Piscataquis Area Community Center seeking funding for employees/retention

DOVER-FOXCROFT — Last month the Dover-Foxcroft Select Board formally approved a letter of intent for the Piscataquis Area Community Center to help the organization seek a Community Business Development Grant with the state’s Community Development Block Grant Economic Development Program. 

The original intention of funding would be to support the creation of three permanent full-time positions at the PACC but the grant can also be used for staff retention, PACC Executive Director Manda Stewart told the select board during a meeting on Tuesday evening. She said she would like to offer competitive wages and benefits to help keep employees. Exactly how grant funds would be utilized would be determined by if and how much is awarded.

In the letter to the CDBG grant committee, Town Manager Alsina Breenstuhl explained the nonprofit PACC provides essential health, wellness, youth and family services to the region. 

“The proposed project will utilize CDBG EDP funding to support the creation of three permanent full-time positions at the PACC: an aquatics director, a custodian and a marketing & community outreach coordinator,” she wrote. “These positions are not only critical to the organization’s operations but also serve as direct economic drivers in Piscataquis County.”

The aquatics director will enable the PACC to expand swimming lessons, safety training and aquatic fitness programs and will generate increased revenue, reduce local barriers to aquatics access and help position the PACC as a regional hub for recreation, the letter explains.

The custodian will ensure the Park Street facility remains clean, safe and fully operational, creating a welcoming environment that supports member satisfaction and program growth. By maintaining the pool, fitness areas, locker rooms and community spaces, this position directly supports the ability to expand hours of operation, retain members and increase revenue-generating activities. 

The marketing & community outreach coordinator will strengthen membership recruitment, donor development and program visibility, create long-term sustainability while ensuring that low- and moderate-income households are actively engaged and served. 

“Together, these roles will grow the PACC’s capacity, create stable jobs, and expand economic impact through program fees, events and regional visitation,” Brenenstuhl wrote.

“The heat is on and is working better than it was before,” Stewart said about the Park Street facility.

Morita’s School of Dance is offering classes at the PACC with young dancers from about 100 families taking part. “It’s fun to have that many back in the building,” Stewart said.

The organization is seeking three board members, with marketing and accounting skills desired but anyone else would be a help.

Stewart said those looking to assist the PACC could take care of tasks such as taking out the trash, washing floors and sweeping, which would allow herself and others to take care of more specific work.

Among these more specialized duties is getting the pool ready.

The pool area is about a third of the way washed and this needs to be dried before a filler compound can be put in. After this will be painting.

The select board also heard from Sue Mackey Andrews of Helping Hands with Heart, which she explained is an organization formed to serve the Maine Highlands back in 1998 by the five regional school districts.

An urgent needs fund today serves all ages with transportation, food and housing assistance, relying on $70,000 to $80,000 a year from grants and donations.

“We just want to see people have what they need to be safe,” Mackey Andrews said, with Piscataquis County and immediate surrounding areas being the oldest, sickest and poorest in the state.

“We do believe our greatest asset is our people, they are wonderful, they are hardworking,” she said. 

Many residents are “asset limited, income constrained and employed,” Mackey Andrews said, using the acronym ALICE.

Helping Hands with Heart does not advertise, instead people are referred to them.

“The people we know of are a small percentage of people who are experiencing these challenges,” Mackey Andrews said. She explained that many residents hold off on calling for assistance, at times waiting too long and doing so only when they have reached a crisis such as having electricity turned off. 

Working with the Bangor shelter, Helping Hands with Heart looks to have a person to help the homeless in the Maine Highlands, including prevention.

The select board approved an $11,500 waste oil burner from Keyko to replace the existing unit at the transfer station. 

“We get a tremendous amount of waste oil and that is the most efficient way to heat that facility,” Brenenstuhl said. 

The state has made an official proclamation for Blindness Awareness Month (https://www.maine.gov/governor/mills/official_documents/proclamations/2025-09-blindness-awareness-month-october).

Dover-Foxcroft officials would like to observe the occasion to bring awareness to the condition, so the town is participating in the state proclamation.