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State offering second round of grants for businesses impacted by last winter's severe storms

A flooded roadway and businesses beside Cobbosseecontee Stream in downtown Gardiner on Dec. 20, 2023.
Kevin Miller
/
Maine Public
A flooded roadway and businesses beside Cobbosseecontee Stream in downtown Gardiner on Dec. 20, 2023.

The Mills administration announced Tuesday an additional $2 million for businesses impacted by storms that caused widespread damage one year ago.

The grants will help pay for repairs and infrastructure improvements related to the series of storms that battered Maine last December and January, causing extensive flooding and other damage in coastal and riverfront communities. State lawmakers allocated $60 million for storm recovery earlier this year, including $10 million for the Business Recovery and Resiliency Fund.

More than 100 small businesses and nonprofits received $8 million during the first round of the program. Jake Daniele, small business development manager for the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development, said this second and final round is aimed at addressing some of the additional unmet needs out there in the business community.

"We are going to prioritize businesses that missed out in the first round," Daniele said. "I've already had plenty of businesses reach out to me to say, 'Hey, I didn't get my application in or I didn't know about this until it was too late. Is the funding available?' So we will open it up to them first."

The program will offer grants of up to $100,000 for the design, permitting and construction of projects tied to the December and January storms. Grant recipients must match the grant amount with their own funds, insurance or money from other sources.

Daniele said grants could be put toward ongoing or future projects. And one key goal of the program is building long-term resilience.

"We're really targeting these funds to not just the repair section but really building back better, making sure that they are ready for the next storm, the next severe weather event," he said. "So some of those repairs could take months, years. It's more of a process."

Applications are due by January 14. And grant recipients must match the amount of the grant.

“Many Maine businesses were impacted during the three winter storms,” Heather Johnson, commissioner of the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development, said in a statement. “We were able to get direct help to many business owners in the first round, and these funds will allow us to reach even more businesses to help them recover and increase their resilience to a changing climate.”

More information on the program is available here.