GrowSmart Maine

Taking back the streets.

GrowSmart Maine's annual summit will feature US leader of USDA Rural Development GrowSmart Maine, a nonprofit, plans its annual summit for Oct. 21 at the Waterville Opera House.

Hey! Did you catch who our keynote speakers will be at this year's GrowSmart Maine Summit?

💡Dr. Basil Gooden, Under Secretary, USDA Rural Development
🌲Hon Hannah Pingree, Director, Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future
✍️ Kate Cough, Editor, The Maine Monitor

GrowSmart Maine's annual summit will feature US leader of USDA Rural Development GrowSmart Maine, a nonprofit, plans its annual summit for Oct. 21 at the Waterville Opera House.

Shoutout to City of Ellsworth, Maine Ellsworth Public Library for hosting the largest-to-date Maine Climate Council regional public sessions to review and gather feedback as they update Maine’s Climate Action Plan . Land use and transportation strategies got lots of support! is !

This Friday (9/20) at 12pm, Maine Conservation Voters (MCV) will be hosting an exciting Lunch & Learn program: “Tekαkαpimək Rising: the Remarkable Story of Creating a Welcome Center at Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument”.

From the Katahdin Woods & Waters website ( www.friendsofkww.org/tekakapimek ):

“Tekαkαpimək Contact Station is a stunning 7,900 square-foot building and 23-acre site atop Lookout Mountain created to welcome the global public to Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. The monument is located within the present and traditional homeland of the Penobscot Nation […] Tekαkαpimək is a Penobscot language word for “as far as one can see”, pronounced deh gah-gah bee mook […] All Wabanaki Cultural Knowledge and Intellectual Property shared within this project is owned by the Wabanaki Nations – the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Mi’kmaq Nation, Passamaquoddy Tribe, and Penobscot Nation.”

The hour-long program will feature James Eric Francis Sr., the Penobscot Nation’s Director of Cultural and Historic Preservation and member of the Wabanaki Advisory Board; Dr. Jane Anderson, Associate Professor at NYU, co-founder of Local Contexts, and intellectual and cultural property consultant; and Lucas St. Clair, President of Elliotsville Foundation.

To learn more and to watch this presentation on Friday, head over to MCV’s website here:
https://www.maineconservation.org/calendar/tek%ce%b1k%ce%b1pim%c9%99k-rising-the-remarkable-story-of-creating-a-welcome-center-at-katahdin-woods-and-waters-national-monument/

Go Heart of Ellsworth and City of Ellsworth, Maine!

📣 WE DID IT! Ellsworth has been officially accredited as a National Main Street America community!

“Heart of Ellsworth and the entire Ellsworth community is overjoyed and so proud to receive this accreditation,” says Cara Romano, Executive Director of Heart of Ellsworth. Heart of Ellsworth joins ten other nationally accredited Main Street communities working with Maine Downtown Center in Maine.

To read the full press release, visit our blog: https://www.heartofellsworth.org/blog. Featured in photo: champions of Heart of Ellsworth in front of the City of Ellsworth, Maine's city hall.

Check out our program for this year’s GrowSmart Maine Summit!

Following our notable keynote speakers, we’ll have Community Spotlights, City Experience Walking Tours, and more!

Register here: https://growsmartmaine.org/growsmart-maine-annual-summit-2024/

Congress must listen to the will of the people and prioritize a farm bill that works to end hunger and food insecurity, supports SNAP, supports nutrition and access to healthy food.

Make an equitable, sustainable, and resilient a priority! Read the full letter here: bit.ly/FB24SO

National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition

Follow the link to add your contact information in order to receive information about registration and speaker announcements!
https://forms.gle/gVCUqnR1gko8U9b26

Please join Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives Rachel Talbot Ross and Black Owned Maine, Coastal Enterprises, Inc., Eastern Maine Development Corporation, Food Solutions New England, Four Directions Development Corporation, GrowSmart Maine, Maine Center for Economic Policy, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, and the United States Department of Agriculture for our inaugural Economic Equity Summit which has come together under the leadership of and in response to the urging from a working group of African American and African farmers in Maine.

