Mainers Pass $60M TBED Bond

On Tuesday, voters in Maine approved Governor John Baldacci's request to issue $60 million in bonds to finance several research infrastructure, economic development and housing related projects. Packaged and marketed as the Jobs Bond, the measure won easily with 60 percent of the vote in this special election. The tech-based economic development portion of the bond will be allocated as follows:

• $20 million to re-capitalize the Maine Biomedical Research Fund, managed by the Department of Economic and Community Development, and used at five nonprofit research facilities in the state.
• $3 million to design and construct the Gulf of Maine Research Laboratory to partner with the fishing community on marine research to protect and enhance the commercial fishery of the Gulf of Maine, to partner with the marine biotechnology industry to undertake marine biotechnology research, and to develop and make available an innovative marine sciences education hall focused on middle and secondary school students and the general public.
• $2 million for infrastructure improvements at four advanced technology development centers — the Center for Environmental Enterprise, the Thomas M. Teague Biotechnology Park, the River Valley Technology Center and the Greenville composite technology center facility.
• $2 million for the Maine Farms for the Future Program. An additional $1 million will go toward infrastructure needs at the University of Maine agricultural research farms.
• $1 million for a Marine Infrastructure and Technology Fund; a one-to-one match from non-state funds is required.
• $6 million for the Advanced Engineered Wood Composites Center at the University of Maine to expand research facilities for engineered wood composite structures.
• $3 million for educational technology improvements in the University of Maine system.
• $3.6 million for R&D activities at the university system through the Maine Economic Improvement Fund, which will be used to match federal, foundation and private funds.
• $4.4 million to finish and equip an expansion of the research wing of the science building on the Portland campus of the University of Southern Maine.

According to the Bangor Daily News, the state's electorate has now passed 10 of 11 statewide bond requests since November 2001.