Mainebiz

V O L . X X X N O. V M A R C H 4 , 2 0 2 4 6 Gov. Janet Mills formally asked President Joe Biden for a major disas- ter declaration that would help Maine's eight coastal counties recover from the severe damage and flooding of back-to-back storms on Jan. 10 and Jan. 13. In a letter, Mills said the cost of damage — estimated at $70.3 million for public infrastructure alone — is beyond Maine's ability to pay. If approved, Maine would gain access to federal funds to repair damaged roads, bridges, public buildings, utili- ties and other public infrastructure in Washington, Hancock, Waldo, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, Cumberland and York counties. Freedom Boat Club of Maine opened its seventh location — at DiMillo's Marina in Kennebunk. M&T Bank announced that its Amplify Foundation awarded a to- tal of $325,000 to seven Maine organizations including the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine, Preble Street, Spurwink Services Inc., the Opportunity Alliance, United Way Inc., Pinetree Institute and Quality Housing Coalition. Leeward Health + Wellness, a sports medicine clinic and direct health care provider in Portland, introduced a sports medicine subscription and medical spa that offers a suite of medical aesthetic services. The Maine Lobster Community Alliance, a nonprofit in Kennebunk whose mission is to foster thriving coastal communities and preserve Maine's lobstering heritage, donated $10,000 to the Working Waterfront Support Fund. The fund was established following January's storms and historic flooding that caused widespread de- struction and millions of dollars of damage in communities up and down the Maine coast. Goldfish Swim School, an aquatic fa- cility used for year-round indoor swim classes and programs for children four months to 12 years old, opened at 512 Warren Ave. in Portland. The Maine Historical Records Advisory Board in Augusta launched the Archival Collection and Preservation Assessment Grant Program to sup- port records collecting institutions in Maine and provide resources for either archival collection or preserva- tion assessments to support future work. Funding for the grant program comes from the state of Maine and the National Historical Publications & Records Commission. Kennebec Savings Bank named the Waterville Area Soup Kitchen, Mitchell Institute and the Augusta Teen Center as the recipients of its Catalyst Grants. Each nonprofit orga- nization received $30,000. The University of Maine at Farmington initiated a new interna- tional partnership with Northeast Normal University, a public univer- sity in Changchun, China, which specializes in the training of future B U S I N E S S M A I N E Business news from around the state B R I E F Sears Island will be site of $500M Maine offshore wind-power port B y L a u r i e S c h r e i b e r F our years after short-listing state-owned Sears Island among possible ports to help build Maine's nascent off- shore wind industry, Gov. Janet Mills said Feb. 20 that the site is the preferred one. The estimated cost to build the base on a portion of the Waldo County island would be $500 million. The state is seeking funding, including federal money. The port proposal is subject to extensive state and federal permitting processes, including assessments of environmen- tal impacts and alternative sites. The Maine Department of Transportation, on behalf of the state, intends to apply for permits later this year, which will also include additional opportunities for stakeholder and public input on the project. Sears Island was the best choice, the Mills administration said, because it is already owned by the state and is desig- nated for the purpose of port development. It would cost less and would result in less environmental harm. Unlike Mack Point, the Sears Island site is not expected to require dredging. Mills said that advancing an offshore wind industry in Maine is expected to create good-paying jobs and deliver clean, renewable energy to stabilize and reduce energy prices. Sears Island covers 941 acres, of which the offshore wind operations would take up about 100 acres. The proposed port would provide deepwater access, and would include a purpose-built facility for floating off- shore wind fabrication, staging, assembly, maintenance and deployment. There are about 80 Maine companies already engaging in the U.S. offshore wind industry, the state says. And the industry could generate more than $100 billion in private investment by 2030. The University of Maine is working with a joint commer- cial venture to develop the university's floating concrete hull technology, designed to support wind turbines in water depths of 45 meters or more. The array is proposed to include 10 to 12 turbines on semi-submersible floating concrete platforms designed by the University of Maine's Advanced Structures and Composite Center. Critical first step A port facility is a critical step to developing a floating offshore wind industry, said Habib Dagher, the founding director of the University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center, which developed the VolturnUS floating wind turbine platform. The port will be used to produce floating turbines, designed in Maine using technology developed by University of Maine researchers, and towed out and moored beyond the horizon to harness clean energy for our state, Dagher said. "Much like creating a shipyard, this port will usher in a new era of energy independence enabling us to more affordably heat our homes, stabilize our energy costs, and create good-paying Maine jobs," said Dagher. P ROV I D E D M A P / S TAT E O F M A I N E Sprague Terminal GAC STOCKTON HARBOR PENOBSCOT BAY LONG COVE Sears Island Searsport Transporta on Parcel Protected Area Mack Point Sears Island was the best choice, the Mills administration said, because it is already owned by the state, designated for the purpose of port development, projected to cost less and expected to result in less environmental harm. Unlike Mack Point, the Sears Island site is not expected to require dredging. N O T E W O R T H Y S T A T E W I D E S T A T E W I D E N O T E W O R T H Y S O U T H E R N S O U T H E R N 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

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