Midyear economic development report: central kitchen, foreign trade zone and business support move forward
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Summary
City economic development staff reported midyear progress on business outreach, leases, credit enhancement use, the Central Kitchen project, a foreign trade zone promotion, partnerships with colleges, innovation center upgrades, and downtown parking changes.
Business & Economic Development Director Anne Creed introduced a midyear report from the city’s economic development staff highlighting entrepreneurship outreach, property leasing, business attraction efforts, and several large projects moving into implementation.
Economic Development Officer (Begada) said the department's work in 2025 emphasizes efficiency, innovation and partnerships: "The theme of this is gonna be under the the guise of efficiency, efficiency, efficiency," Begada said. Staff reported ongoing one‑on‑one business meetings, active lease negotiations for city‑owned properties, use of the revised credit enhancement application process, and participation on external boards including the chamber.
Key projects reported: - Central Kitchen: Staff said NBRC and HUD grants plus a recently approved bond are funding the central commercial kitchen. A pre‑application meeting occurred last week and staff plan to release an RFP as early as the end of the summer, with staff aiming to finish construction "by end of February" (timeline not tied to a specific year in the committee transcript). City staff emphasized outreach and partnership with Eastern Maine Community College for internships and shadowing. - Foreign Trade Zone: The city launched a promotional campaign for the trade zone that covers five counties; staff and Main International Trade Center director Wade Merritt hosted an informational call with about 25 businesses and held radio outreach. Staff said Customs and Border Protection counterparts in Newark and local CBP participated in a conference call to facilitate future applications. - Innovation Center and airport collaboration: Economic development staff finalized a contract with Epstein Commercial for marketing and are coordinating monthly meetings with the airport team to align objectives. Upgrades to the innovation center are planned to support existing tenants. - Downtown parking: The city launched a ParkMobile app for digital payments and is running a July parking amnesty for violations older than 30 days. Staff described the new windshield enforcement device ("the barnacle") and said instructions will be provided to motorists who receive it.
Committee members encouraged more public promotion for the Central Kitchen and suggested using the commercial kitchen to educate entrepreneurs about the foreign trade zone and other business services. Staff said they will continue outreach across Penobscot and surrounding counties.
