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The COVID-19 Edition for Monday, June 29, 2020 |
To view this edition of Impact online, click here. |
Welcome to your COVID-19 Impact newsletter! |
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As a valued member of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, we plan to stay in touch with you several times each week through emails like this one and on Facebook and Twitter, until the pandemic passes. We intend to provide you with the latest state and federal information, as well as highlighting the creativity and innovation that is occuring here in Maine during this unpredictable and rapidly changing time. To assist you in navigating the uncertainties ahead, we have created a diverse and comprehensive collection of web-based resources to help you take care of yourself and your family, your employees, your business, and your community. |
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Do you have a question? ASK THE EXPERTS. |
We are here to help in any way we can! |
Maine Insurance Superintendent Reminds Businesses to Comply with the Terms of Their Insurance Contracts as They Reopen |
Businesses in Maine are naturally eager to reopen as summer weather approaches. As they do so, Superintendent of Insurance Eric Cioppa reminds business owners of the importance of complying with the terms of their commercial insurance policies and coverage, in addition to Governor Janet Mills' COVID-19 orders. This is important because insurance policies are contracts, with benefits and obligations between the parties, and because of the public health goals of the reopening plan. In exchange for paying their premium, the policyholder receives the insurers promise to cover property damage and liability claims as set out in the policy. Like policies in other lines of coverage, commercial property and casualty insurance policies generally limit the type and amount of coverage they provide, and exclude certain risks completely. Typical exclusions include intentional misconduct or illegal activity. Businesses that reopen without reading their policies or contacting their agents to talk about their coverages might put the insurance protections that they have paid for at risk. For example, failing to adopt reasonable safety procedures, such as frequent cleaning or limiting the number of customers in a store, could give the insurer grounds to reconsider whether to pay a claim or renew the policy, and in some circumstances might even be grounds for cancellation. The Bureau of Insurance offers this information to all Maine businesses and residents, regardless of the pandemic conditions where they are located. The Bureau strongly encourages business policyholders and residents who have questions or concerns about insurance coverage during Maine's reopening to contact their insurer or agent directly to discuss their concerns. Anyone may also contact the Bureau directly online or by calling (800) 300-5000 or TTY 711. |
Maine Transportation Commissioner Urges Passage of Highway Bond |
The $105 million borrowing package is critical to pay for bridge and highway projects as the Department of Transportation faces a massive revenue shortfall, says Commissioner Bruce Van Note. |
On June 23, the Portland Press Herald reported that the head of the Maine Department of Transportation is urging voters to pass a $105 million borrowing package as the state's highway budget faces a potentially massive funding shortfall. Maine routinely passes annual bonds to help pay for its underfunded road, bridge and other construction and improvement projects. The transportation bond is Question 2 on the July 14 statewide ballot. The bonds shore up critical infrastructure in a normal year. With gas tax revenue tanking amid reduced travel during the coronavirus pandemic, this year it means the difference between building or canceling projects, said Transportation Commissioner Bruce Van Note in an interview. "If we don't get this bond this year, there will be dramatic impacts on what we could advertise for projects starting as soon as July and August this year," Van Note said. "If we don't get this, there is no plan for what we do - we'll have to cut capital projects." The $105 million bond would deliver $90 million for road and bridge construction and $15 million for ports, rail, aviation, marine transportation and active transportation such as pedestrian and cycling improvements. The money would be matched with $275 million in federal and other funds. Bonds are typically used to pay for transportation projects in the next year, but with a looming revenue shortfall, Maine intends to use the funds to pay for work this year, Van Note said. |
INNside Out: Looking to Salvage Their Season, These Inns Are Dining Outdoors |
Today, Mainebiz reported that the chef at the Nonantum Resort had long wanted to create an outdoor kitchen, but with ample indoor options, it hadn't happened at the venerable Kennebunkport inn. About 100 miles up the coast, on the St. George peninsula, the new owners of the Craignair Inn by the Sea planned to renovate the restaurant, but that was still a few years down the road. But, as with everything else in the hospitality industry, things are different now. Outdoor dining is now a major feature at both inns, a way to draw customers and create revenue. The COVID-19 quick pivot business model isn't unique to the two inns, says Steve Hewins, CEO of HospitalityMaine, which represents the state's lodging and restaurant industries. "Right now, businesses are looking at any way to generate business that will help them survive," he says. "As they say, necessity is the mother of invention and, in