HOULTON — The date has been set for the Southern Aroostook Development Corporation (SADC) Energy Fair. It will be held Saturday, Sept. 14, at the John Millar Civic Center in the Houlton Community Park.
The event will feature experts and vendors from local pellet manufacturers, stove and boiler suppliers, engineering firms and banks to answer questions and help guide people through the options and process of establishing a system for a business or home.
Jon McLaughlin, executive director of SADC, said the purpose of the fair is to educate people about energy alternatives, not just wood but solar, electrical, and more efficient oil systems to name a few, which can save them money and in turn keep the money in the local economy.
“The fair is an offshoot to the very successful seven week energy seminar sessions that SADC and Houlton collaboratively held in 2012,” said McLaughlin.
McLaughlin said invites will be going out to vendors this week and he expects, given the showing at two similar events held in Presque Isle and Fort Kent by Aroostook Partnership for Progress, that there will be a great selection of vendors.
“There are many new or improved technologies available, in addition to the biomass opportunities, that will allow County residents to reduce costs,” he said. “We hope to showcase these new technologies.”
McLaughlin went on to state, “Biomass, however, is still near and dear to me. We have the forest products, the pellet and chip production, the installers, delivery and maintenance, so from an economic perspective biomass is huge. In using a biomass heating solution, essentially 100% of the money spent stays in the County or the state.”
McLaughlin added that folks should keep an eye out for more detailed information on the fair as it gets closer to the date. There will be ads in the paper outlining program times, speaker times and other important show specific information.
SADC, which is a public-private partnership, is dedicated to business attraction and retention in Southern Aroostook by utilizing a strong collaboration using the talents of the private business sector coupled with the knowledge and support of the public sector. SADC and the town of Houlton are collaborating on this Energy Fair because it fits in with their vision of growth and business retention. SADC—Building Southern Aroostook one job at a time!
