Six working waterfront property owners in Harpswell are set to receive a total of nearly $1.2 million in state grants intended to support recovery and rebuilding from damage caused by back-to-back storms in January.
Gov. Janet Mills’ office announced the grant recipients on Monday, July 22. The six Harpswell businesses and individuals are among 68 named on a preliminary list to receive a total of $21.2 million from the state’s Working Waterfront Resilience Grant Program.
“Working waterfronts are a cornerstone of our coastal communities and our economy, and last winter’s devastating (storms) demonstrated just how vulnerable they are to extreme weather and climate change,” Mills said in a written statement. “These grants will help rebuild working waterfronts so they are able to better withstand future storms, protecting access to the water now and for generations to come.”
The resilience grant program had $25 million available for working waterfront recovery, according to a news release. The Harpswell grant recipients include:
–Chris Hole (Henry Allen’s Seafood): $400,000
–Ethan Morgan (Cook’s Wharf): $303,500
–Shawn Baumgartner (Glen’s Lobsters): $250,000
–Francis Bichrest: $97,320
–Ash Cove Lobster Inc.: $75,000
–James Clemons: $57,325
The grants announced Monday are considered preliminary, pending a final review of project eligibility. Once a project receives final grant approval, funding is expected to be distributed after Aug. 9, when the state’s supplemental budget legislation takes effect.
“This funding represents an important investment by the state in Maine’s critical yet vulnerable working waterfront,” said Patrick Keliher, commissioner of the Maine Department of Marine Resources, in a statement.
The state reviewed 80 applications for the grant program, according to the release. The Island Institute and Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association dedicated resources to help property owners complete and submit their applications, it said.
Maine has allocated another $35 million to two other funds for storm recovery: the $10 million Business Recovery and Resilience Fund, to provide direct support to businesses harmed by the winter storms; and $25 million for the Maine Infrastructure Adaptation Fund, for projects that make public infrastructure more resilient to storms and flooding.
Grant applications for those programs were still being reviewed as of July 22, with decisions expected in the coming weeks.
