Lobster Plant Plans Shifting
by Brenda Tredwell
The Stinson sardine cannery sign, Prospect Harbor, Me. The nearly two decade effort to bring a lobster processor to Maine is playing out in the town of Gouldsboro. Federal block grant money may be involved, questions about competition with area businesses, complex financial data before the selectmen, and concerns about the prospective processor’s ability to successfully follow through are all in the mix. Fishermen's Voice Photo
On Monday, September 20, Gouldsboro selectmen decided not to pursue the $400,000 Community Development Block grant on behalf of the Live Lobster Co. of Chelsea, Mass.
Tom Martin, of the state Department of Community and Economic Development (DECD) stated that the grant is for the purchasing of lobster processing equipment, and to replace the jobs lost after the Stinson’s Cannery here closed this spring. The selectmen’s chief concern was liability. If Live Lobster failed to create the 128 jobs required to meet the stipulations of the grant, the town of Gouldsboro could be responsible for repaying the $400,000.
