MaineHousing is offering a 4.75 percent (5.36 percent Annual Percentage Rate), 30-year fixed rate loan with no points - a loan that also comes with MaineHousing’s Gift of Green. MaineHousing’s Gift of Green provides borrowers with a grant of $2,500 in down payment and closing cost assistance, and a coupon worth $500 for a two-part energy audit.

The new rates became effective March 2.

“We are trying to help Maine people who are on the fence about buying a home act while the federal tax credit still is available,” said Dale McCormick, Director of MaineHousing.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity,” McCormick added. “Borrowers can use our Gift of Green financial incentives of $3,000 to help access the federal First-Time Homebuyer Tax credit worth up to $8,000. If the homebuyer invests some of this in home energy efficiency improvements they may qualify for additional federal tax credits worth up to $1,500. The combination of financial incentives through the Gift of Green and federal tax credits could add up to as much as $12,500.”

Borrowers also can choose a 4.45 percent (5.24 percent APR) 30-year fixed rate loan with two points.

The new lower interest rates mean lower monthly payments, saving the average MaineHousing homebuyer thousands of dollars over the term of the loan. Homebuyers can find out how much a lower interest rate saves by using an online mortgage calculator available at www.mainehousing.org/homeloan.

While household income limits apply to MaineHousing mortgages, most Maine households are income eligible.

Potential borrowers interested in learning whether they are income eligible can use MaineHousing’s online pre-qualification tool to find out. The process takes about five minutes to complete, and eligible borrowers can print a prequalification certificate and take it to a MaineHousing lender. The tool is available at www.mainehousing.org/prequalification.

McCormick noted that people who have not owned a home in the past three years are considered first-time homebuyers and potentially are eligible for MaineHousing’s low fixed interest rates and the Gift of Green, as are active duty or retired military, and people buying a home in communities most affected by the closing of Brunswick Naval Air Station- whether they are first-time homebuyers or not.

MaineHousing offers its mortgages through more than 30 participating lenders statewide. Chris Pinkham, President of the Maine Association of Community Banks and John Murphy, President of the Maine Credit Union League encourage anyone who is considering buying a home to talk to a lender about whether they qualify.

“More people qualify for a MaineHousing mortgage than you might think,” Pinkham said.

MaineHousing mortgages come with payment protection for unemployment. If a borrower in good standing becomes unemployed, MaineHousing may help by making four mortgage payments.

“We are trying to do everything we can to make homeownership possible for Maine people,” McCormick said.

“With the new lower rates and down payment assistance, many more individuals and families will be able to purchase their own homes in 2010, and that’s good for Maine,” added Cindy Butts, CEO of the Maine
Association of Realtors.

For more information visit www.mainehousing.org/giftofgreen or call 1-800-452-4668 (voice) 1-800-452-4603 (TTY).
MaineHousing has designated the following person responsible for coordinating compliance with applicable federal and state nondiscrimination requirements and addressing grievances: Mary Darling, MaineHousing, 353 Water Street, Augusta, Maine 04330-4633, Telephone Number 1 800 452 4668 (voice in state only),(207) 626 4600 (voice), 1 800 452 4603 (TTY in state only),
or (207) 623 2985 (TTY).

Since that time the outpouring of support has been overwhelming. We have received numerous letters, e-mails, phone calls and visitors all offering help in one form or another. Unfortunately it is not until a tragedy occurs that you realize just how many friends and good people truly exist.

We would like to express our sincere thanks and gratitude to everyone who has thought of us. This letter would be far to long if we listed everyone individually. Just know that if you were a first responder, town official, colleague, vendor, competitor, fellow business owner, state official, citizen or friend who reached out to us it did not go unnoticed. It means more than we can express to know that you were concerned for us, our employees and the future of Moosehead Cedar Log Homes.

As we begin the rebuilding process it is comforting to know help is there if it is needed.

It can never be said enough but, THANK YOU.

Randy & Lucy Comber

“Maine is well poised to be successful in the Race to the Top competition. Our student achievement consistently puts us in the top five to ten states in the country. Offering our children an outstanding education is one of our most fundamental obligations. It will shape our future. To compete successfully in the global economy, we need to excel in educating our students.

