Attendees of the Speaker Series listen to Nancy Smith in East Millinocket
Nancy Smith, Executive Director of GrowSmart Maine, presented as a panelist at “So, What’s Next? Our Future and a Pathway Forward” on January 12th. The fourth in a speaker series coordinated by Katahdin Revitalization, a member of the Katahdin Collaborative, the event attracted over 65 attendees. Nancy’s presentation outlined the community engagement process launching in the area in early 2017: Making Headway in Your Community. Making Headway in the Katahdin Region is guided by GrowSmart Maine and led by local residents with a goal of identifying what is most important to the region and providing tools to protect and build on those assets to create lasting prosperity.
Learn about the projects and successes of other Making Headway communities in Maine at makingheadway.me, a searchable online inventory of projects and resources
After the event and discussion there was a surprise announcement by Our Katahdin, also part of the Katahdin Collaborative, had just presented at Town Council: For $1, the non-profit organization purchased the companies and the site of the shuttered Great Northern Paper Mill in Millinocket. They have creative and ambitious plans to redevelop the mill site and bring prosperity back to the Katahdin Region.
Read the press release about the mill purchase here and be sure to follow them on social media as well!
GrowSmart Maine is honored and excited to be along for the ride on this history-making journey with the Katahdin Region. We believe that rural parts of Maine can innovate and reinvent themselves in ways that both stay true to heritage and character of the area but also bring new opportunities.
See photos from the Speaker Series and the announcement here in our Facebook photo album.
Snowy view of Katahdin from downtown Millinocket