Brownfields

KVCOG received funds from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to assist communities in cleaning up sites where redevelopment, expansion or reuse is complicated by the presence (or perceived presence) of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants.  Funds are available as grants to municipalities or low-interest loans to private developers.  KVCOG works closely with the EPA, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, municipalities, developers and environmental consultants to produce successful redevelopment projects.

Click here for a brief presentation of KVCOG's program. 

Some of our past projects include:

• The Town of Hartland Tannery Annex
• Unity Food Hub
• Gardiner TW Dick Building
• Waterville’s Seton Hospital Redevelopment

For more information on KVCOG’s Brownfields Program, please contact:
Jessie Cyr
Community and Economic Development Director
207-453-4258, Ext 220

Solid Waste

KVCOG provides environmental planning services to municipalities, solid waste districts and associations, and water districts. KVCOG has considerable experience in solid waste management, watershed protection and storm water management and road maintenance for water quality improvement.

Services include:

• Composting
• Recycling/Reuse Assistance and Education
• Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)
• Bulky Waste Recycling and Disposal
• Universal Waste Recycling and Education
• Public Education

For more information about KVCOG’s Environmental Planning Services, please contact:
Jessie Cyr
Community and Economic Development Director
207-453-4258, Ext 220

Textile Recovery and Collection Service

KVCOG invites you to join our regional initiative in Textile Recycling.

KVCOG is working with Apparel Impact to place collection bins for textile recycling throughout Kennebec and Southern Somerset Counties. These bins are placed, emptied and maintained free of charge. Apparel Impact is a Mainer-founded organization that is owned by, and employs, veterans throughout New England. Materials recovered from the drop-off sites are donated to those in need. All the materials donated stay in New England, and what can’t be used again is recycled so nothing ends up in the landfill!

This initiative diverts material and tonnage from the waste stream, saving space in your landfill, and saving on hauling material to costly processors. It’s good for the environment, and good for your bottom line.

KVCOG’s initiative with Apparel Impact will add 13 new collection bins in 10 new communities throughout the KVCOG region! With these new additions there will now be approximately 20-24 total bins throughout 17 different municipalities in the KVCOG region. 

Want to donate or recycle your textiles? Check out our map of collection locations!

For more information on this program, or if you would like one in your community, please contact:

Jessie Cyr
Community and Economic Development Director
207-453-4258, Ext 220

Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection Program

• Many chemicals commonly used around the home, as well as unused pharmaceuticals, are hazardous and need to be disposed of by professionals trained to handle this material.  Improper disposal can disrupt the function of sewage treatment plants, private septic systems, contaminate ground water, and harm animals and humans.
• KVCOG works with your community, and other local partners to schedule days where members of your community are able to bring these materials to an area location for proper disposal. 
• In 2023, KVCOG is looking to expand this collection program to reach more communities in our region. With these programs KVCOG can continue to support safer and healthier environments for the people living, working, and recreating in our region.

For more information about the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program, or for more information on how to schedule one in your community, please contact:

Jessie Cyr
Economic and Community Development Director
207-453-4258 Ext. 220
 

Battery and Cell Phone Recycling Program

KVCOG invites you to join our regional initiative in recycling cell phone and rechargeable batteries. KVCOG is working with Call2Recycle to divert hazardous materials from landfills. 

Call2Recycle was established in 1994 by five battery manufacturing companies to provide battery collection and recycling services for rechargeable batteries. The program is national and is now funded by over 300 battery and battery-powered product manufacturers.

Call2Recycle provides free recycling of rechargeable batteries to municipalities. Municipalities can choose to also collect and recycle other batteries for a per-pound fee. Municipalities must collect batteries from the public and this can occur at town offices, transfer stations, recycling centers, or any other municipal facility.

Rechargeable batteries are commonly found in cordless power tools, cordless phones, laptops, cell phones, cameras, two-way radios, biomedical equipment, etc. 

KVCOG is a certified drop-off location for Call2Recycle's collection services. When you recycle your rechargeable batteries with us, valuable metals can be recovered and used into new products such as silverware, pots and pans, new batteries, and even golf clubs!

We are not currently accepting single-use batteries. Single-use batteries, such as AA, AAA, 9V or C or D cell, are by nature different, making their recycling process different than recycling rechargeable and cellphone batteries. 

If you're not sure what type of battery you have, download this battery guide - Chemistry-Specific-Battery-Recycling-Guide-1.pdf

If you would like to become a host for these collection boxes, schedule a drop-off, or have questions related to the program, please contact:

Jessie Cyr
Economic and Community Development Director
207-453-4258 Ext. 220
 

KVCOG’s Community and Economic Development staff provide a broad array of planning and technical assistance support services for municipal officials interested in taking advantage of State and federal financial programs for infrastructure development and other economic development projects. The staff help municipal officials prepare applications for both the federal Economic Development Administration and the Community Development Block Grant program.

