Mainebiz

V O L . X X X I I N O. I X M AY 4 , 2 0 2 6 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 said it will use the proceeds, together with its existing cash and restricted cash, to repay debt, with the remain- der to be put towards working capital, growth capital and general corporate purposes. e shares began trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market on April 23. e net proceeds exceeded expec- tations to raise $92 million to $108 million. e Elmet Group consists of Elmet Technologies in Lewiston and Microwave Techniques in Gorham. St. Mary's grows behavioral care St. Mary's Health System in Lewiston has added a new intensive outpatient program amid con- tinued demand for mental health services. e program is a contin- uum of behavioral health services designed to support individuals at every stage of need. It provides structured therapy several days per week while allowing participants to live at home, maintain daily responsibilities and stay connected to family and community. Children's Home expands Waterville center Maine Children's Home will open a new family center in the Waterville campus's Lunder Building, which is under renovation by Winslow-based H.T. Winters Co. e Family Center, at 93 Silver St., will bring four family-centered programs together under one roof, enhancing coordina- tion and expanding access to ser- vices. e renovation is modernizing the 7,600-square-foot facility with trauma-informed spaces for clini- cal counseling and other services, positioning Maine Children's Home to meet growing demand for mental health support. UMA breaks ground on Hallowell residence hall e University of Maine at Augusta broke ground on April 15 on its fourth residence hall at 2 Beach St. in Hallowell. e site is known as Stevens Commons, a complex led by Mastway Development Inc. e new residence hall, with 60 beds, will be 18,000 square feet and is expected to open in fall 2027. Thomas College adds new degree in athletic coaching omas College plans to launch a new bachelor's degree in athletic coaching this fall, marking, what the school says, is the first program of its kind in Maine. e bachelor of science in advanced coaching degree is designed to prepare students for careers leading teams and developing athletes. N O T E W O R T H Y C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N Central Maine Power in Augusta, a subsidiary of Avangrid Inc., an- nounced the return and continued growth of its Union Trade Internship Program for 2026, providing more Maine high school students with hands-on training alongside frontline union employees in the electric util- ity industry. Norway Savings Bank donated $20,000 to Norway Downtown to support the nonprofit's mission to work with local people to build on the assets of the unique and treasured Main Street in revitalizing the area through collaboration with residents, businesses and other nonprofits. Gideon Asen, a law firm in Auburn, announced that a Penobscot County jury returned a $6.5 million verdict for its client, Travis Getchell, in a medical malpractice case against Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor. The verdict is the second-highest amount ever awarded by a Penobscot County jury. Getchell alleged that the hospital was Mills backs certain data center development B y R e n e e C o r d e s G ov. Janet Mills nixed a proposed temporary statewide data center ban, throwing her support behind a $550 million plan to transform a shuttered paper mill in the Franklin County town of Jay into a data center. The measure, sponsored by state Rep. Melanie Sachs, D-Freeport, would have prohibited state and municipal permitting of data centers 20 megawatts and larger until Nov. 1, 2027. The measure, which comes amid proposed projects in Jay and Sanford, would have been the first of its kind in the nation. "A moratorium is appropriate given the impacts of mas- sive data centers in other states on the environment and on electricity rates," Mills wrote in a letter to lawmakers. "But the final version of this bill fails to allow for a specific project in the town of Jay that enjoys strong local support from its host community and region." In a statement issued after the veto, Sachs criticized Mills for going against a state task force recommendation that Maine should develop a playbook for responding to new data center development projects. "While a veto might protect the proposed data center project in Jay, it poses significant potential consequences for all rate- payers, our electric grid, our environment and our shared energy future," said Sachs, who chairs the House's Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee. "This decision is simply wrong." Jay redevelopment plan In Jay, at the site of the former Pixel Androscoggin Paper Mill, which closed in 2023, a proposed data center is already under contract and has received several permits. Mills said the project is expected to create more than 800 construction jobs, at least 100 high-paying permanent positions and generate substantial property tax revenue for the 4,674-population town in the governor's home county. In her letter, Mills noted that she intends to issue an executive order establishing a council to examine the impact of data centers in Maine, as called for in the bill she vetoed. In a related move last week, Mills signed a bill spon- sored by state Rep. Daniel Sayre, D-Kennebunk, that will bar new data center projects from receiving certain state tax exemptions. Maine's governor, in office since 2019, is running in the Democratic Senate primary in June with the ultimate goal of unseating U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in November's election. 'Meaningful opportunity' The Maine State Chamber of Commerce applauded the governor's veto of the data center moratorium and support for economic development in Jay. "For communities seeking investment, jobs and renewed tax base growth, projects like this can represent meaningful opportunity," the group said in a statement emailed to Mainebiz. The chamber said it is open to working with the admin- istration and Legislature on developing data centers in Maine, including managing peak energy demand, using on-site energy generation and maximizing benefits for all electric ratepayers. P O L I T I C S & C O. While a veto might protect the proposed data center project in Jay, it poses significant potential consequences for all ratepayers, our electric grid, our environment and our shared energy future. — Rep. Melanie Sachs D-Freeport P H O T O / A D O B E S T O C K

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