Mainebiz

V O L . X X X I N O. X X V I I D E C E M B E R 1 , 2 0 2 5 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 populations in clinical trials and by building pediatric research capacity in states like Maine and New Hampshire with historically less NIH funding. Town & Country Federal Credit Union in Scarborough awarded a total of $30,000 to eight nonprofits that serve Cumberland and York counties through its annual Better Neighbor Fund. Ellsworth community rallies for urgent roof fix Ellsworth Historical Society raised $26,000 a new roof for the historic Chamberlain/Whitney House, the only official repository for the city's history. A total of 37 community donors contrib- uted more than the match needed for a $13,000 gift from a donor-advised fund at the Maine Community Foundation. Built around 1825 at 357 State St. in the Ellsworth Falls neighborhood, the house was donated to the society in 2014 and serves as its headquarters, educational resource and archive and as a meeting space for community groups. 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 Rockport Marine launched a 95-foot, custom-built sailing yacht and began testing its internal systems, the final stage toward the owners' plan to cruise the world. The launch took place earlier this month in Rockport Harbor. Rockport Marine built the "superyacht" Ouzel to the specifications of Langan Design Partners, of Newport, R.I., with interior design by Mark Whiteley Design, of Lymington, U.K. The build uses a wood-composite construction technique, which combines an engi- neered blend of cold-molded wood, carbon fiber, a type of fiberglass called "E-glass" and foam coring. KidsPeace unveils expanded special-purpose school A nonprofit that provides residen- tial treatment programs for children relocated its special-purpose program to a new facility that has double the capacity. KidsPeace opened its new Orono Learning Center at 16 Godfrey Drive. e Orono facility repurposed a 21,000-square-foot, single-story office building and has three times as many classrooms as the Old Town location, with the capacity to care for more than 60 children. It was designed to provide a more comfortable working environ- ment for education staff. ere's an employee daycare center, green space for outdoor activities and facili- ties for in-house and community training. Maine Adaptive program leases new space Maine Adaptive Sports & Recreation has leased Hurricane Island Outward Bound School's 375-acre campus at 125 Outward Bound Road in Newry. e goal is to transform the campus into a universally accessible, year-round base and launchpad for adap- tive recreation programs. Terms of the lease were not disclosed. e site includes administrative offices, lodging accommodations, trail access and ample room for Maine Adaptive's growing fleet of adaptive sports equipment, such as handcycles, mountain bikes, kayaks and golf carts. N O T E W O R T H Y C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N Norway Savings Bank donated $30,000 to Avesta Housing in Portland as part of a multi-year com- mitment to the organization to accel- erate the creation of low- and mod- erate-income housing in Maine and New Hampshire; $20,000 to Telstar High School in Bethel as part of a multiyear commitment to help fund the NorthStar 4-H Youth Mentoring Program experience for a cohort of students; and made a $10,000 dona- tion to The Opportunity Alliance in South Portland. Maine Connectivity Authority in Augusta announced that Maine's BEAD Final Proposal was approved by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The pro- posal includes awards totaling $48.4 million to expand Maine's internet infrastructure to 21,818 homes and businesses across the state. Western Maine Community Action an- nounced the opening of Our Place to Grow, a childcare center licensed for 29 children aged 2½ to 5, located at 105 Mount Blue Circle in Farmington. Learn about Efficiency Maine's Small Business Initiatives and competitive financing at efficiencymaine.com/small-business-energy-loans. Small Business Loans for Efficiency Upgrades Save now, and later, with exclusive financing and incentives for small businesses. Efficiency Maine offers competitive financing and higher incentives for eligible small businesses upgrading to high-performance heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. Efficiency upgrades can lower your operating costs and improve comfort and system reliability for your business. M I D C O A S T & D O W N E A S T C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N

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