“We are at a crossroads in education. We cannot afford to let the financial situation today stop us in our tracks. We cannot tell our sixth and seventh graders that we have some great ideas for improving high school, but we won’t implement them until after they have graduated. We know that new data systems are allowing school systems around the country to do a better job of identifying successful education models and where more work needs to be done.

“It’s time for action.”

That action begins with legislation that the governor has introduced to improve Maine’s education system. The immediacy is heightened by the Race to the Top application deadline of June first.

“We have a tight schedule here. I want to be crystal clear that we are not calling for charter schools; we are calling for innovative schools. Our schools need to have the right tools, so that we can more effectively raise the standards for our students to be successful in a global economy.”

There are major issues states must address to obtain Race to the Top funds: adopt better student assessments, evaluate teachers and principals, add curriculum that will prepare students better for college and global-economy careers, take measures to improve the dropout rate, and track student progress. The governor said that these steps are important to do as a state.

“It’s the right thing to do. We can’t leave our students behind. Maine is not competing with New Hampshire and Massachusetts. We are all competing with the world.

“First, we will develop a system for using student achievement as one way to measure teacher and principal effectiveness.

“There is a lot of research out there about how different things affect student outcomes. But in study after study, one thing by far knocks them all out of the water: effective teachers.

“Student test scores alone will not be the basis for evaluating teachers. With new data systems, we will be able to consider the makeup of a classroom — the various levels and skills that students bring as they start the school year, so that we can evaluate their progress over the year, rather than simply compare one class to another, or this year’s class to last.”

Evaluating where a student stands academically and how efficient Maine’s teachers and principals are is critical. Engaging students in the excitement of learning with innovative approaches that will better position them for the jobs in a knowledge-based economy is equally important.

“I want to see schools try new ways to reach students, to keep kids in school, and to make sure they graduate ready for college, career, and citizenship.

“I am proposing legislation to allow for innovative public schools. These schools will be entirely under the jurisdiction of the local school board, staffed with certified and qualified teachers. They will be subject to the same employee contracts as the rest of the district. They will have open enrollment — meaning they can’t pick and choose the students they want.

“They will have some independence, as well. They will be able to set their own schedules — both the daily schedule and the year’s schedule. They will have control over their own school-level budget. They will be required to offer extended learning programs. And they will have flexibility in the instructional program.”

Forty-eight states have signed on to adopting the new Common Core Standards; the governor wants Maine to, as well.

“Until now, the United States has remained one of the few industrialized countries in the world without national standards.

“The Common Core Standards will allow us to really understand how we are doing as a state, where we are excelling, where we need to do more work. We will be able to look to other states for models so, that we can constantly improve and give students new opportunities. And it will allow us to share our areas of expertise and professional training with other states.”

Some school systems throughout the state have already been trying innovative approaches. Programs like Jobs for Maine Graduates (JMG) have turned the lives of students around. The Great Maine Schools Project at the Mitchell Institute has been implementing new models in schools.

“Our plan will incorporate innovative practices that we know are making a difference — we will shamelessly steal from other states and countries models that have been shown to be effective in raising student performance, engaging students, and reducing dropout rates.

“We will partner with the schools that have innovative programs which are already working in districts throughout the state, like the Gray-New Gloucester and Waterboro, school systems, which are both pioneering a standards-based system. In these school systems more 21st-century life skills are taught, and students only advance when they demonstrate proficiency.

“The Mitchell Institute does a tremendous job and JMG is a great example; we’d like to see JMG expand.”

JMG is a public-private partnership, with 40 percent of the funds coming through the Maine Department of Education and the rest from private business. JMG currently serves more than 4,000 middle and high school students, the majority of whom have been identified as being at risk of not graduating. This past year, 96 percent of seniors who were enrolled in JMG successfully graduated from high school. Governor Baldacci serves as chair of Jobs for America’s Graduates, the national branch of JMG, and has been nationally recognized for his work with the program.

“I watched JMG in action in Newport. The kids went to a classroom in a trailer — enthused. They enjoyed the class. They were relaxed and laughed. Usually when I walk into a classroom, the students look bored, and they have their heads in their textbooks. With JMG they were engaged with activities, and there was a real connection with their instructor. They were interested in learning. That sea change in attitude says a lot about the JMG program, and the wonderful job Craig Larabee, the executive director, does. For sixteen consecutive years, JMG has been recognized on the national level for the consistent quality and high level of success it helps students achieve.”

