LINCOLN COUNTY CONTRACTED SERVICES

Planning Services

Lincoln County is the only county in Maine that provides planning services to its municipalities. The County contracts with Bob Faunce to provide land use and development planning services for its eighteen mainland municipalities as well as for the Lincoln County Government itself. (Monhegan Island is served by the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission.) Planning services available to county municipalities include assistance to planning boards in reviewing subdivisions and commercial projects, revisions to development ordinances, assistance with grant applications and comprehensive plan updates and planning for special projects. As a representative of the County Commission, Bob also serves as staff for the Maine Department of Transportation’s Gateway 1 Project, is a member of the Midcoast Bypass Task Force and is spearheading a regional effort to upgrade local development ordinances. He can be contacted at 784-2617 or rfaunce@megalink.net.

Economic Development Services

The Lincoln County Economic Development Office (LCEDO) is a collaboration between the Lincoln County Government and Coastal Enterprises, Inc, a CDC/CDFI institution in Wiscasset. The office serves as a single point of contact for development initiatives within county boundaries. The office provides technical assistance to towns, businesses, and civic organizations to secure private and state as well as federal level funding in order to promote entrepreneurship and small business development in Lincoln County. It is the goal of the office to expand meaningful employment opportunities by bringing jobs that pay a livable wage to the region.

One of the ways that this is accomplished is through a concerted effort to create a favorable climate for business. In order to support development and expansion of new and existing Maine based businesses, as well as to attract new businesses, LCEDO has facilitated the inclusion of several towns and eligible businesses in the Maine Pine Tree Zone program. The Pine Tree Zone is a state program that qualifies eligible businesses in targeted sectors for tax incentives to support expansion. From fishing and aquaculture to boat building and manufacturing, economic pursuits in Lincoln County combine tradition and innovation. With support from the county and the expertise and assistance of the office and its many collaborators, companies like Fluid Imaging in Edgecomb, Masters Machine in Bristol, Hodgdon Yachts in Boothbay, and Waldoboro Environmental Business Park demonstrate effective R&D followed by successful commercialization of advanced composite and manufacturing technology, links to global markets, and commitment to environmental standards and best practices.

The pastoral farmlands north of Route 1, like the peninsular fishing communities, still make up an important part of the local economic base, as working landscapes and tourist destinations. To protect the rich natural resources and cultural practices that are part of the region’s comparative economic advantage, LCEDO partners with neighboring counties to foster responsible development along the coast. For example, a partnership with the Town of Brunswick and Sagadahoc County created the Midcoast Economic Development District (MCEDD). A Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) document articulates development goals that include support for traditional resource based industries, boatbuilding and enhancement of the maritime economy and marine related industries, tourism and the arts, health care, affordable housing, and entrepreneurship. In order to support local farms and promote sustainable agriculture, LCEDO co-founded Focus on Agriculture in Rural Maine Schools (FARMS), to connect farms with classrooms and cafeterias in local elementary and secondary schools. FARMS represents a joint venture with educators, school administrators, farmers, and health care practitioners to achieve a healthy, prosperous, and sustainable community. Under contract with the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development, LCEDO provides ongoing technical assistance for the state’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). This program has delivered substantial benefits in the areas of business assistance, historic preservation, and affordable housing, enabling the county to build a technology park alongside hiking trails on the site of a decommissioning nuclear power plant, construct northern New England’s only botanical garden, renovate historic buildings and make them handicapped accessible, as well as convert a travel agency to a residential community health facility for students aging out of the school system.

An integral part of LCEDO’s mission is to help promote heritage based development, in an environmentally and culturally sensitive manner. Current Director Amy Winston has a background in rural development policy and sustainable economic development. She recently returned from a sabbatical at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage in Washington, DC, where she was invited to profile development strategies and economic activities in Lincoln County. For more information about LCEDO, to learn about current or ongoing projects, or to ask about locating to Lincoln County, please visit www.lincolncountymaine.org and www.ceimaine.org, or contact Dr. Winston at 882-7564 or arw@ceimaine.org.

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