Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 13 M AY 1 5 , 2 0 2 3 Skowhegan Savings reported as- sets of $775 million, after originat- ing 1,600 loans for $134 million in 2022, at its corporators meet- ing. The bank also said it donated $350,000 to local organizations, employees provided 2,000 volun- teer services hours and participat- ed in 150 community events. Central Maine Growth Council in Waterville said it was selected as a regional and state eco- nomic development corporation to spearhead Maine's Economic Recovery Hubs initiative. The Maine Department of Economic and Community Development cre- ated the initiative to stimulate eco- nomic development collaboration and mitigate the lasting economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Maine Department of Education in Augusta announced a $9 million investment, funded through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, to increase school-based mental health staff and services in Maine. IN addition, the department said an additional $2 million in American Rescue Plan funding will be used to pro- vide summer learning and enrich- ment programs for pre-K through grade 12 students at schools across Maine. Milbridge theater takes shape Construction of a nearly 5,000- square-foot theater and com- munity arts center at 26 Main St. in Milbridge is nearly complete, with a few more interior touches to finalize. e Milbridge eatre and Community Arts Center was designed as a flexible, energy efficient, comfortable and easy to maintain facility that can be enhanced over time with further fundraising. e goal is to ensure an attractive building to serve as a commercial and cultural anchor in the heart of the downtown for many years. "Something like this — a movie theater, a performance arts center, a place for people to gather for other functions — is a vital part of a community," Town Manager Lewis Pinkham told Mainebiz. With seating for over 210, the auditorium will be the second-largest one in Washington County that's climate controlled and ADA compliant. 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 Close to three-quarters of the electricity needed by College of the Atlantic will be provided by a new solar farm in Hampden for at least the next 20 years, under an agreement with ReVision Energy. The project, which is expected to go live this fall, will also provide electricity to the communities sur- rounding the solar field, including the Deer Isle/Stonington School District, the town of Blue Hill and the Bangor Water District. Dead River teams up with EMCC on training A partnership between the heat- ing fuel company Dead River Co. and Eastern Maine Community College launched its first class of heating fuel technicians in Bangor. e workforce training facility, called Dead River Institute-North, offers workforce training programs at no cost to students through the Harold Alfond Center for the Advancement of Maine's Workforce. Dead River partnered with F.W. Webb Co. and the Granite Group, which contrib- uted roughly $30,000 of heating equipment to the institute's lab. e program was modeled after Dead River's first training facility, which was launched in 2018 in Sanford, at what's called Dead River Institute- South. e Sanford institute has grown every year since. It offers oil and propane technician apprentice- ship programs, 200-hour oil-heat technician programs, and deliv- ery driver training programs. e © 2023 Fidium Fidium@Work – business internet that works as hard as you do. FidiumFiber.com/MultipleHats We wear multiple hats, too. M I D C O A S T & D O W N E A S T N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N

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