light of the restrictions, Maine's restaurants and hotels are coming up with many new ways to use outdoor and indoor space more effectively and efficiently." The Nonantum, which first opened July 4, 1884, has a huge lawn that slopes down to the Kennebunk River. In past summers it's been dotted with white Adirondack chairs. Now the chairs are sharing space with six dining cabanas, each named for a Maine county, decorated with white tulle and lanterns, and seat up to eight, with mesh on three sides to allow for airflow while providing privacy. Dining isn't all that's done outdoors. Chef Steve Sicinski is also cooking at an outdoor kitchen. When Tina Hewett-Gordon, general manager of the Nonantum talked to Mainebiz in mid-June, the Nonantum had been serving outdoors for six nights, all sold out. "It's been six magical nights," Hewett-Gordon says. |
Vote "Yes" on Question 1 on July 14 to Strengthen Maine's Economy |
There's no question that the big city will always be alluring for some workers, but with the freedom to build a different life and to work from anywhere, there is no place in the world better to consider than Maine - as long as there's high speed internet connecting employees to their work. |
The guest article below by Dana Connors, president and CEO of the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, was recently published in the Sun Journal. |
Two years ago, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce surveyed more than 1,000 business and professional leaders and asked them for their top policy priorities. Three things stood out: increasing the size and skills of the state's workforce; controlling health insurance costs; and expanding high speed internet. At the time, none of us predicted the economic upheaval that was on its way or the terrible toll COVID-19 would take. More than 100 Mainers have lost their lives, thousands have become ill, tens of thousands have lost their jobs and businesses - from small companies to large - are struggling. As Maine people and businesses have adapted to our changed world, those three priorities are more important than ever. That's why the Maine State Chamber of Commerce and businesses around the state are supporting Question 1 on the July 14 statewide ballot. Question 1 would invest $15 million to expand high speed internet. The state dollars would be matched by private, local and federal resources for a total investment of $45 million. If there was ever any question before, we've learned the hard way just how important access to high speed internet is to Maine's future. With school buildings closed, teachers and students quickly adapted to remote learning. Workers who were able set up shop in their homes, and video conference calls replaced business meetings and travel. Telehealth substituted for office visits with doctors. And businesses used the internet to reach customers and try to maintain their sales. And high speed internet was critical for it all. While some parts of the state have high speed internet, those areas that don't are at a significant disadvantage. Now is the time to help close the gap. Expanding high speed internet is the type of foundational infrastructure investment that's necessary for Maine's economy to recover and to stay strong into the future. Question 1 provides a smart, common-sense investment that's critical to rebuilding and sustaining Maine's economy. It can help families stay connected, and expand opportunities for students. It can increase access to cutting edge health care through telehealth, and help seniors to stay in their communities as they age. The Maine State Chamber of Commerce and chambers around the state support Question 1 because it's good for our members, it's good for our communities and it's good for the people who live, work and learn here. We hope that voters will support Question 1 on July 14 and help our state take the next steps toward economic recovery and growth. |
100 Days In, Pandemic Proves Payoff of Public Investment in UMaine Research |
The Bangor Daily News recently published the following Op Ed by Joan Ferrini-Mundy, president of the University of Maine and its regional campus, the University of Maine at Machias. Ferrini-Mundy served on the strategic work team informing the development of the state's 10-year economic development strategy and helped chair the working group of higher education leaders who developed the framework to guide the reopening of Maine's colleges and universities. We have excerpted the Op Ed below, but it can be read in its entirety online. |
When the life-or-death importance of good hand hygiene led to a global shortage in the supply of sanitizer early in the COVID-19 pandemic, Maine health care organizations looked to a long-time partner for help: the University of Maine. Our innovative chemical and biomedical engineering faculty met immediately - on a Sunday during the university's spring break, no less - to study the formulations recommended by the FDA and World Health Organization. Using supplies they had on hand, the team produced 25 gallons of sanitizer that was sent straight to Lewiston's Central Maine Medical Center. To scale up to meet demand - our team initially fielded hundreds of emails daily about hand sanitizer production - we collaborated with Maine's craft distillers and brewers who created the high-purity alcohol that university chemists and engineers mixed with peroxide and glycerol at our campus lab, before being bottled and distributed statewide. Working in small teams of three to allow for appropriate physical distancing, UMaine has produced thousands of gallons of hospital-grade sanitizer and delivered it to more than 100 health care providers