Mainebiz

V O L . X X I I I N O. X X I X D E C E M B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 7 12 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 Developer's plan to include low-income housing in Auburn Developers broke ground on a mixed- use site with low-income housing at 62 Spring St. in Auburn. Developer Ethan Boxer-Macomber partnered with Auburn Housing Development Corp. on the 41-unit housing development, which will have 32 units that qualify for low-income housing tax credits and nine units that will be available at market rate. e site will include 2,400 square feet of ground-fl oor com- mercial space. e project received an array of fi nancing, including a pre- development loan from the Genesis Community Loan Fund to pay for the demolition of the former Dillingham Funeral Home. Construction will be handled by Benchmark Construction of Westbrook. Franklin Savings names successor to longtime CEO Franklin Savings Bank promoted Tim ompson to president and CEO, eff ective next year. He replaces Peter Judkins, who has been president and CEO at Franklin Savings Bank since 2005, and plans to retire at year's end. He will continue to serve on the bank's board of directors. ompson most recently served as executive vice president and chief operating offi cer and has been with the bank since 2000. Franklin Savings ranks No. 19 on the Mainebiz list of largest Maine-based banks, with $381 million in assets and eight branch offi ces. N O T E W O R T H Y C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture awarded $400,000 to St. Mary's Regional Nutrition Center in Lewiston to develop local and self-reliant food systems. This funding was provided through the institute's Community Food Projects Competitive Grant Program, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. The University of Maine at Farmington announced it has created a new World Language Education ma- jor to prepare educators for a career teaching Spanish or French in K-12 classrooms. The bachelor of science in world language education program will be available in the fall of 2018. USDA grants $388,000 for UMaine potato research e U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded a $388,000 grant to the University of Maine at Orono to study potato breeding and improve quality and pest resistance. e grant, awarded through USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Potato Breeding Research Program, aims to increase the productivity, profi tability and natural resource stewardship of eastern potato cultiva- tion. UMaine will serve as the lead partner, developing "attractive, pro- ductive, disease- and insect-resistant potato varieties for both large and small scale production," U.S. Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King said in a joint press release. According to the Maine Potato Board's 2016 report, Maine farmers grew 14.49 million pounds of potatoes on 46,000 acres — compared to the average since 1999 of 16.25 million pounds on 57,067 acres. In 2015, Maine was the sixth highest potato-growing state in the United States, with Idaho at No. 1, followed by Washington, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Colorado. N O T E W O R T H Y N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N Katahdin Bankshares Corp., parent company of Katahdin Trust Co. in Houlton, announced that it has de- clared a cash dividend on its common stock of 10 cents a share for the fourth quarter of 2017. The common stock dividend will be payable on Dec. 21, 2017 to shareholders of record as of Dec. 14, 2017. The company also de- clared a cash dividend on its preferred stock Series D of $54.6875 per share for the fourth quarter of 2017. The preferred stock Series D dividend will be payable on Jan. 15, 2018, to share- holders of record as of Jan. 5, 2018. The U.S. Department of Energy se- lected the University of Maine in Orono as a regional Combined Heat and Power Technical Assistance Partnership program designee. The announcement includes $25 million in funding, which will be disbursed over fi ve years to eight new designees, to advance the installation of cost-effec- tive, highly effi cient combined heat and power technologies. YOU'VE GOT JOBS. We've got qualified candidates. goodwillnne.org/workforce Let us find your next great employee. C E N T R A L & W E S T E R N N O R T H E R N & E A S T E R N

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