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V O L . X X V I I N O. I JA N UA R Y 1 1 , 2 0 2 1 6 Recipients included: Portland Housing Authority, $78,659; Bangor Housing Authority, $63,709; Maine State Housing Authority, $62,467; Housing Authority of Brewer, $60,978; Lewiston Housing Authority, $58,873; city of Caribou, $57,446; Housing Authority of Old Town, $47,944; Westbrook Housing Authority, $47,266; and Augusta Housing Authority, $32,484. U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King announced that HealthReach Community Health Centers received $2.1 million and Health Access Network was awarded $1.6 million to address screening and testing needs, acquire medical supplies and boost telehealth capacity in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration. In other COVID funding, the Maine Department of Administrative and Financial Services, through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency, awarded the state of Maine $5.6 million to reimburse the purchase of personal protective equipment. The Office of National Drug Control Policy's Drug-Free Communities Support Program awarded 10 Maine organiza- tions a total of $914,156 to prevent youth substance misuse and foster drug- free communities. Recipients included: the town of Windham, $169,990; the cities of Presque Isle and Augusta and the town of Brunswick, $125,000 each; University of New England, $95,000; Sebasticook Valley Hospital, $80,845; Mid Coast Hospital, $70,845; Medical Care Development Inc., $57,138; Aroostook County Action Program, $36,223; and Cumberland County, $29,115. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded Androscoggin Head Start and Child Care in Lewiston $1.6 million and Midcoast Maine Community Action in Bath $1.5 million for their Head Start and Early Head Start Programs. Chase continues branch expansion plans in Maine JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: A second round of PPP money set to go out e $908 billion stimulus package that went into effect in late December includes $284 billion for a new round of Paycheck Protection Program loans. Lending started Jan. 4. e application period is open until March 31. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, 28,270 PPP loans were made to Maine businesses for a total of $2.3 billion in the 2020 round, which ended in August. e aver- age loan was $80,098, and the average number of employees the business had was nine. Overall, more than 5.2 million businesses across the U.S. were loaned $523 billion from the pro- gram last year. N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Public Housing Operating Program awarded $113,227 to the Bath Housing Authority and the Housing Authority of Fort Fairfield re- ceived $7,314 to support housing assis- tance to low-income families. In addition, the department's Family Self-Sufficiency Program awarded a total of $509,826 to nine housing authorities in Maine. 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 A big year of transactions at Oakland business park B y M a u r e e n M i l l i k e n O a k l a n d — The former owners of a Saco rope company have closed on 46 FirstPark Drive, one of the largest office buildings at Oakland business park FirstPark. Investors Tom and Debrah Yale, former owners of Yale Cordage Inc., bought the 20,000-square-foot building from CPA Realty LLC for $1.9 million. Benchmark Real Estate was the selling broker, and Erik Urbanek of SVN | The Urbanek Group, listed the property and completed the deal late last year. The year's four transactions mark the most commercial real estate sales in a year since the 285-acre business park opened in 1999, and continues the development traction 285-acre FirstPark has gained in the past two years. In March 2020, Maine Eye Doctor s bought the 6,000-square-foot building at 25 FirstPark Drive. J.B. Brown & Sons bought the 78,000-square-foot building that houses T-Mobile in April, the largest building in the park, and plans to continue to lease it to the mobile carrier. Undeveloped Lot 4, in the park's west campus, was also recently sold. The Yales sold Yale Cordage Inc. in July 2020 to River Associates, a Tennessee-based private equity firm. The Yale family founded the business, which manufactures high- performance synthetic ropes, in 1950. The Yales said they're reinvesting in commercial property in Maine, including a 1,500-square-foot industrial condo in the Mill Brook Business Center in Saco for their new business, Resin Fiber. Their investment in FirstPark was part of a trend. 'Lots are moving quickly' "Based on the real estate trends we're seeing from 2020, lots are moving quickly," said Jim Dinkle, executive director of FirstPark. The 12 undeveloped lots on the 22-lot campus are listed at $15,000 an acre. Other businesses located in the park, or that own prop- erty there, are Bioenergetic Healing, Gateway Financial Partners, Northern Light Podiatry, L.L.Bean, MaineGeneral, Maine Medical Partners, Maine Eye Doctors, One River CPAs, Waterville Community Dental Center and SurgiCare. Plans for 2021 and beyond include possible residential development on two of the park's back lots and developing a dog park on another West Campus lot. Lot 4, Technology Drive, is under contract with a medical- related practice. The property is 10.4 acres and the negoti- ated price is $90,000, with an anticipated closed on or before Jan. 29. It will be the first building built on Technology Drive. J.B. Brown & Sons, Portland, bought 133 FirstPark Drive for $10.7 million in April. The property is home to T-Mobile's Oakland call center. The building is 78,610 square feet and it is on 26 acres. PHAT LLC bought a 6,000 square foot office condo at 25 FirstPark Drive in March for $685,000. The condo suite is home to Maine Eye Doctors. Except for a 485 square foot corner office suite at 46 FirstPark Drive, there is currently no existing space for rent within FirstPark, yet there is demand and Dinkle is in discussion with two active prospects. L.L.Bean is marketing its 29 acres on Lots 2 and 3 on Technology Drive. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y F I R S T PA R K B R I E F Based on the real estate trends we're seeing from 2020, lots are moving quickly. — Jim Dinkle FirstPark Jim Dinkle, executive director of FirstPark (center), gives congratulatory elbow bumps to Debrah Yale (left) and Tom Yale (right) outside 46 FirstPark Drive. The Yales recently bought the property after selling their business, Yale Cordage Inc., in Saco.

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