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V O L . X X I N O. X X I I I O C T O B E R 5 , 2 0 1 5 10 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 PORTLANDGLASS.COM PORTLANDGLASS.COM MDI considers $13.3M tab for broadband e town of Mount Desert recently learned that it would cost about $13.3 million to extend broadband Internet access to every household in town, the Mount Desert Islander reported. Tilson Technology Management, an information technology services and network construction fi rm in Portland, made the estimate part of its study of the town's telecommunications needs. Aaron Paul, one of the Tilson broad- band consultants who conducted the study, said the goal is to provide ubiquitous Wi-Fi access in vil- lage centers and in harbor areas. He presented a summary of the study's fi ndings and four broadband options to the Mount Desert Board of Selectmen on Sept. 21, according to the newspaper. e town could cre- ate a universal broadband network through municipal fi nancing and ownership or a system owned by investors, Paul said. He told town offi cials that universal broadband access has been shown to boost job creation and increase median household incomes and average home values. e town's economic development committee has said the expansion of broadband Internet access throughout the town would encourage and support business development and increase the year- round population. In July, the fi rm won a $270,335 contract to design, engineer and build a broadband net- work in a section of Ellsworth. Rockland Navigator Motor Inn sale in the works Freeport-based Maine Course Hospitality Group is negotiating the purchase of one of Rockland's largest motels, the Navigator Motor Inn, in order to renovate the complex, the Bangor Daily News reported recently. Once the sale is fi nalized, renovations are expected to take six months, Peter Anastos, principal of the group, told the newspaper. e group is aiming to reopen by June 1. e fi ve-story hotel was built in 1971 on Main Street across from the Maine State Ferry Terminal. It has been owned by Robert and Dorothy Liberty since 2000, according to the news- paper. e purchase comes in the midst of development eff orts aimed at revitalizing the waterfront com- munity. Investors are pouring more than $20 million into a variety of projects to make Rockland a bigger draw for visitors and residents all year round and spark development at the working waterfront. 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 Redzone Wireless LLC, a wireless Internet service provider in Camden, expanded its high speed Internet ser- vice in Westbrook, Camden, Rockland and Manchester/Augusta. Potato harvest underway after heat delay Potato farmers in Aroostook County reported that high temperatures delayed the start of the harvest for three days last week, but the initial quality and yield of the crop appear better than last year, the Associated Press reported Sept. 23. Randy Smith, farm manager at the Aroostook Farm in Presque Isle, a research farm oper- ated by the University of Maine, told the AP that weather for the growing season has been "as good as it could ever be hoped for." But the Maine Potato Board said it's too early to project whether this year's harvest will surpass last year's level of 1.52 billion pounds of potatoes. Farmers said the amount of rain and sun for the growing season was perfect, even though last week's temperatures in the 80s made it too warm to put potatoes into storage. Aroostook County home sales on the rise Aroostook County home sales were up 8.21% between June 1 and Aug. 31 compared to the same quarter in 2014, the St. John Valley Times reported. e Maine Association of Realtors said in the overall the real estate market in Maine there are "healthy" increases for both sales volume and prices, the newspaper reported. Real estate agents reported 1,661 single-family existing home sales in Maine for August, a 6.89% increase over the same month in 2014. Prices were also up 4.91% to a statewide median sales price of 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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