In Hermon, Senator Collins Announces More Than $400,000 for Maine Snowmobile Clubs
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Hermon, ME — This morning at the Penobscot Snowmobile Club in Hermon, U.S. Senator Susan Collins attended an announcement for a grant totaling $411,365 for five Maine snowmobile clubs to help them maintain trails in the winter. The funding, which was awarded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development, will be used to replace old trail groomers for: the Portage Lakers Sno-Mobile Club, the Red Arrow Snowmobile Club in St. Agatha, the Fort Kent Snowmobile Club, the Slippery Sliders in Roxbury, and the Wassookeag Snowmobile Club in Dexter.
“Maine’s snowmobile industry is a powerful economic engine for our state, contributing more than $600 million to Maine’s economy and supporting small businesses and rural communities along the trail routes. This industry’s success is made possible through the countless hours volunteers spend clearing and maintaining trails,” said Senator Collins. “This important funding will help to ensure that Maine’s trails are ready for all snowmobilers to safely enjoy this winter.”
During the 2018-2019 snowmobiling season, nearly 60,000 snowmobiles were registered in Maine by residents, and more than 25,000 snowmobiles were registered by non-residents. That same season, snowmobiling generated $606 million in direct and indirect spending across many sectors of our state’s economy. Snowmobile-related spending also directly supports 2,279 jobs in the state and indirectly supports an additional 1,060 jobs.
The Maine Snowmobile Association (MSA) is an organization of approximately 28,000 members and 2,100 business partners supporting 289 affiliated nonprofit snowmobile clubs throughout the state. The volunteers of the MSA clubs work throughout the year to keep the snowmobile trail system open, marked, and groomed for everyone's enjoyment.
The funding was allocated as follows:
- Portage Lakers Sno-Mobile Club received $65,000 to replace an old trail groomer.
- Town of St. Agatha received $98,463 to purchase trail grooming equipment that will be leased to the Red Arrow Snowmobile Club.
- Town of Fort Kent received $99,900 to purchase trail grooming equipment to lease to the Fort Kent Snowmobile Club.
- Slippery Sliders of Roxbury received 99,000 to replace an old trail groomer.
- Wassookeag Snowmobile Club in Dexter received $49,002 to replace an old trail groomer.
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