 0 1 9 CMP corridor plan could go to vote Opponents of the planned $1 bil- lion, 145-mile electricity transmis- sion corridor through western Maine have asked the state for a ballot initiative that would stop the controversial project. Tom Saviello, a former state representative and state senator from Franklin County, has filed an application with the Secretary of State for a citizen referendum seeking revocation of the project's approval. Central Maine Power Co.'s New England Clean Energy Connect transmis- sion corridor would deliver 1,200 megawatts of renewable energy generated by Hydro-Quebec to Massachusetts. e project received a "certificate of public convenience and necessity" from the Maine Public Utilities Commission in April. e referendum proposed in Saviello's application would revoke the certificate. e Secretary of State's office is expected to review the application, and if approved, NECEC opponents would then need to collect 63,000 signatures in order to get the revocation on a statewide ballot. N O T E W O R T H Y C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N Lion's Den Tavern opened at 74 Main St. in Waterville. Waterville Creates!, a nonprofit sup- porting and promoting arts and cultural programs and institutions in Waterville, said it received a $25,000 gift from MaineGeneral Health in support of the Honesty, integrity and mutual respect are the values that guide us. Stephen Dumont, VP CONTACT (207) 490-5900 www.tpdconstruction.com York Hospital Care Center, Sanford CO N S T RU C T I O N M A N A G EM EN T s D E S I G N / B U I L D s G EN ER A L CO N T R A C T I N G Public money for coworking spaces freed up B y m a i n e b i z s t a f f G rants of up to $20,000 will be available for development or creation of coworking space, after the long-dormant Maine Coworking Development fund was restored this year. The Department of Economic and Community Development's Office of Business Development held a recent meeting in Augusta for those interested in the grants. The Maine Depar tment of Economic & Community Development's Office of Business Development will over- see distribution of up to $200,000 in grants for projects that strengthen opportunities for entrepreneurship, stimu- late innovation and address regional market demand for affordable work environments that support communication, information sharing and networking opportunities. The fund is weighted toward projects in economically dis- tressed areas. DECD will also launch regular get-togethers of participating coworking spaces to encourage connections and collaboration among the state's collaborative work businesses. The fund, which was created in 2015, provided $100,000 in grants in its first year to businesses in Brunswick, Portland, Biddeford, Augusta, Millinocket and Bethel, but was zeroed out by Gov. Paul LePage in subsequent budgets. The $200,000 approved this year is the first funding since the initial round. The 2019 version calls for a competitive application process rather than the requests for proposals the initial fund sought. It also has more stringent application require- ments and gives more weight to those starting a business rather than expanding. Multi-faceted economy booster Heather Johnson, who was named DECD commissioner in the Mills administration, said in the release that coworking Is "at the nexus of multiple areas of economic strategy — they are among the amenities that can be offered to tourists, they serve as a hub of information and community for remote workers, and they serve as a signal to entrepreneurs and new businesses that a community understands the value of connection." "Coworking spaces," she added, "build com- munity and connection for early-stage entrepre- neurs, freelancers and remote workers. They foster dreaming, sharing, and risk-taking through their energy, density of people, and community- building activities." Applications for funds should meet five criteria: connection to program goals, application enterprise and team, project goals and impact, economic and community impact, and busi- ness plan and budget. Projects in economically distressed geographic areas will be given additional consideration. The funding this year was supported by Gov. Janet Mills, who "recognized that coworking is a promising opportunity for entrepreneurs," when she included it in her budget, DECD said in a press release. The bill was sponsored by Assistant Majority Leader Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford, who has been a strong supporter of collaborative workspaces. Coworking spaces "are sought after by young professionals and are increasingly the cor- nerstones for communities revitalizing vacant spaces in downtowns," he said earlier this year. Build-out is frequently the biggest barrier to getting a coworking business started, he added. The bill passed this year also looks to track how effective the funding is. It requires, beginning in February, that the Legislature gets a report on the number of applications, how many were approved, how many workspaces were created through the fund, how many tenants and participants each one has, how many jobs were provided, the occupancy rate of each, the number of tenants who left to operate in their own space and the number of jobs those businesses have provided. Information about the program within the DCED Office of Business Development's website. For more information, contact Martha Bentley at martha.m.bentley@maine.gov. B I Z M O N E Y C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N DECD will distribute $200,000 in grants for projects that strengthen opportunities for entrepreneurship, stimulate innovation and support information sharing. Heather Johnson, Maine DECD commissioner P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F T H E G OV E R N O R ' S O F F I C E

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