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V O L . X X V N O. X X I I S E P T E M B E R 3 0 , 2 0 1 9 12 B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S M A I N E B U S I N E S S N E W S F RO M A RO U N D T H E S TAT E Washington County city of 3,100 — filed a petition for Chapter 11 bank- ruptcy protection in a Bangor federal court. e 25-bed hospital has no plans to close and no layoffs are planned, according to a news release. But the hospital said Chapter 11 debt restruc- turing was necessary because of losses caused by decreased use, the high levels of free care it provides, inadequate reim- bursement from insurers and the cost of adapting to new regulations. After reporting an operating loss of $2.64 million in 2014, Calais Regional lost $575,000 last year. Despite the smaller loss, it confronted other challenges. Acute admissions plunged from 900 in 2015 to 500 in 2018, and emergency- room visits fell from 10,750 to less than 9,500 over the same period. e hospital has taken steps to control the dam- age. In 2017, Calais Regional closed its obstetrics department. Last year, the hospital ended a 31-year contract with a Tennessee-based management firm in an attempt to save money. N O T E W O R T H Y M I D C O A S T & D O W N E A S T Camden National Bank started construction on a 2,700 square-foot banking center at 435 Main St. in get to know the At Norway Savings, our Asset Management Group believes in Family Asset Management. Simply put, it means we do right by you and your loved ones. More than an advisor, as a fiduciary we will help you manage your wealth by putting your interests first. Every family has a story. Let us help you write your next chapter. FAM 207. 482.7920 | NorwaySavings.bank FAMILY ASSET MANAGEMENT I N V E S T M E N T M A N AG E M E N T • T R U S T S E RV I C E S • FI N A N C I A L A DV I C E • E S TAT E P L A N N I N G Not FDIC Insured • No Bank Guarantee • May Lose Value Developer's plan of housing medical workers moves forward B y M a u r e e n M i l l i k e n A u g u s t a — A site plan for 250 units of medical workforce housing in Augusta — one of three similar proposals in the state by a Massachusetts developer — got initial approval from the city's planning board. Saxon Partners, a Hingham, Mass.-based developer, also plans projects in Lewiston and Biddeford that could add as many as 750 studio and one-bedroom apartments to the three cities. The projects are targeted to those in the work- force who may not want to own a house and cannot afford market-rate rents. All would be built near hospitals. Tom Greco, a director at Saxon, told Augusta's planning board that the aim is to construct high-quality workforce housing largely for medical staff. He said the apartments are designed to be "simple, appealing and efficient." Augusta, like most of Maine's cit- ies, has a shortage of affordable rental housing, city officials have said. The Augusta project, at 371-395 Civic Center Drive — now four large single-family lots on 15 acres that was originally farmland — got contract zone approval for the rental units from the city's planning board a year ago. The board on Sept. 10 unanimously approved a conditional site plan. The property will be subdivided into three lots, and the Sept. 10 planning board review was only for the residential piece of the property. Two commercial lots are also planned on Civic Center drive. The site is within two miles of MaineGeneral Alfond Center for Health and a Maine Veterans' Home residence now under construction. Elsewhere, Lewiston and Biddeford proposals are still in the initial planning process. The 245-apartment Lewiston complex is planned for 6.5 acres along the Androscoggin River, blocks from Central Maine Medical Center, St. Mary's Medical Center and downtown. The Biddeford site is on Barra Road, a short distance from Southern Maine Medical Center and a variety of other medi- cal businesses. It's right off Exit 36 of the Maine Turnpike. The 10 acres is in a largely commercial zone that's had a lot of retail and office development in the past decade. B R I E F R E N D E R I N G / C O U R T E S Y O F C U B E 3 A portion of the proposed 250-unit medical workforce housing on Civic Center Drive in Augusta

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