The Economic Development and Industrial Corporation wants to be involved in the process of developing a host community agreement between Mayflower Wind and the Town of Falmouth.

“I want to make sure our small businesses and our residents get a good shot at benefitting from this by having them make sure they contract with local businesses for supplies, contractors and employees,” committee member Michael B. Galasso said on Tuesday, March 9. “That is what this host agreement, to me, is all about: to make sure our folks here in this community, who are going be impacted by this, benefit.”

Chairman Christopher Land asked EDIC executive director Michael DiGiano to draft a letter to the select board requesting the committee provide comment prior to the execution of a host community agreement.

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Falmouth businesses will be able to apply for grants from the Community Development Block Grant program starting Monday, March 1.

Administered by the Economic Development & Industrial Corporation, grants of up to $10,000 are available to qualified small business owners.

"They can go to the portal and apply on Monday, and paper applications will be available as well," EDIC executive director Michael DiGiano said.

The web portal will be available on the EDIC website, falmouthedic.org. Those seeking a paper application can contact the EDIC at info@falmouthedic.org or 508-548-7440.

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The Falmouth Economic Development and Industrial Corporation and Citizens Energy Corporation are urging income-eligible families in Falmouth to sign up for discounted green energy generated by their locally built, ground-mounted solar array.

Citizens Energy is working with community leaders like the Falmouth EDIC and the Falmouth Housing Authority to ensure that clean energy is accessible and affordable for all.

“We have an enormous responsibility to our community and to our planet to not only make green choices, but to make those choices available to our most vulnerable populations,” said former Congressman Joseph P. Kennedy II, who founded Citizens Energy Corporation more than 40 years ago to find innovative ways to help poor families meet their energy needs.

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Pending a vote by the Seaport Economic Council on Wednesday, February 24, the Falmouth Economic Development and Industrial Corporation will receive a $197,063 grant to upgrade the ocean sensor test bed at its Bourne Tidal Test Stand near the railroad bridge on the Cape Cod Canal.

The EDIC partnered with the Marine Renewable Energy Collaborative on the project, which seeks to bring power and an internet connection to the tidal test stand. Originally designed to test tidal energy systems, the upgrade will enable research and device to test marine sensor devices.

“Without it, the capability of it is a little bit limited and a little bit hard,” EDIC director Michael DiGiano said at the EDIC’s meeting on Tuesday, February 9. “I think this will be very helpful for our blue economy and our marine tech economy here in Falmouth. We are very [fortunate] to get the grant.”

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Small businesses could soon be able to apply for funding through the Economic Development and Industrial Corporation’s small business grant program.

“Bottom line is we’re expecting it will go live next week,” EDIC Executive Director Michael DiGiano said on Tuesday, February 9.

The EDIC has $160,000 available through the small business grant program. In order to be eligible for a grant, a small business must have five or fewer employees, with the owner making no more than 80 percent of the area median income. Businesses can receive up to $10,000 in grant funding.

“Those are grants, and they don’t need to be paid back,” board member Michael B. Galasso said. “They can be used for things such as rent, utilities, the cost of PPE or other things related to COVID-19. It’s a good complement to help our small businesses survive through the winter and be able to reopen during the summer.”

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The Economic Development and Industrial Corporation is projecting a budget deficit of $68,096 in 2021.

“That’s actually almost a 30 percent decrease from our deficit spending in 2020,” EDIC executive director Michael DiGiano said at the corporation’s meeting on Tuesday, February 9. “A lot of that is due to the PPP, which we were successful in getting.”

The corporation received $17,964 in Paycheck Protection Program funding. If used toward payroll, the money may be treated as a grant.

The EDIC will also receive income from phase two of the landfill solar development project. Corporation member Christopher R. Simmler said the projected income could increase further if a parcel of land is sold at the Falmouth Tech Park or if the Plymouth & Brockton Street Railway Company begins operations at the Falmouth Station.

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The Falmouth Economic Development and Industrial Corporation has been awarded a $50,000 technical assistance grant from MassDevelopment for the master plan developed by Nitsch Engineering. The plan seeks to improve transportation and development of affordable housing at a site on Depot Avenue.

Though the EDIC has a long-term lease of the property, MassDevelopment wants Massachusetts Department of Transportation to sign off on the project as the landowner.

“Most of the transportation-related uses are within the scope of our lease with MassDOT,” EDIC executive director Michael DiGiano said at the corporation’s meeting on Tuesday, February 9. “Housing isn’t particularly mentioned, so we need to basically pull MassDOT in on that. What MassDevelopment wants to do is have a follow-up on scoping with MassDOT.”

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The Economic Development and Industrial Corporation has authorized spending $7,800 to purchase a program by Neighborly Software to assist with the administration of the Community Development Block Grant program.

The EDIC has $160,000 available through the small business grant program. In order to be eligible for a grant, a small business must have five or fewer employees, with the owner making no more than 80 percent of the area median income. Businesses can receive up to $10,000 in grant funding.

“We began looking at some of the mechanisms for the intake of applications with online applications, like some of the other communities are doing, and also accepting supporting documentation,” EDIC executive director Michael DiGiano said at the corporation’s meeting on January 12. “With these applications, that often involves people’s income tax returns and other sensitive financial information, which requires secure links to accept those documents.”

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