The money comes from the Northern Border Regional Commission, established by Congress in 2008 to fund development projects in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York.
Training an outdoor recreation workforce, developing a shared commercial kitchen and modernizing health care campuses are on the docket for federal grants.
The combat veteran is now working with the Maine Technology Institute to scale up production of the backpacks and laptop bags, some of which are bulletproof.
The next phase of the urban development of the midtown shopping plaza project is underway. The construction of the Fish River Rural Health is slated to begin in 2023.
The grant, awarded to the Greater Franklin Development Council, was one of eight awarded by the Northern Border Regional Commission in Maine last week; others included support for redevelopment of the former Great Northern Paper mill site in East Millinocket.
The five communities, all hit hard by the demise of the traditional timber industry, are looking at innovative ways to take advantage of the abundance of timber in the region — as well as former mill sites.
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