Since Baldacci took office, the focus and training that Technical Education Centers offer has been dramatically expanded. This and other areas of educational innovation will be used in the DOE application for federal funding.

“Our Career and Technical Education centers are the unsung heroes of the Maine education system, preparing our students for the careers and jobs of the future. We have students learning about biotechnology at the Capital Area Technical Center in Augusta. Other students in CTE centers are learning weatherization and green-energy technologies. This new, alternative-energy field has tremendous growth possibilities in Maine. We are already New England’s largest wind-energy producer, and our offshore wind potential could feed markets throughout the region. Technical skills being taught at CTE centers will help produce a highly skilled workforce to fill these future jobs.

“Schools are also partnering with businesses to create STEM-related internships. Some of these partnerships have given students hands-on learning experiences at companies working with green-energy technologies and composites. Maine’s students deserve a world-class education, so they can gain top jobs; enhancing our STEM curriculum is key.”

The Maine STEM Collaborative, which began in 2007, is a statewide partnership of education, research, business, government, and nonprofit groups seeking to improve science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education in Maine.

There are areas the DOE have identified that they would like to expand as well as Advanced Placement programs and the International Baccalaureate Program. The latter program incorporates problem solving and critical thinking into the high school curriculum, better preparing students for college-level work. Greeley High School in Cumberland and Kennebunk High School are the first two in the state to offer this challenging curriculum.

“The number of high school students enrolling in college courses as juniors and seniors through the Aspirations Incentive Program has more than tripled since I took office. These are all programs that turn out students better prepared for the workplace of tomorrow. They are also programs that — because they engage students and allow them to learn skills in ways that are meaningful and relevant to them — keep kids in school.

“If students don’t have a good education, they are going to be struggling the rest of their lives. With a solid education, they will able to hang out their shingle and set up their own business and be their own boss.

“The bottom line is that this is good education policy for the future of the state. We must be innovative. We owe it to our kids to do everything we can to improve the quality of their education, which will improve Maine’s quality of life. It’s their future, as well as ours.”

“The Surface Transportation Board needs to hear firsthand just how devastating this action could be for Maine’s economy,” Michaud said. “The loss of freight rail service would be a major economic setback for the region. It’s crucial that Mainers have a chance to illustrate the significant impact that abandonment will have on our state. I will do whatever I can to help find a solution to this problem.”

In October 2009, Michaud met with Chairman Oberstar, representatives from the Surface Transportation Board and Federal Railroad Administration and a group of businesses and organizations that rely on the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway to discuss the effects that abandonment would have on the region. Michaud promised to work closely with the Surface Transportation Board and Federal Railroad Administration to ensure that there was a fair, transparent process in which all parties had an opportunity to be heard.

The STB is an economic regulatory agency that Congress charged with the fundamental missions of resolving railroad rate and service disputes and reviewing proposed railroad mergers.

The letter Michaud sent with Chairman Oberstar today can be found below.

Chairman Daniel R. Elliot III
Surface Transportation Board
395 E St., SW
Washington, DC 20423

Dear Chairman Elliot:

We are writing today to request a public hearing in the State of Maine on the “Application of the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway, Ltd. for Authority to Discontinue Rail Service and Abandon Rail Lines.” The abandonment, as proposed, will have an impact on numerous industries and communities throughout Penobscot and Aroostook Counties. It is absolutely imperative that the individuals that will be affected by the discontinuation of rail service have an opportunity to be heard by the Surface Transportation Board (STB).

According to the Maine Department of Transportation (DOT), the abandonment would adversely affect 22 active shippers, as well as other businesses, throughout a region that already faces significant impediments to economic development. As the Montreal, Maine & Atlantic moves forward with the abandonment process, it is essential that the STB take the time to fully consider the impact that the decision will have on established businesses and broader development efforts throughout northern Maine. A field hearing will guarantee that every Mainer has an opportunity to present the full effect of the abandonment to the STB.

On October 29, 2009, we had an opportunity to discuss the abandonment with representatives from the Federal Railroad Administration, Maine DOT and some of the businesses and organizations that rely on continued freight rail service in Maine’s Second Congressional District. During the meeting, you assured everyone present that the abandonment process would be both open and accessible. Holding a hearing in the state is the most effective way to make sure certain that this occurs.