statewide, from MaineHealth to the Maliseet Health and Wellness Center. More importantly, we provided the technical assistance so that our business partners could pivot to producing their own, like Mossy Ledge Spirits in Etna, which has now made more than 7,000 gallons of sanitizer and is selling it at cost to other local small businesses so they can safely reopen. As Maine's needs in the face of this unprecedented pandemic have grown and evolved in the 100 days since Gov. Janet Mills first declared a state of civil emergency, so has the resourcefulness of university researchers and the power of our partnerships. Our collective efforts are saving lives and they are only possible due to decades of public investment in our flagship university and the university system. Thank you. It is the state- and federally funded faculty, graduate assistants, laboratories and materials you have supported that have enabled UMaine and other system universities to be so responsive in combating coronavirus, and which will increasingly be called upon to help Maine mitigate future public health outbreaks and rebuild our economy. And while our researchers have been refocused on designing intubation boxes, helping hospitals understand the scientific literature on PPE sterilization and adhering to stay-at-home orders, we have been unable to advance an estimated $22 million in externally funded grant research. Given all this, UMaine is entering its next fiscal year with an eight-figure budget shortfall, with expenses escalating as we hope to reopen safely this fall. With extraordinary pressure on the state's budget in the months ahead, we know legislators face challenging choices. But as this pandemic has proven, there is perhaps no greater investment to protect Maine's public and economic health than in its public universities. |
Use the Maine State Chamber's Blog and Daily Impact to Tell Your Story! |
Numerous Maine companies are stepping up or pivoting nimbly, as Maine people resourcefully address the challenges of this pandemic. Share your perspective and experience with us and with the rest of the business community. How are you facing and overcoming the challenges posed by this pandemic? What are you and your employees doing in this dramatically different economy? Tell us about the innovations your company or employees are making or ways you have adapted your company to meet your customers' needs. Each blog entry should be 300 to 500 words. Join us in creating a written history of the business community's resilience and innovation during this extraordinary time. Please submit your entries to [email protected]. For more information or questions, please contact Mark Ellis by emailing [email protected] or by calling (207) 623-4568, ext. 109. |
Providing Books to Maine Students |
Maine educators were recently surveyed about critical needs of their students. Books were highlighted as a top priority for students of all ages. Supporting reading is essential for students to continue to thrive in schools. Making certain that our students, particularly our youngest readers, have easy access to books during the end of the school year and throughout the summer is crucial for preventing summer slide. Even with yeoman-like efforts by Maine teachers and a hands-on approach from the Maine Department of Education to ensure all Maine students have been able to continue learning remotely during the pandemic, we know that learning over these past few months has inevitably been disrupted. In addition to the school year disruption, student achievement often widens during the summer, an outcome referred to as summer slide. Summer slide accounts for as much as 85 percent of the reading achievement gap between lower income students and their middle- and upper-income peers. Providing students with appropriate books will help address this challenge. Not only does summer reading enable students to continue practicing foundational skills, but it opens the world to students through stories and knowledge building around topics of interest. We need your help to ensure students across our 16 counties have access to books, an essential commodity. Here are a few ways you can support Maine students: 1 2020 Maine Books Challenge: Educate Maine is leading this initiative to provide students with books while supporting local bookstores. You can purchase an online or physical gift card at one of Maine's independent bookstores. Every $10 donation provides a book for a Maine student. Every donation will be matched by the Law Offices of Joe Bornstein up to $5,000. Teachers across Maine will help coordinate book distribution to students. If interested in supporting this effort, please email Katherine at [email protected]. 2 Scholastic Books: This company has offered significant discounts to help get books to Maine students. For example, a $1,000 donation can support 300 books for 100 students. A $5,000 donation can support 1,500 books for 500 students. If interested in supporting this effort, please email Megan Diver at [email protected]. 3 Community Book Donations: Gently used books are also needed across Maine. We are seeking community drop off spots at local employers throughout the 16 counties. If your business is interested in becoming a location for books to be collected, please email Megan Diver at [email protected]. Books will be distributed to students directly through their schools and at local meal sites throughout the summer. Additional information about summer literacy initiatives can be found here. Thank you for supporting Maine students. |
To advertise in the COVID-19 Impact, please contact Melody Rousseau |
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