Please add your contact information to this form to receive information about registration and speaker announcements. https://forms.gle/gVCUqnR1gko8U9b26

Come find us this weekend at Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA)'s Common Ground Country Fair in the Social and Political Action tent!

Have you seen who's speaking at our Summit this year?

We're proud to host Dr. Basil Gooden, USDA Rural Development's Under Secretary for Rural Development, and Hannah Pingree, Director of the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future.

Join us for our annual Summit at the Waterville Opera House on October 21st! For more information on the speakers and to pick up your tickets, click here: https://growsmartmaine.org/growsmart-maine-annual-summit-2024/

Happy to be partners in the work in Kennebec County with both give IT. get IT and Boys & Girls Clubs and YMCA at the Alfond Youth & Community Center doing great STEM work in Waterville.

Maine Connectivity Authority Maine Broadband Coalition

Learn about the growth of our give IT. get IT. Build IT Program, our school—and community-based Youth Engagement and experiential Technology Education Program. Learn about Build IT - give IT get IT's community based program To advance this mission, we decided to run a pilot program with the Alfond Youth and Community Center in Central Maine. Ninety-five students aged 8 to 12 in AYCC's STEM program have been enthusiastically assembling 165 desktop computers for local disadvantaged families using give IT. get IT. recover...

We agree! These are exciting proposals on the national level, focused on , and . All this equals . Thanks SSenator Angus S. King, Jr.

Bipartisan solutions needed for affordable housing shortfall Bipartisan solutions needed for affordable housing shortfall

🚨GrowSmart Maine Summit 2024 registration now open!🚨

We're so excited to welcome you to register for our annual Summit - We Get What We Plan For: How Smart Growth Creates Community.

National and local keynote speakers, Community Spotlights, City Experience Walking Tours, and more are waiting for you in Waterville on October 21st. Find out more and get your tickets here: https://growsmartmaine.org/growsmart-maine-annual-summit-2024/

We're transforming historic 509 Forest Avenue into Rumery Lofts, coming June 2025!

Studio, 1BR & 2BR apartments with garage parking. 12,000 SF of first-floor commercial space available immediately subject to tenant’s buildout needs. Reach out to us for more information!

Stay tuned to learn more about this project and the building’s fascinating history and rehabilitation progress!

GrowSmart Maine will be hosting our 3 session class, IPhone Basics, at Oakland Public Library, September 11th, 18th & 25th at 11:00am. This course covers the basics of how to use Apple’s popular iPhone. This class starts with the basics of how to log on using multiple methods from passcode to touch id to face recognition technology. Apple’s iCloud service will be discussed, including how it will help secure your data and allow your data to be used across multiple Apple devices. The App Store will be covered to find additional applications that may meet your varied interest and needs.

Have you been in downtown Augusta recently and seen these statues around? Now you can be the proud owner of one!

Augusta Downtown Alliance is auctioning off these beautiful fiberglass sturgeon statues - learn more about where they came from and pick one up today. ⬇️⬇️

Sturgeon Auction by Augusta Downtown Alliance Welcome to our auction! Please bid on the items below. If you get out-bid on the sturgeon, consider making a donation to the Augusta Downtown Alliance here!

As we count down to the holiday weekend and all that traffic, an excellent point to ponder. You're in Maine. Breathe deep and slow down a bit.

Opinion: Drivers of Maine, what exactly is your hurry? The people sharing the road with you are someone’s grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, sons and daughters.

MCA is asking housing property owners and managers in Maine to participate in the Housing Conditions Survey. In partnership with MaineHousing and others, MCA wants to better understand and address the challenge of fully connecting low-income residents within affordable housing units and developments around the state. All properties for which the survey is completed will be eligible to apply for funding in a pilot program to explore connectivity solutions and approaches.

Take the survey by October 15 here: https://buff.ly/3YXoU8M

The survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete, does not require technical knowledge of internet speeds or technology, and should be completed for each separate property/building. We appreciate your help in better understanding this issue, and look forward to working with you to design effective solutions to ensure that residents are connected.

