2025 CDBG Program Statement Released
The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program has released its 2025 Program Statement. Please see the document linked below for the new statement. More information on CDBG can be found on their website.
Nov 21st--MCOG General Assembly
The MCOG General Assembly will be held at the Watts Hall in Thomaston on November 21st. The theme will be “The Challenge of Change” for communities, and our keynote speaker is Amanda Rector, Maine's State Economist. Two panels will follow, the first one focusing on climate change in Maine communities and the second one touching on a variety of topics including transportation, housing, DEI, and businesses. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP on the events page of our website.
Project Update: Building Resilient Roadways in Knox and Waldo Counties
The "Weathering the Storm" project is underway, focusing on building resilient roadways across Knox and Waldo counties by addressing vulnerable stream and tidal crossings. This effort is critical for communities in our region where recent severe storm events have compromised culverts and crossings, impacting residents' access, emergency response, and local economies. By enhancing the resilience of vulnerable road crossings, the project supports reliable access and economic stability, especially during increasingly intense weather events.
We've completed the first task, where we gathered invaluable local knowledge from municipalities about specific vulnerabilities and priorities. This input will shape a resilience strategy tailored to municipal needs. Recently, we brought on GEI Consultants to conduct the regional scale assessment and “Stream Smart” culvert fieldwork, which will further inform the project by identifying regionally significant high-priority culverts for upgrades. Preliminary results are expected by late winter 2025, allowing towns to review and provide feedback on the findings and prioritize projects for future funding and implementation.
Bath and Rockland Planner Jobs Available
Bath and Rockland are hiring for planning positions. See the links below for more information.
Bath position: City of Bath, Maine - Official Website - Assistant Planner
Rockland position: Municipal Career Center - City Planner
The Midcoast Council of Governments would like to remind you of the Thriving Communities Program efforts occurring in our region.
MCOG, along with Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission (LCRPC) and MidCoast Public Transportation (MCPT) were recently selected from over 200 applicants to receive two years of technical assistance through US Department of Transportation’s Thriving Communities Program (TCP). The focus of this program is designing and advancing transportation infrastructure projects that address critical social, economic, environmental, and mobility needs. The technical assistance is being provided by three staff members from two national non-profits: RCAP Solutions and the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO).
To kick off the Thriving Communities Program technical assistance, on Monday, September 30, and Tuesday, October 1, staff of all the organizations in the effort completed a two-day event including community meetings and a driving and walking tour of the Midcoast from Brunswick to Searsport. This event gave the national non-profit partners a chance to see the transportation challenges in the region.
Please see this section on the MCOG website for more information on what the tour and community discussions accomplished.
Natural Hazards and Land Use Planning 101 Webinar Series: Save the Date!
The fourth webinar in our collaboration series with Maine Coastal Program and Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission on November 24 at 4:00pm. This will be a online-only webinar that focused on zoning and ordinances to help with risk reduction.
For further questions, or interested in registering, please email:
Max Johnstone, mjohnstone@midcoastcog.com
Rachael Hamilton, rachael.hamilton@maine.gov