The Skowhegan Select Board voted on Nov. 25 to award $100,000 from the downtown tax-increment financing (TIF) district — up to $50,000 to Somerset Masonic Lodge No. 34 and up to $50,000 to CSN Press/Bookish at 14 Madison Avenue.

The Masonic Lodge presented a proposal focused on bringing the building's first floor up to fire- and code-compliant occupancy for community events and limited commercial use. Chris Clark, speaking for the lodge, said the request is targeted to immediate safety and egress work: “We are the Masonic Lodge, Somerset Number 34,” and presenters listed specific items including emergency push bars for the front doors, lighted exit signs, a rear egress and limited kitchen upgrades. The lodge’s presentation included a project breakdown with a subtotal the presenters described as about $40,973 for the TIF-eligible scope. The board approved a motion authorizing an amount not to exceed $50,000 for the lodge’s application. The motion carried unanimously.

A second presentation came from David (Dave) Whitting, owner of CSN Press, who said he plans to open a used-bookshop called Bookish in the front of the Stitchery building and move his weekly publication, Comic Shop News, into the rear. Whitting described exterior improvements, infrastructure repairs and retail renovations and said the total project cost could be higher than initially estimated; in the hearing he stated a broader project figure of roughly $76,000. He told the board he was seeking TIF assistance to help prioritize work and make good choices about repairs.

Board members pressed applicants on public benefit, precedent and guarantees. Amber (Select Board member and TIF advisory committee representative) reviewed the advisory committee’s rubric and the economic-development goals for the downtown TIF — including encouraging new employment and broadening the town’s tax base — and said the advisory committee voted in favor of the two awards. Several members raised concerns that past TIF recipients had fixed buildings then sold them, and one board member asked for a five-year ownership-or-operation requirement plus a clawback clause if the business closed or the property was sold shortly after receiving funds. Whitting said on the record that he would be “comfortable agreeing to both of those terms.”

After discussion the board approved the CSN/Bookish application in a separate motion, recorded as carrying 4–1. Minutes show the Masonic award passed unanimously. Select Board members said the awards will be administered as reimbursements against viable invoices rather than lump-sum cash grants, consistent with TIF program practice.

What’s next: staff and the TIF advisory committee will process documentation and invoice-based reimbursements under the approved not-to-exceed amounts. Board members also requested follow-up education for the public and the Select Board about how the town’s multiple TIF districts function.