Grant to KVCOG will help Kennebec, Somerset county communities recover from pandemic

FAIRFIELD — The Kennebec Valley Council of Governments has received $400,000 through the federal CARES Act to, over two years, support KVCOG’s work to help the communities in Kennebec, Somerset and wester Waldo counties to respond to, and recover from, the COVID-19 pandemic.
The money, distributed by the U.S. Economic Development Administration, will advance economic development in the communities which have been negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This investment comes at a critical time for Maine’s economy,” said KVCOG Executive Director Laura Cyr. “This federal funding will help the communities of Maine’s Kennebec Valley region to come together and recover from the enormous impact of COVID-19 in this region.”
Specifically, the grant will allow KVCOG to hire two specialists whose sole focus over the next two years will be to update the region’s economic development plans and to fortify programs aimed at assisting communities within our region to respond to and recover from the coronavirus pandemic. KVCOG will also develop resources which will allow the region we serve to better respond to future economic emergencies.
“The coronavirus pandemic has taken a toll on every community across our state and nation, undercutting the budgets for community services and economic development at an incredibly difficult time,” said U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and U.S. Sen. Angus King in a joint statement. “Maine people are resilient by nature, and we welcome this funding to help the small businesses, individuals, and families in the Kennebec Valley region receive the necessary resources to better weather this pandemic.”
The Kennebec Valley Council of Governments is one of seven Economic Development Districts in Maine, as designated by the EDA.