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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 9 M AY 2 9 , 2 0 1 7 commercial space. e district would encompass 85 buildings, 65 of which would most likely be eligible for historic register status, making them eligible for the tax credits as well. " e district makes a lot of sense," Lincoln Jeff ers, director of economic and community development, said during a city council meeting. "[It would be] a very good thing for economic development." Bates kicks off $300M fundraising campaign Bates College kicked off the most ambitious fundraising eff ort in its his- tory in Boston on May 16 knowing that it already has raised $168.5 million, or more than half the $300 million goal, in the two-year quiet phase of seeking pledges. Clayton Spencer, president of Bates, said the fi ve-year campaign seeks to strengthen the college's endowment by $160 million through professorships and endowed funds for fi nancial aid and academic innovations; improve facilities, includ- ing new and modernized STEM facil- ities; increase funding for programs focused on student success, including Purposeful Work; and sustain a strong Bates Fund. Donations were led by a $50 million gift from Michael Bonney and Alison Grott Bonney, who both graduated from Bates in 1980. e Bonneys' gift, given by their family foundation, will fund the building and renovation of new and modernized STEM facilities at Bates. N O T E W O R T H Y C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N J.S. McCarthy Printers in Augusta and Bobst North America Inc. of Roseland, N.J., announced the signing of an agreement for the purchase of a BOBST SP 104 BM Autoplaten Hot Foil Stamper and Die-Cutter and Bobst Visionfold 110 Specialty Folder-Gluer equipped with HANDYPACK GT. The new equipment will help the company meet the demand for value-added services from markets such as pharmaceutical, packaging and greeting cards. 'Hero of the Seas' award for fi sheries leader Robin Alden, executive director of the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries, received the "Hero of the Seas" award from the nonprofi t Peter Benchley Ocean Awards. Alden's award recog- nizes her career "working at the grass- roots, engaging fi shermen's knowledge and participation to build sustainable, healthy coastal fi sheries and fi sh- ing communities." She received the award at a gala event on May 11 at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. Alden, a one-time commissioner of the Department of Marine Resources, has been a marine grassroots activist for more than 40 years. For 20 years she was publisher and editor of Commercial Fisheries News, which she founded in 1973. She also was co-founder of the Maine Fishermen's Forum. She co- founded the Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries in 2003. Earlier this year, Alden announced she would retire as executive director by year's end. 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 Downeast Salmon Federation in East Machias was awarded three grants in support its holistic ecosystem ap- proach to restoring the endangered Atlantic salmon and other species of sea-run fi sh. The Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund awarded the federation more than $20,000 for water qual- ity habitat restoration and the Onion Foundation in Winthrop awarded an additional $5,000 for the project. The federation also received $10,000 from Patagonia to purchase equipment for in-stream restoration work. U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded the Damariscotta Fire Department $36,262 through the Assistance to Firefi ghter Grant program to be used for vehicle extrication equipment. Bangor's concert series still without a contract e company that runs Bangor's waterfront concert series is still with- out a contract, seven months after the last deal expired and two weeks before the start of the summer series. e Bangor Daily News reported May 22 that negotiations on a new contract got snagged over the volume level of 866.736.2804 mainebls.com EQUIPMENT REAL ESTATE BUSINESS ACQUISITION Maine Loans for Maine Businesses Loans from $50,000 to $20,000,000 Streamlined Process Gets Deals Done Quickly Decisions Made in Maine 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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