Threshold To Maine Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Area
Annual Report for the Oxford County Commissioners
Over the past year, the RC&D Area has been very active in Oxford County in large part due to the hard work and efforts of Oxford County delegates Norris Conant and Bruce Simmons. Roger Jackson joined the Council this year to represent the Commissioners and has become an active member. Two major projects are currently being worked on in Oxford County. The first is an agriculture development project in Rumford. The Council helped the town apply for a Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Grant which was awarded to the town this year. The $10,000 grant is to help with the development of an economic development plan for the region focused on agriculture. The Council has helped with the formation of an Agriculture Commission which is made up of representatives from the Towns in the River Valley region, the River Valley Growth Council, River Valley Chamber of Commerce, and local farmers. Currently, the Commission has drafted an economic development plan, helped to revitalize the River Valley Farmers Market, and assisted with developing the idea for a shared use kitchen to serve the region. The second project is focused on the Northern Forest and is designed to work with local communities in developing capacity to work within the region on their forest related issues. Pilot projects are being established as part of this project.
Other activities that the RC&D Council has been involved with include strategic planning assistance for groups such as the Foothills Arts Center and the Gorham Historical Society, community capacity building work in Strong and Windham, regional product promotion with the Mountain County Heritage Network, and the Council currently coordinates a statewide coalition of organizations and communities who are interested in establishing shared use commercial kitchens.
For More Information Please contact the Office at:
Mark Hews
RC&D Coordinator
Threshold To Maine RC&D Area
67 Shaker Road, Suite #9
Gray, ME 04039-9640
(207) 657-3131 Fax (207)657-2475 |