LIMESTONE, Maine — A bill that would provide $1.5 million in funding for the Loring Development authority passed through the house by 119 to 14 on June 27 and, as of June 28, was placed on the Senate appropriations table.
Gov. Paul LePage must sign the bill before it is official, at which point he will look at Loring’s plan and determine the “actual receivable amount of money” given to the LDA, according to Carl Flora, LDA president and CEO.
The bill, presented by Rep. Trey Stewart and cosponsored by Sens. Troy Jackson and Michael Carpenter along with Reps. Chris Johanson, John Martin, David McCrea, Carol McElwee and Roger Sherman, will provide $750,000 for this fiscal year and an additional $750,000 for the next.
Flora said the money will fund an upcoming project on the former Loring Air Force Base with an undisclosed aviation, maintenance, repair, and overhaul company. As of June 28, Flora said he is currently unable to reveal the name of the MRO company or many additional details as the company is going through a regulatory process.
Complications with the Maine Military Authority’s bus renovation project on the former base have led to them owing the LDA approximately $865,000 in back rent. The MMA and Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority devised an agreement earlier this year calling for additional MBTA funds.
“It all has to do with issues related to the bus contract,” Flora said on Wednesday. “That’s where the financial strain has been for the last couple of years.”
Flora says the state funding will put LDA where they “would have hoped to be” with the back rent collected.
“If this bill makes it through,” Flora said, “we’ll see that it gets put to good use.”