More information is available on our website: https://buff.ly/4dU50iS

Another cool employment opportunity, this time with Eastern Area Agency on Aging which has added an additional Resource Specialist position. They are currently accepting applications for a part-time, 25-28 hour per week Resource Specialist. This position provides information and assistance to older adults and adults with disabilities regarding state and federal services, benefit programs, AAA programs, and links to local community resources. The position will be based out of their home in Penobscot County and cover in person office hours in Millinocket and the Brewer offices. Some community travel is required.

If you know of anyone interested in this opportunity, please share and have them find the full details on Indeed. We'd love to have the candidate be based remotely in a rural community in Northern Penobscot County. Katahdin Chamber of Commerce Millinocket Memorial Library

They can apply through indeed or email their cover letter and resume to me at [email protected].
Job Advertisement on Indeed:

Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) Specialist - Millinocket, ME 04462 - Indeed.com Eastern Area Agency on Aging

Want to learn more about the conversation around short-term rentals in Maine? Check out our webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HK3Ce2abpjU

Portland council unanimously approves new restrictions on short-term rentals The City Council also voted to support a new six-story, 110-unit affordable housing project on East Oxford Street.

The Wabanaki Alliance is hiring an Executive Director! Their mission is to advance and advocate for policy on the state and federal level, which will better the lives of all citizens of the Wabanaki Nations in Maine - and they're looking for a new staff leader.

Click here for more info: https://www.wabanakialliance.com/executive-director-search/

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Wabanaki Alliance Seeks Executive Director The Wabanaki Alliance is seeking an executive director to provide leadership to the organization, work with the Alliance board, oversee daily operations of the organization and maintain and enhance the many varied relationships and partnerships enjoyed by the Wabanaki Alliance.

So pleased to see this new affordable housing development in Vision Hallowell by GrowSmart member Stevens Commons.

One city, one project, one developer at a time. is

Affordable housing project in Hallowell’s Stevens Commons closing in on final approval Tree Tops Housing is aimed at tenants earning 80% or less of the area's median income for the next 45 years, with specific rent limits set by Maine State Housing Authority.

A combined childcare and affordable housing project has received approval from Portland officials The top four floors of the six-story building would house 60 apartments, with 80% designated as affordable. The bottom floors would be the home of the service provider, Youth & Family Outreach, and provide childcare and pre-K to 110 children.

We can address the housing crisis without undoing climate action solutions and without creating the next crisis of access to food and farmland.
It involves a development industry that is more responsive to the voices of local residents, with projects that are in the right places and designed in response to local community context. It involves neighbors accepting change when that change aligns with stated community goals. Everyone has to do their part.

American Farmland Trust Maine Farmland Trust Maine Audubon Maine Real Estate and Development Association Sierra Club Maine
Build Maine

Better development plans can produce more housing without ruining character of Maine "As more people are drawn to Maine, development pressure is heating up the housing market and altering the makeup of our rural lands."

The connections between transportation and housing are critical to qualify of life, cost of living, municipal budgets, climate change, and oh we could go on!
More transportation choices are needed throughout Maine, with models that work for urban, suburban, and rural areas. A coordinated approach is essential for long term viability for residents, towns and cities, and all of Maine. Moving Maine Network is working to make that happen.

The Thriving Corridors bill that passed last session as part of Policy Action 2023, the advocacy collaboration we lead with Build Maine, is an important step in providing for this coordinated planning for growth.

“Simply building out in green fields and rural areas and saying, ‘We just need transit,’ is not the solution,” Smith said.

Maine is still building homes for seniors away from public transit Maine's housing policy players generally agree that seniors need better access to public transportation, but they're less unified on who should pay for it.

🎉 DEADLINE EXTENSION 🎉

The nominations are rolling in for the Maine Smart Growth Awards - we’re up to double digits! Now is the time to make sure your favorite smart growth project, planning effort, or person is recognized at the GrowSmart Maine Summit! ⬇

https://mailchi.mp/ffcbf9da9388/call-for-nominations-msga-12706459?e=f51b71095b

Call for Nominations: Maine Smart Growth Awards With the GrowSmart Maine Summit just a few months away, it’s time to start collecting nominations for the annual Smart Growth Awards! Recognizing outstanding smart growth projects, planning efforts, and people around the state has been a staple of our annual Summit and we’re proud to kick that e...