Economic Development Administration (EDA)

EDA assists rural and urban areas experiencing high unemployment, low income, or other severe economic distress.

The most common use of EDA dollars is within the following programs:

• Public Works: EDA investments fund local public works infrastructure projects to allow communities to establish and support private sector businesses.
• Planning and Local Technical Assistance: EDA’s local technical assistance and planning grant program helps KVCOG fill the knowledge gaps that inhibit communities from responding to development opportunities or solving specific economic problems. A common purpose of these grants is to determine the feasibility of proposed economic development investments.
• Economic Adjustment Assistance: The EAA program provides a wide range of technical, planning, and public works and infrastructure assistance in regions experiencing adverse economic changes that may occur suddenly or over time. These adverse economic impacts may result from a steep decline in manufacturing employment following a plant closure, changing trade patterns, catastrophic natural disaster, a military base closure, or environmental changes and regulations.

For more information on EDA and their programs visit the EDA Website.

Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS)

The staff prepares and updates annually the U.S. EDA Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for the region. The CEDS is a blueprint for economic growth and development in the region. The CEDS is the region’s link to U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) funding for specific economic development projects.

View our Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy for years 2022-2027.

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)

KVCOG is a Technical Assistance Provider for the State of Maine’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The Maine CDBG program is a catalyst for projects that are part of a long-range community strategy.  The program improves deteriorated districts and local economic conditions, provides incentives for further public and private investments, fosters public/private partnerships, and supports the revitalization of downtown districts.

Because it is a Block Grant, the State of Maine may develop its own federally-approved grant programs.

Visit the DECD-CDBG Website for the programs that are currently funded or contact:

Jessie Cyr
Community and Economic Development Director
(207) 453-4258, Ext 220

A Geographic Information System (GIS) integrates hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information.

GIS allows us to view, understand, question, interpret, and visualize data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts.

GIS helps you answer questions and solve problems by looking at your data in a way that is quickly understood and easily shared.

KVCOG uses the latest GIS software, ESRI, and has an extensive database that includes geographic base data at the town, regional, and State levels. This data is used in a variety of projects, including transportation, economic development, and planning projects.

KVCOG provides a variety of mapping services to member towns upon request. We can create customized maps of communities showing a wide range of information including but not limited to: natural resources, public facilities, infrastructure, development trends, and/or locally-defined land use districts.

Digital Tax Maps

KVCOG is pleased to offer tax map digitizing. Prices are dependent on the size and scope of the project; members will most likely find KVCOG to be less expensive than private company alternatives as a direct result of membership.

Why digitize your Tax Maps?

The major advantage of digital maps is their versatility: digital tax maps can be viewed and printed at any scale and customized with different labels to suit different purposes.

A combination of numerical, textual and visual elements (e.g. digital photos of properties including buildings) can be embedded into the system and retrieved based on numerous spatial or statistical selection criteria.

Digital maps can be maintained and updated much faster than paper maps.

Digital maps require limited physical storage space and can be easily electronically backed up and protected against data losses, addressing the problem of a lack of office space and safe map storage facilities in municipal offices.

Digital tax maps can be easily overlaid with other information layers such as land use planning zones, new road openings, building footprints or physical terrain features. This allows the performance of different analysis and planning tasks within a local government unit. The integration of digital tax parcel data into assessing databases can provide a very quick and easy way to access all land and tax records through a spatial interface.

You can use satellite images to overlay digital municipal base maps.

Data and maps can be made accessible through internet and intranet, and can be easily shared in an electronic working environment.

Transparency and efficiency of local direct taxation can be enhanced.

Development Suitability Analysis

One of the most useful applications of GIS for planning and management is the land use suitability mapping and analysis. Broadly defined, land use suitability analysis aims at identifying the most appropriate spatial pattern for future land uses according to specify requirements, preferences, or predictors of some activity. The GIS-based land use suitability analysis has been applied in a wide variety of situations including:

• Ecological approaches for defining land suitability/habitant for animal and plant species
• Suitability of land for agricultural activities
• Geological favorability
• Environmental impact assessment
• Landscape evaluation and planning
• Selecting the best site for the public and private sector and regional planning

Visual Impact Assessment

(Currently, Kennebec County only – Somerset by 2017)

Using Digital Elevation Models from LIDAR data, KVCOG can now perform various forms of visibility analysis, ranging from constructing shadow models of structures and sight lines to generation of viewsheds and skylines.

If there is a cell tower or wind turbine proposal in your community we may be able to help with which areas of town will be visually impacted by them.

For more information, please contact Joel Greenwood:

Joel Greenwood, Executive Director
453-4258 ext. 213