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6 C E N T R A L M A I N E ' S M O S T C O N N E C T E D B U S I N E S S PA R K F O R 2 5 Y E A R S T he 285-acre FirstPark campus located in Oak- land, Maine, was designed specifically with business attraction and jobs in mind, offering shovel-ready, pre-permitted sites with protective covenants and incorporating innovative technology and infrastructure. In 2023, FirstPark celebrates 25 years as the premier business park in central Maine. Here we take a look at where it all started, the successes along the way and what the park looks like today. Advocating for a Regional "Super" Park The Kennebec Regional Development Authority (KRDA), a group of 24 central Maine municipalities, was organized to create new, good-paying jobs in the Kennebec Valley region. A core group of supporters from Kennebec and Somerset counties, known as the People of the Kennebec, devel- oped a design for a regional "super" park in Oakland on land adjacent to I-95. To assist with the creation of this park, the Maine Legislature approved a "charter" for KRDA with the passage of Chapter 79 of the Private and Special Laws of Maine in 1998 and Governor Angus King provided financial support through the awarding of a $1 million Community Development Grant through the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development. The KRDA also received a $1 million grant from the federal Economic Develop- ment Administration and it issued $3.5 million in municipal bonds, a loan which was fully paid off at the end of 2020. Next came securing support from towns and cities in the region to meet the 3-billion- dollar property valuation total required by the enabling legis- lation that created KRDA. This goal was achieved in 1999 when the town of Clinton voted to become the 24th municipal member of KRDA, opening the path to develop FirstPark. Developing and Attracting Businesses to FirstPark The great majority of the towns that joined the KRDA did so for one reason: jobs. Since its inception, this has been the focus of all FirstPark's efforts – to create a business park with a campus-like environment for the coming jobs of the 21st century. The most advanced telecommunication infrastructure was installed and pre-permitting was obtained from the State Department of Environmental Protection for all lots. Construction began in the early summer of 2001 and the project was finished soon after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. While the after-effects of the terrorist attacks impacted the fledging effort to attract tenants to the park, FirstPark continued with an aggressive marketing effort and by 2004 these efforts paid off when T-Mobile announced plans to build a major customer service center in the park. In 2005, KRDA was successful in receiving financing for a 20,000-square-foot office building. It wasn't long before the speculative building became occupied by MaineGeneral Health. The hospital's orthopedic and physical therapy practices are still there today and MaineGeneral has continued to expand its presence in the park. In late 2007, as our nation was hit with a recession that became the country's worst economic collapse since the Great Depression. Hundreds of people in central Maine were able to support themselves in FirstPark with productive work because of the businesses the park had attracted. Again in 2020, when the world was hit by the COVID pandemic, FirstPark businesses continued to support their employees through this uncertain time. Now during recovery, many of these businesses are seeking to grow their workforces while offering high-paying jobs, including those at the Meyer precision tool firm investing in Lots 2 and 3. How Far FirstPark Has Come Today, 12 lots in FirstPark have been sold and are cur- rently owned or leased by 13 businesses while 12 lots totaling 155 acres remain for sale. All the lots, except Lot 15B on Clairmont Street, are improved properties with water, sewer, natural gas, fiber/high-speed internet and three-phase power. The lots are located in Foreign Trade Zone 186 and are pre-permitted by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Recent highlights include: • The sale of Lots 2 and 3 to Cincinnati-based Meyer Tool, Inc., a precision tool and die manufacturer for the aerospace industry. The sale closed in July 2022. • Construction on Lot 15 of a state-of-the-art dental practice owned by Dr. Anna O'Keefe at 93 FirstPark Drive. The building opened in January 2022. A Look Back FirstPark's 25-Year History and What It Took To Get Where It Is Today T O P : FirstPark groundbreaking ceremony in the summer of 2001. B O T T O M : Members of KRDA/ FirstPark present a check for the final bond payment to the Maine Municipal Bond Bank in 2020. R I G H T: Aerial view of T-Mobile's Oakland customer service center, FirstPark's largest employer.

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