Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 21 O C T O B E R 3 0 , 2 0 1 7 F O C U S T R A N S P O R TAT I O N / I N F R A S T R U C T U R E Although GPCOG employees hadn't previ- ously been using Go Maine's carpooling or rideshar- ing options, the challenge has inspired "a bunch" of new people to sign up, says Harbison. at includes one employee from Raymond, who has been experi- menting with driving his car to a park-and-ride in Falmouth, then biking approximately 10 miles to work. GPCOG encourages green commuting in other ways, too. It has bike racks for 10 to 15 bikes, a shower for biking commuters to freshen up, and an offi ce bike for car commuters to use during the workday. Plus, the organization's location at Baxter Boulevard makes it easy to bike to external meetings. "I enjoy it because it's a fun way to get to work," says Harbison. "It feels like you're doing right by the environment. I like the way I feel when I get to work, having a little bit of exercise and not being beholden to the car all the time." Health, environmental benefi ts Green commuters in Maine and elsewhere cite health and environmental benefi ts, but also fewer car-related headaches and expense. At Google's Mountain View, Calif., headquarters, biodiesel-powered vans transport 4,500 employees, tak- ing an estimated 3,000 cars off the road and reduced car- bon emissions by 16,000 tons annually, Forbes reported in 2013. At that time, Google also had 240 EV chargers in its parking lots to support the corporate EV fl eet. At Dartmouth College, a green commute web- page makes it easy to fi nd alternatives to single-occu- pancy cars. Initiatives include a car-sharing web tool for matching riders and drivers, free showers for bike, walk or run commuters, reduced-rate parking for car- pooling faculty and staff , free parking for three-per- son carpools, van-pooling provided by the college, a bike-share program, and an app that allows bus riders to track real-time bus locations. In Maine, Go Maine is a primary driver for green commutes. e program: ¡ Provides ride matching ¡ Assists employers and employees with commuter options ¡ Works with planning agencies, businesses, advocacy groups and other partners to reduce the number of single-occupancy vehicles ¡ Develops commuter programs throughout the state. Coordinator Rebecca Grover explains that car- poolers establish a Go Maine account to enter their information online and fi nd matches. ey can record their trips, making them eligible for rewards, like gift cards and discounts, based on the num- ber of green trips they make. Go Maine also off ers an emergency ride home benefi t: For example, if a commuter who rode in someone else's car must leave work early due to an emergency, they can get a free car rental or taxi back home. Although Go Maine is statewide, employers that use it most tend to be in densely populated areas like Portland and Augusta, says Grover. Outreach is typi- cally done through radio ads and the occasional print ad, highway signage, and direct communication with employers, particularly those with transportation issues. Grover cites parking congestion in downtown Portland as just one scenario where Go Maine is useful. "If everyone comes in a single-occupancy vehicle, and each one needs a parking space, that becomes an issue," she says. Another example of Go Maine's work was start- ing a van pool to help "new Mainers" who live in Lewiston get to jobs in Portland. Shared parking spots Grover says Portland-based MEMIC, which pro- vides workers' comp insurance, has jumped onboard with the program. " ey've had to park all over creation to fi nd spaces for their employees," she says. Brad Brunelle, MEMIC's purchasing manager and Grover's contact for coordinating the program, says parking in Portland is a challenge due to low supply and increasing demand. e topic has been on the table for a couple of years. While many employ- ees live in Portland, there are clusters from places like Freeport, Biddeford, Saco or further away. "We've talked about what we could do to help with car-pooling or to incentivize public transportation," Brunelle says. e company signed onto Go Maine's challenge to launch its incentives. Now MEMIC is buying bus passes for employees who give up parking spaces; or MEMIC will pay for the space for those who car-pool and therefore share a space. "A lot of people are interested," Brunelle says. "It's just a matter of hesitation about giving up that parking space. It takes commitment to car-pool fi ve days a week. e biggest challenge is we're asking them to share a parking spot. Someone might say, 'I can do it three days a week, but I'm having trouble the other two days.'" Addressing those concerns, MEMIC also off ers to pay once a month for parking if a car-pooler needs to drive individually. "It gives them peace of mind knowing they have some support for days they can't car-pool," he says. e Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor as one of the biggest employers Go Maine works with. ere, it's not about parking, but distance. " e employees have awesome jobs, but the lab is hard to get to," she says. David Landry, the lab's manager of facility adminis- trative services, says 125 to 135 employees ride the region's commuter bus system from as far as Bangor and other towns an hour or more away. at's partly because Bar Harbor has become too expensive for employees to live. " e vast majority of folks now, as opposed to 20 to 30 years ago, live off -island," he says. So the lab since 2006 has subsidized the bus sys- tem. A certain number of seats are allocated to lab employees, who pay a subscriber or day fee. "It's been great for employee recruitment," Landry says. "Our employees can save a lot of money on mile- age and gas."A 100-mile round-trip from Hampden saves an estimated $4,000 per year: "It doesn't take long to add up," he adds. Surrounded by Acadia National Park, the lab thinks of itself as a steward of the environment. "We'll do anything we can to help reduce CO2," Landry says. " e more people we have commuting by bus or car-pooling makes a huge diff erence." LaUrie Schreiber, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at Lschreiber @ maiNebiZ.biZ and @MaiNebiZREI 1994 Purchased first pair of new Caterpillar D3C dozers 1996 Purchased first pair of new Mack dump trucks 1997 Established profit sharing plan 1999 Sales top 5 million 2000 Built new facility at Phinney Pit in Buxton 2003 Fleet of Equipment tops 100 Pieces 2003 Awarded First AGC Build Maine Award 2005 Sales top 10 million 2015 Awarded First OSHA SHARP Award 2016 Sales top 15 million 2017 Celebrating 30 Years "We've grown because we're hands-on, we work hard and we've hired good people. That's not going to change." — Jim Shaw 2017 "If we continue to do things the right way and provide our customers with the same quality of work we always have, we'll have plenty of work to do and the growth will continue to take care of itself." — Tom Shaw Bicycle Benefits For bike commuters, Rick Harbison at the Greater Portland Council of Governments recommends sign- ing up for Bicycle Benefits (bicyclebenefits.org): "It's a national program that a bunch of businesses participate in around here, where local businesses sell a sticker that you put on your helmet. When you ride your bike to businesses that support Bicycle Benefits, you show them your helmet with the sticker and get discounts. I use mine at Holy Donuts and get a free donut all the time, and Rosemont Market participates as well."

• Cover