Mainebiz

V O L . X X V I I N O. X I I J U N E 1 4 , 2 0 2 1 8 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 Once the project is functioning, the company will collaborate with Homer Electric Association Inc. to sell the tidal energy produced. Norway Savings Bank said it agreed to a three-year, $30,000 sponsorship to Portland Community Squash. Skowhegan Savings Bank announced it will donate $2,000 to one nonprofit in each of the five Maine regions it serves on behalf of its 57 corporators. Gallant Therapy Services opened a new location at 20 East Ave. in Lewiston. United Way of Kennebec Valley launched an Innovation Fund to en- courage local nonprofits to address complex issues in the social sector. The organization is accepting propos- als to pilot new ideas and approaches that will help redesign the future of the Kennebec Valley through June 30. Children's Center, an early childhood intervention and family support ser- vices organization in Augusta for chil- dren with special needs, announced that it received a $1 million gift from Charlie and Nancy Shuman, owners of Charlie's Motor Mall and Charlie's Family of Dealerships in Augusta. Bar Harbor Bank & Trust said it donat- ed a total of $10,000 to six Northern New England nonprofit organizations from its employee-driven charitable giv- ing program, Casual for A Cause. University Credit Union in Orono renewed its three-year, $15,000 athletic sponsorship agreement with University of Maine at Farmington Athletics. Hampden bridge reopening marks UMaine technology milestone B y M a u r e e n M i l l i k e n HAMPDEN — A ribbon-cutting at the Grist Mill bridge marked more than just the bridge's reopening. The 75-foot span is the first in the nation to use fiber-reinforced polymer girders developed at the University of Maine. The GBeam technology was developed and patented at the University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center and licensed to AIT Bridges, UMaine's commercial partner. AIT Bridges builds the beams at its Brewer production plant, and is now handling orders from as far away as California. The girders are low-maintenance, durable and lightweight, a combination that could make it easier and less expensive to replace aging bridges across the U.S. The bridge over Souadabscook Stream is "a significant milestone," said Habib Dagher, executive director of the UMaine Advanced Structures and Composites Center. "The Grist Mill bridge showcases the real-world applications result- ing from cutting edge research in composite materials." The corrosion-resistant composite girders are designed to last more than 100 years with little to no maintenance. They also weigh as little as a quarter of the weight of steel girders. They're so lightweight that rental cranes can be used to install them. Yet they can handle heavy loads. Field testing involved more than 260,000 pounds of load carried by four Maine Department of Transportation trucks across the span. The two-day testing provided baseline performance data allowing UMaine researchers and AIT Bridges to refine the GBeam design. "The girders are designed to be stackable, which reduces transportation costs and lowers their carbon footprint," Dagher said. "One flatbed truck can transport enough gird- ers for four 70-ft long bridges, that is four Grist Mill bridges on one stretch-bed." The technology also has bolts that connect the girders to the concrete deck, allowing the deck to be quickly removed for replacement after 50 years without jackhammers, which makes for lower costs. Bruce Van Note, Maine transportation commissioner, said, "The big draw here is durability. Time will not take quite the same toll on the composite tub girders in this bridge. We expect this structure will need less maintenance over time and may last 25 years longer than its conventional counterparts." The girders are also being used in Maine on the Hampden Twin Bridge project, which will begin construction next year. Elsewhere, the technology is planned for bridge projects in Washington, California, Florida and Rhode Island. The gird- ers for all the projects will be fabricated in Brewer by AIT and shipped from Maine. Funding for the research that led to the development of the technology was provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ERDC and the U.S. Department of Transportation through the Transportation Infrastructure Durability Center led by UMaine. Dagher said: "The R&D we are conducting at the Composites Center is delivering practical solutions to address our deteriorating infrastructure that is more durable, sustain- able, cost-effective, and creating jobs right here in Maine. Grist Mill Bridge over Souadabscook Stream in Hampden uses composite technology developed by UMaine. P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F M A I N E B R I E F foundation also awarded $10,000 to Opportunity Alliance for its virtual dental health groups and $5,0000 to Maine Dental Health Out-Reach for its school oral health program. Town & Country Federal Credit Union in Scarborough said its 27th Annual C-U Swish-Out Childhood Cancer Challenge raised $36,000 for the Maine Children's Cancer Program. The event was a month-long virtual competi- tion as a result of the pandemic. Bristol Seafood in Portland launched a frozen seafood line for retail called Seafood Singles. ORPC Inc., a Portland developer of clean, renewable power systems that harness energy from free-flowing riv- ers and tidal currents, announced it submitted a preliminary permit applica- tion to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to initiate the process towards installing a tidal energy project at East Foreland, Cook Inlet, Alaska. N O T E W O R T H Y C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N 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 M I D C O A S T & D O W N E A S T N O T E W O R T H Y N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N

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