Press Releases

Maine First District Congresswoman Chellie Pingree today announced $790,000 in Community Project Funding (CPF) for Sea Meadow Marine to improve working waterfront infrastructure in Yarmouth. The funds Pingree secured will be used to rebuild the bulkhead and launch ramp and install water and sewer systems, dramatically improving the overall utility of the site so that current and future tenants can expand their businesses. 

“In the face of climate change and heavy development pressure, it is more important than ever that we work to protect our disappearing working waterfronts,” said Pingree. “The Sea Meadow Marine working waterfront in Yarmouth supports a variety of businesses that require marine access to Casco Bay, including aquaculture and electric boats, along with educational opportunities and important scientific research projects. This Congressionally-directed funding will make urgently-needed improvements at the boatyard and help support an important local working waterfront.”

“Sea Meadow is so fortunate to have advocates and partners in our government who understand the critical need for working waterfronts in Maine. When Sea Meadow purchased our boatyard in Yarmouth, Maine in 2021, we initially saved over 30 jobs. Those numbers have grown and this funding will greatly assist us in making critical infrastructure upgrades to ensure equitable access to our working waterfront survives and thrives. Additionally, it will allow us to further develop and expand our educational programs for the next generation. The tradition of Mainers coalescing, adapting, and thriving in the face of change is alive and well,” said Chad Strater, Board President of the Sea Meadow Marine Foundation.

Pingree, who is Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Interior and Environment Subcommittee, is leading a bipartisan effort in Congress to support coastal communities grappling with the climate crisis and preserve the character of coastal communities by protecting jobs, commercial activities, and public access to America’s coast. In remarks on the House floor last month, Pingree urged her colleagues to pass her bipartisan Keep America’s Waterfronts Working Act to preserve America’s working waterfronts by creating a grant program and preservation loan fund to provide funding options for waterfront preservation and improvement projects. The legislation passed the House in the 116th Congress. Click here to learn more.

Pingree has long advocated for federal resources to help Maine communities preserve and expand shoreline access and infrastructure for water-dependent industries such as fishing, boat building, and aquaculture. She first introduced legislation to protect working waterfronts in the 111th Congress.

###