We appreciate your thoughtful consideration of this request and look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Michael H. Michaud James L. Oberstar
Member of Congress Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

Commission Chair Sharon Reishus explained, “After a competitive bidding process, we are pleased to have identified 19 projects to receive these valuable funds. The projects all promise significant energy savings, carbon emission reductions and state economic stimulus–which are goals of our state energy policy and the federal program.”

The Commission’s Efficiency Maine worked with the Office of the Governor and the Legislature to set aside $2 million for commercial grants out of the approximately $40 million provided by ARRA for energy-related projects. Efficiency Maine also manages separate energy efficiency grants and incentive programs for the residential and industrial sectors.

Efficiency Maine’s Commercial Grant Program–which administers the grants announced today—allowed participants to apply for grants of up to $50,000. Applicants were required to demonstrate the ability to provide matching funds at least equal to the amount of grant funding requested. Importantly, the funding provided through these grants will leverage $1.28 million in additional private investment. Grant applications were scored on their technical viability, economic impact, energy savings, budget and qualifications of the delivery team. Winning proposals included boiler upgrades, solar thermal systems, and heat recovery projects.

Efficiency Maine will conduct a second round of grant applications for the Commercial Grant Program within the coming months.

The funds total $500,000 for research projects in the areas of natural and social sciences.

The projects are:

• A study of the nature and rates of change in salt marshes, which will help coastal managers and landowners evaluate risks of sea-level rise to property and infrastructure, by Daniel Belknap and Joseph Kelley of UMaine and Cindy Loftin of the U.S. Geological Survey Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. The project received $156,945.

• A study that will compare and evaluate nine different lobster assessment methods now in place with a goal of improving monitoring program design, by Yong Chen of UMaine and Carl Wilson of the Maine Department of Marine Resources, who were granted $127,890.

• A look at how systems respond to dam removal at the species, community and ecosystem levels with a focus on sea lamprey and habitat in Sedgeunkedunk Stream, a tributary of the Penobscot River, being done by UMaine’s Stephen Coghlan and Joe Zydlewski of USGS’ Fish and Wildlife unit. The project received $105.224.

• An assessment of vulnerability and resilience in Maine fishing communities by UMaine’s Teresa Johnson, who received $129,336.

• A study of mapping for marine resource management and community development, using Penobscot Bay as a case study. Robert Snyder of the Island Institute in Rockland was awarded $37,000 to examine the location of human activities in order to inform marine spatial planning initiatives such as marine reserves and wind power facilities.

This new law enables the truck weigh limits on nearly 300 miles of Maine Interstate north of Augusta to be raised to the 100,000 pound limit during the one-year federal pilot. Until the change, this stretch of Interstate was limited to 80,000 pounds gross vehicle weight. Surrounding states and provinces had a near or above 100,000 pound limit.

“Raising the weight limit on the Interstate north of Augusta will enable Maine to increase safety on its roads, reduce pollution and puts the State on even footing regionally, aiding our ability to compete economically,” said Governor Baldacci. “This significant achievement would not be possible without the sustained support from Senator Susan Collins, Senator Olympia Snowe, Congressman Mike Michaud and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, as well as the Maine Legislature, especially the Leadership, sponsors of this bill and the members of the Transportation Committee.”

The Governor’s bill was passed as emergency legislation by the Maine Legislature on Feb. 11 and signed into law by the Governor on Feb. 12. The legislation was possible following passage in December of a pilot program at the federal level. The one-year pilot, sponsored by Senator Collins, paved the way to raising the weigh limits on the Interstate System.

“This bill is essential for safety and for our economy,” said the Governor. “The State and Federal changes enable Maine to move heavy truck traffic off Maine’s secondary roads and onto the Interstate that was built to handle them.”

The Governor said heavy truck traffic in Maine towns was a risk to the public. According to national statistics, 82 percent of commercial vehicle fatalities occur on non-Interstate roads.

In addition, the change will have a positive impact on the environment. According to estimates provided to the Maine Department of Transportation, trucks traveling on the I-95 are 14-21 percent more fuel efficient than the same trucks on secondary roads.

Moving heavy traffic to the Interstate is also expected to reduce wear-and-tear on Maine’s secondary roads and reduce bridge and pavement repairs by as much as $2 million per year.

The Governor and Transportation Department Commissioner David Cole said that they were hopeful that the pilot will be extended in the future.