AGC Maine is proud to announce our support of the initiative to create 1,000 affordable apartments for Maine’s senior citizens. As the backlog grows for affordable housing, we remain seriously concerned about some of our most vulnerable Mainers. Providing access to critical services like medical care, emergency services, public transportation, and basic amenities will greatly improve the lives of many struggling to meet the challenges of today’s world.
Access to Services
“By creating new units we are accomplishing a number of goals that drive our economy. First, it will provide improved living conditions for residents that are closer to services like doctors and pharmacies. The plan is designed to create new housing units in each region, and in towns that have existing transportation systems in place, healthcare services, and nearby access to grocery stores. This new housing will not require tenants to leave rural counties, and instead will be located in places where they can easily get to and from services as they age. This will also help reduce the financial strain caused by having emergency service providers traveling to remote homes to provide medical care. The goal is to offer a living experience that is similar to what someone is accustomed to while ensuring that person can easily get to the grocery store or see a doctor, ” said AGC Maine’s Matthew Marks.
Energy Efficient Living
“Today, we are investing in weatherizing homes, upgrading heating systems, and providing fuel assistance to Mainers who are living in some of the oldest homes in the country. This investment by homeowners and public assistance groups can be reduced by building newer, safer, more efficient homes for seniors. While we have done a good job upgrading our aging housing stock, it is tough to tackle each problem in every single-family cape or farmhouse at the end of each dirt road. This initiative will take that burden off their shoulders and hopefully provide opportunities for new families to purchase older homes and take on those challenges and make the necessary improvements. The new units built to today’s standards are amazingly efficient from insulation to heating systems. Developers will be able to seek out locations that provide the best and most diverse fuel choices for these projects in an effort to continue to reduce Maine’s dependence high cost energy solutions. Since the projects will consist of multiple units on one property, we are already reducing energy costs. This is a positive step towards reducing housing costs for generations of Mainers,” Mark remarked.
Investment in Skilled Jobs
“Anytime Mainers invest in construction the return to the Maine economy is almost immediate. This proposal will result in $80-$100 million in construction investment across the state. That has an impact of increasing Maine’s Gross Domestic Product by at least $272 million, adding an additional $88 million in personal earnings, and creating or sustaining 2,280 jobs. The jobs are diverse too – an estimated one third (776) are construction jobs, one sixth (368) are jobs for the people who provide supplies and services to the industry, and one half (1,144) are jobs created when construction and supplier workers spend their earnings across all sectors of the economy. Increased local investment, local jobs, and local taxes for the State of Maine are all positive results that would be created by this initiative. For decades, we have watched the construction industry bolster our economy during the toughest times, and throughout our state’s history we have seen that investing in infrastructure helps our economy grow stronger. Creating opportunity for more high-skilled jobs will only help us attract younger workers and better trained craftsman and keep Mainers from having to go out of state to find jobs,” said Marks.
Chartered in 1951, the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Maine is the state’s largest construction industry trade association. The Association maintains an office in Augusta and has over 185 members statewide. Member companies include general contractors, sub-contractors, and service and supply providers. For more information visit www.agcmaine.org.