The Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA) relies on the generous support of its volunteer officers and Board of Directors to fulfill its mission of promoting an environment for responsible development and ownership of real estate throughout Maine. Many have distinguished themselves by making significant contributions to the real estate industry and to MEREDA over many years. Two of MEREDA’s longtime Board members will be retiring from the organization and were recently recognized at MEREDA’s Board Meeting on May 27.

According to grantee estimates, this project will enable the expansion of an existing industrial area, creating 325 jobs in manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, and business services, and generating $34 million in private investment.

The Maine Real Estate & Development Association (MEREDA) recently announced winners of its 2014 Notable Projects Awards at its annual Spring Conference in Portland last week. Each of the selected seven projects fulfill MEREDA’s mission of responsible development, but also involved a significant investment of resources and job creation statewide. All of these “noteworthy and significant" real estate projects were completed in 2014 and are fully tenanted

At Veterans Inc. today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) renewed his commitment to ending veteran homelessness and working to support veterans of recent conflicts as they transition back into civilian life. Senator King, who last year supported a major overhaul of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, today toured Veterans Inc.’s new facility in Lewiston, which provides housing and support services to homeless veterans, where he talked with staff and held a roundtable discussion with veterans on the challenges they face overcoming homelessness and transitioning back to civilian life

Senator Susan Collins, a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development, voted today to approve the Energy and Water Development spending bill for the 2016 fiscal year. The bill now awaits consideration by the full Senate.<

Motivated buyers and sellers led to an increase in existing home sales in April. Realtors sold 1,032 single-family existing homes during the month of April 2015, up 1.67% over April 2014. The median sales price (MSP) for those homes rose 5.33 percent last month to $178,000. The MSP indicates that half of the homes were sold for more and half sold for less.

U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King wrote to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee on Environment and Public Works, Senators James Inhofe (R-OK) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA), to request that the transportation reauthorization bill include investment in innovative technologies that will address “our rapidly aging transportation infrastructure.”

U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King today announced that the Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded $124,797 in Capital Fund Emergency Safety and Security Program grant funding to the Fort Fairfield Housing Authority

Over 280 industry professionals gathered this week to discuss the commercial real estate implications of Maine’s booming food and beverage economy. Maine has become a culinary destination, known for not just lobster, but beer, coffee, organic produce, sea and freshwater products. An exploding foodie culture means a growing need for production facilities, enhanced supply chains, specialty storage and many other real property infrastructure assets, old and new.

U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, announced today that he has introduced two pieces of legislation that would encourage and safeguard the use of Maine’s natural resources to generate renewable electricity. The Working Forests for Clean Energy Act would ensure that emissions generated from sustainably-harvested biomass would be considered carbon neutral under the President’s proposed Clean Power Plan, and the Small Hydropower Dependable Regulatory Order (Small HyDRO) Act of 2015 would streamline a cumbersome federal licensing process for hydroelectric dams

U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King announced today that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be awarding the state of Maine $355,930 in funding under the Clean Vessel Act grant program to promote clean water and recreational boating

In advance of Infrastructure Week, the Co-chairs of the Former Governors Caucus, Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), sent a letter calling on their colleagues in the Senate to commit to fully funding national infrastructure and avoid the kinds of short-term fixes that have become routine in recent years. The Senators noted that economists estimate that increasing infrastructure funding by one percent of real GDP would increase economic output over a three year period by $240 billion and add 730,000 jobs in 2015 alone.

U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), along with Senators Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), has introduced bipartisan legislation that would reauthorize a critical tax provision for improving access to affordable housing and spurring private investment in developments that support small businesses and construction jobs nationwide

U.S. Senator Susan Collins, Chairman of the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations Subcommittee, led a hearing today to examine the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s efforts to prevent and end youth homelessness. The hearing’s witnesses included True Colors Fund Co-Founder and Grammy, Emmy and Tony Award winning artist, Cyndi Lauper

For the fifth year, dozens of family-owned horticulture-related businesses will hold special events to highlight gardening in Maine. Planned activities for the events include giveaways, door prizes, raffles, plants and balloons for children, container-planting demonstrations, personal tours, expert speakers and mini workshops