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Select Board approves $50,000 TIF toward downtown commercial kitchen incubator
Summary
Main Street Skowhegan won a $50,000 downtown TIF grant to help convert 185 Water Street into a commercial kitchen incubator, a project leaders say will support about 30 entrepreneurs and unlock additional federal grant funding.
The Skowhegan Select Board approved a $50,000 downtown TIF grant to Main Street Skowhegan to help renovate 185 Water Street into a commercial kitchen incubator designed to support food entrepreneurs and workforce training.
Christina, who spoke for Main Street Skowhegan, told the board the project will match local and regional funding and is intended to unlock larger federal dollars. "We bought this building last summer for $250,000," Christina said, and the TIF funding would be used to secure a $600,000 federal application to finish phase one. She said the site could serve about "30 different entrepreneurs" and provide low-cost licensed kitchen access for growing food businesses and food-truck preparation.
Board members debated procurement safeguards and clawback provisions but the advisory committee recommended full funding after confirming the application met state contract criteria. The motion to approve carried on a recorded voice vote noted in the transcript as 3–1–1. The grant is structured as a reimbursement for documented expenses; the town will release funds per the TIF procedures and any oversight arrangements documented by the economic development office.
The project team said the incubator also intends to partner with the Somerset County Career and Technical Center and local higher-education programs for training. The board did not attach an immediate clawback requirement but said the advisory committee is continuing to discuss clawback language for future awards.
