Whitefield board blocks USDA grant vote for food manufacturing project

Whitefield’s Select Board declined to send a USDA Rural Business Development Grant proposal to voters, stopping a $65,000 federally funded manufacturing plan tied to Coopers Mills, Inc. The company says the project could expand year-round jobs and value-added food production in Whitefield and remains committed to investing there.

Why it matters: - The blocked proposal would have used federal dollars to support local food manufacturing without asking Whitefield taxpayers for a direct appropriation. - The company says the project could create year-round jobs, strengthen Maine agriculture, and turn a dairy byproduct into higher-value products in Whitefield. - Whitefield and Lincoln County are in a state with an aging population, which the company argues makes rural investment more urgent.

What happened: - On July 14, the Whitefield Select Board voted not to advance a proposed USDA Rural Business Development Grant to a Special Town Meeting. - The grant application sought $65,000 for Coopers Mills, Inc., which does business as Swallowtail Farm & Creamery in the unincorporated village of Coopers Mills. - The vote failed to reach voters after two Select Board members supported advancing the proposal, one voted no, and one abstained.

The details: - The project budget included $45,000 for specialized commercial food-manufacturing equipment. - The proposal set aside $15,000 for installation, technical implementation, process development, and commercialization support. - Another $5,000 would have compensated the Town of Whitefield for grant administration. - No local tax appropriation was requested. - Under the proposed structure, the Town would have bought the equipment and retained ownership. - The company would have reimbursed the Town annually through a straight-line depreciation agreement. - The plan was framed as a federally funded economic development initiative, not a municipal expense. - The equipment was designed to increase production capacity, expand value-added agricultural manufacturing, and support future product innovation. - The company said it has already invested about $700,000 in acquiring and improving the business and property. - Sean Patrick Harrington said the company will continue expanding manufacturing and pursuing alternative partnerships.

Between the lines: - The company pushed back on a comparison made during deliberations between the equipment proposal and recreational snowmobiles. - Harrington said commercial food-manufacturing equipment is productive infrastructure that can create products, jobs, payroll, agricultural purchases, and long-term economic activity. - The statement suggests the larger dispute is not just about one grant, but about how rural towns judge outside investment and economic development opportunities. - The abstention mattered because it kept the issue from reaching residents for a townwide decision.

What's next: - Coopers Mills, Inc. says it will keep Whitefield as its long-term manufacturing headquarters. - The company says it will continue investing in Coopers Mills, Whitefield, and the surrounding region. - Harrington said the business may eventually add satellite operations as it grows, but described that as growth from Whitefield rather than away from it. - The company is also looking at alternative partnerships after the Select Board vote.

The bottom line: - Whitefield stopped a federally funded manufacturing proposal before voters could weigh in, but the company says its investment plans in town are still moving forward.