Sunrise County Economic Council ’ s five-year Strategic Plan intends to initiate and facilitate the creation of jobs and prosperity in Washington County . Some key goals for regional economic development are to :
• Increase business investment capital
• Support new economic development opportunities
• Improve essential transportation infrastructure
• Strengthen the local food system
Regional economic development and municipal planning entities primarily involved in coordinating this work include :
• Sunrise County Economic Council
• Hancock County Planning Commission
• Northern Maine Development Commission
• Eastern Maine Development Corporation
• DownEast Acadia Regional Tourism
• Maine Downtown Center
• Island Institute
• Maine Sea Grant
• CEI
• Maine Small Business Development Center
State agencies closely engaged in regional economic development efforts in DownEast Acadia include :
• Maine Department of Transportation
• Maine Department of Agriculture , Conservation , and Forestry
• Maine Department of Economic and Community Development
• Maine Office of Tourism
• Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation
• US Department of Environmental Protection Brownfields Redevelopment
Tourism
The travel and leisure industries contribute significantly to the economy of DownEast Acadia , a fact which has been mis-understood in the past but became painfully clear with the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic . DownEast Acadia Regional Tourism is the officially designated Destination Marketing Organization for the region ( per Maine Office of Tourism ( MOT ).
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