2 grant misses, 1 try still in play

Wiscasset is progressing in its pursuit of a $100,000 grant to create three jobs at home-building co-op Zero Energy Homes. The state has approved the town’s letter of intent to seek the grant and, Sept. 15, selectmen nodded Chair Alissa Eason’s signing of a letter of support. The application is due in to the state Oct. 2, according to Wiscasset Economic Development Director Aaron Chrostowsky.

The letter of support to Maine Office of Community Development Director Deborah Johnson reads in part, “The Board believes the ZEH project is an excellent fit for the Maine CDBG Economic Development Program, which aims to help municipalities support business expansion projects that create new permanent jobs, particularly jobs accessible to low- and moderate-income (LMI) residents. ZEH's planned hiring, combined with its commitment to affordable, energy-efficient housing, represents a meaningful and timely economic benefit for the community.”

The grant request has to come from the town, and the grant would cost the town nothing, as the town is the “pass-through” for it, Chrostowsky explained in a public hearing in the Sept. 15 board meeting.

ZEH spokesman Mattie John Bamman told selectmen about its having subleased a facility at 518 Gardiner Road. That is Allen "Big Al" Cohen’s building, Wiscasset Newspaper reported in July.

Bamman told the board in last week’s hearing, “We’re so excited about what that means for us, because we’re about to ramp up production of our homes to 40 to 50 homes a year. And that means we’re going to be hiring a lot of carpenters, plant managers (and) quality control folks … This grant would really help us start that process.”

Also Sept. 15, the board set the special town meeting on the school budget for Sept. 29, the date the school committee sought. The meeting is at 6 p.m. at Wiscasset Middle High School. Selectmen also approved the warrant for that meeting and added the school budget validation article to the Nov. 3 town meeting warrant. The budget offer going into the Sept. 29 meeting has a 2.5% lower local ask than 2025-26’s budget did.

Commenting on department heads’ reports, Selectman Cassaundra Rose thanked Robert Bickford for his service as fire chief; as Wiscasset Newspaper reported, Bickford will stay on the department. And Rose thanked Economic Development Director Aaron Chrostowsky for the recent try at a Community Action Grant for a waterfront master plan. Rose noted, the state said there’d been a lot of applications for the limited funding.

“I know we weren’t successful … but I look forward to helping to identify either grant or philanthropic funding that we can pursue …,” Rose said.

In his written report noting the CAG try, Chrostowsky said Wiscasset’s application scored a “very competitive” 85.

In another recent miss for the town, Town Manager Dennis Simmons wrote in his report that the Maine Redevelopment Land Bank Authority did not award Wiscasset a Lightning Stabilization Grant for the warehouse on the Mason Station property. The town will try again in the next round, Simmons said.

Selectmen nodded Wiscasset Speedway’s 2027 special amusement permit; and business license requests from Your Maine Catch, 806 Bath Road, selling live lobsters; and computer numerical control (CNC) manufacturer Gillespie Machine, LLC, 519 Gardiner Road.

2 grant misses, 1 try still in play

Comments