Monson receives $50,000 to provide opportunities for entrepreneurs
MONSON — An implementation check for $50,000 arrived at the Town of Monson recently from the Maine Community Foundation as a direct result of Monson’s participation in the Community Entrepreneurship Pilot Program. The three-page grant proposal submitted by the Monson Business Association a year ago emphasized the group’s purpose statement which is “to support the success of new and existing businesses through collaboration, holding the vision of sustainable growth for our community.”
The Economic Development Committee of Monson’s Business Association put the initial grant proposal together. The town was selected along with Skowhegan and Lisbon via a competitive application process managed by the Maine Community Foundation in partnership with Maine Development Foundation’s Maine Downtown Center. The Maine Downtown Center is Maine’s statewide coordinator for the National Main Street Program – a 40-year-old preservation-based approach to economic development.
This time last year $10,000 of the total award of $70,000, arrived at the town office, ear-marked for planning. It was spent on updating mapping software for the town and on an ongoing town website overhaul. Monson’s EDC has been working for six months with consultant Matt Wagner, vice president of revitalization for the National Main Street Program, through workshops, training and local assessments to learn how to implement the grant money. The EDC comprises of the Town Manager Daniel Swain, Selectman Tyler Adkins, Director of Monson Arts Dan Bouthot, Georgia Underwood of Maine Alliance of Recovery Coaches and its two leaders, Joy Bueschen of Turning Page Farm Brewery and Jemma Gascoine of Monson Pottery, amongst others.
Matt Wagner’s Monson Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Summary Report, full of suggestions for the EDC to action, was delivered in December. It can be found on the town website, www.monsonmaine.org. The EDC has prioritized four action points. The first is establishing a co-working space, providing individuals working remotely a shared workspace outside of the home where they can interact with others. The goal is to provide opportunities to make it easy for area visitors to transition to living and working in Monson. It will initially be located in the room behind the town office. It is set to be open May 1. For further inquiries please email the town manager at manager@monsonmaine.org. The second action point is to apply for Affiliated Maine Downtown Center status, with an application date of Oct. 1. The third is to set up some pop-up venues for artists and craftspeople to sell their wares during the tourist season. Finally, the fourth is to focus on marketing.
Anne Ball, program director of MDF’s Maine Downtown Center initially said of the Community Entrepreneurship Program, “Developing a community-based network to support entrepreneurship will help create and sustain an innovative environment in these communities and downtowns to attract innovators and makers to start and grow businesses.”
Questions about the program should be directed to MCF Senior Program Officer Maggie Drummond-Bahl at mbahl@mainecf.org.