HOULTON, Maine — The Houlton Rotary Club was addressed by guest speaker Rotarian Nancy Ketch on April 25. Ketch spoke of her latest job as the Community Development Director for the town of Houlton and provided updates on some of the projects she is working on.
Ketch has been a Rotarian for 28 years. She is the past director of the Chamber of Commerce in Houlton and also worked for the state in their Houlton office of Maine Revenue Services.
A new project that Ketch is currently working on is the development of a Regional Creative Council (RCC). The RCC is applying for grants through the Maine Arts Commission’s “Creative Communities=Economic Development” (CCED) Program. The RCC includes representatives from throughout the Tri-County region of southern Aroostook, northern Penobscot and northern Washington counties. Tracy Rockwell, Linda Faucher and Iva Sussman have been involved in this effort from the outset more than a year ago. The group has already begun identifying cultural assets for the region.
Phase I of the CCED Program involves the development of a Cultural Plan. The group has already lined up a consultant to facilitate this project should the grant be received. The consultant has worked with several other communities and regions in Maine on this process.
The Phase II grant would allow for implementation of the goals identified in the Cultural Plan. A Steering Committee has been formed with representatives from art, music, business and tourism and from the various communities throughout the area. Applications for grants have also been submitted to the Maine Community Foundation and The Betterment Fund to help with the funding of Phase I.
Ketch has also been involved with the formation of a Downtown Committee. The committee has been looking at issues of importance to Houlton’s downtown district. The group has worked on outlining short-term, mid-term and long-term goals and are working on updating the Downtown Revitalization Plan from 2005 to use for potential grant opportunities. Committee members have worked on sprucing up a vacant storefront by cleaning and decorating the windows. They have identified sidewalks and parking as issues of importance to the area.
Ketch also outlined some grant projects that she has worked on. She explained that the town was awarded a grant for snowmobile trail maintenance and applies for this program annually. She told the group about the Maine Municipal Association’s Safety Enhancement Grants and that the Town has been successful in receiving grants from this program for equipment at both the Fire Department and the Public Works Department. In January a grant application was submitted for funds to help purchase a new fire truck for the department.
Ketch is also working with the Police Department on a grant for bullet proof vests. In addition, she is working with the Houlton Recreation Department on some grant opportunities for trails and tennis courts. The Civic Center is exploring grant possibilities to purchase equipment.
Ketch notified the group of a Spec Building the Town is working on for the airport with hopes to have this completed by the end of summer.
She closed the program by telling the group about a project related to Radio Station Rugby in the UK. The station has a connection to Houlton because the first transoceanic telephone communication was received from Rugby in Houlton. A new development at the site of Radio Station Rugby is in the works to include homes, schools and shops. A representative of their project is scheduled to visit Houlton to foster the connection between the two communities. The saying goes, ask a busy person to get something done.
The Rotary Club of Houlton was once again impressed with all that Nancy Ketch “gets done.”
