Spring is finally starting to show up here in the north woods. The snow is melting rapidly, the rivers are running, bare ground is starting to green up, and the mountain is as beautiful as ever still covered in snow. Here's a snapshot of what we've been up to over the winter. 

Our Katahdin has high hopes for the future of the Katahdin Region. We support three economic drivers: the forest products economy with traditional and modern applications, the digital economy with fiber broadband, and the outdoor recreation economy with potential for four-season destination development. We believe in doing this work collaboratively, which is why we staff the regional network called the Katahdin Collaborative. 

Development of a downtown hub to support entrepreneurs, remote workers, and small businesses in downtown Millinocket is underway. Our Katahdin is pleased to announce that Liz Trice, the founder and owner of the co-working space PelotonLabs in Portland, ME has been awarded a contract to work with the Our Katahdin team to design a business plan and operations manual for a co-working space at 230 Penobscot Avenue in Millinocket, ME.

Our Katahdin firmly believes that supporting and growing small businesses in rural communities will lead to sustainable economic growth and more vibrant downtowns.

Four years ago, Our Katahdin was born. It was born with nothing more than a strong belief in the people and the future of the Katahdin Region. People have been stepping forward with ideas for "small wins" ever since. We've learned a lot since our first fundraiser to decorate the bandstand for Christmas back in 2014, and our optimism for the future of the region has only grown.

As our portfolio of projects continues to grow in complexity, a top priority for us moving forward is to do a better job staying connected, well-informed, and involved in our shared work of moving our region forward. We never want Our Katahdin to be a typical nonprofit organization. We want it to be a movement, driven by diversity in ideas and collective action. This is the first edition of what we intend to be a regular newsletter to highlight the latest news and notify you of upcoming events and opportunities.

MILLINOCKET, Maine – Our Katahdin has been awarded a $5.3 million grant from the Economic Development Administration (EDA) to build critical infrastructure, including roads, water, sewer, power and broadband on the 1,400-acre former Great Northern Paper mill site in Millinocket.

The investment will leverage the site’s competitive advantages, which include access to wood fiber via the Golden Road, reliable hydroelectric power from Brookfield Renewable, rail access via CMQ Railway, wastewater discharge and clean, cold water.

- Read the full press release

MILLINOCKET, Maine — The tidy, white bandstand stands on the edge of a gone-to-seed main street pocked by vacant storefronts where plywood has replaced plate glass, where hope has nearly been chased away by a gut-punched economy on the edge of collapse.

The Great Northern Paper Company — for a century the full-employment guarantor for generations of paper-makers who once made this town hum — built that bandstand...

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