Eastport breathed a collective sigh of relief when Maine Gov. John Baldacci announced in early June that he would use his contingency fund to provide $210,000 to keep the Eastport Boat School afloat.
The governor’s action came in the wake of the legislature’s Appropriations Committee’s failure to fund a bill sponsored by Sen. Kevin Raye (R-Perry) that had been passed by both houses.
This is a hard-won victory for those of us who believe in the future of the Boat School,” Raye said. “We’ve engaged in an aggressive effort to educate people in Augusta about the value of the Boat School to Maine’s boatbuilding industry. Clearly, the governor heard the message and his decision to come down on the side of preserving this vital institution is a vindication of our hard work.”
He added, however, that “there is still a lot of important work to do in order for the Boat School to reach its full potential. We need to make sure that the collaborative process required by the passage of my amendment is successful in securing the long term future of this outstanding facility.”
The Senate approved the bill 32-3, while Representatives Ian Emery (R-Cutler) and Howard McFadden (R-Dennysville) led the effort in the House, where it passed 106-40. The bill was cosponsored by a bipartisan coalition of legislators that included Sen. Mary Black Andrews (R-York), Sen. Dennis Damon (D-Trenton), Rep. Jeff Kaelin (R-Winterport) and the entire Washington County legislative delegation except Rep. Anne Perry (D-Calais).
“Despite the strong support of the full legislature, the fact that Gov. Baldacci’s supplemental budget contained no funding for the Boat School forced it to compete for meager funds left on the Appropriations Table, where just $730,000 was available to fund proposals totaling nearly $260 million,” Raye said.
He added that the legislature approved his amendment requiring Washington County Community College and the City of Eastport to collaborate to explore partnerships to strengthen and secure the future of the Boat School at Eastport.”
The Boat School’s official designation is the WCCC’s Marine Technology Center.
Signed into law by the Governor, Raye’s amendment specifies that the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) will facilitate the process, and that participants must also include the University of Maine System, Maine Maritime Academy, Husson College, Friends of the Boat School and the Maine Marine Trades Association. It allocates $25,000 for the planning and coordination of the effort, and requires a report to the Legislature by Feb. 1, 2007.
“Any way you spell it, this is a big step, as Gov. Baldacci has allowed a world-class program with many accomplished graduates to stay at a world-class waterfront facility,” said last remaining faculty member Dean Pike.
“Unfortunately it still appears the Community College system cannot come up with enough funds to hire someone to run the place on a daily basis which is so critical to any operation but we will get by and work for a solution with other educational partnerships.” he added.
“We are all very grateful to Kevin Raye, Howard McFadden and Ian Emery who kept this on the front burner,” Pike concluded.