AUGUSTA– Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, introduced legislation to support the construction of a new Bureau of Forestry District Headquarters at a public hearing before the Legislature’s Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry Committee on Monday. LD 1886, Resolve, to Construct a New District Headquarters Building for the Bureau of Forestry in Fort Kent, would provide funding to create the only Bureau office in the St. John Valley.

“Folks living in rural Maine, especially in northern Aroostook County, have long struggled to interact with their government and get the services they need. This is in part due to the distance between the state capital and the heart of my district,” said President Jackson. “Technology has made it easier to connect, but there is simply no replacement for a nearby, physical location where folks can drop in and quickly get the answers or support they need. For many loggers and haulers, the lack of reliable, high-speed internet and cell phone services greatly limits the ability of technology to bridge the gap between the woods and the Bureau of Forestry. That’s why I feel strongly that the Legislature does all it can to support the progress of the Bureau’s building project to promptly construct a district headquarters.”

This facility would create a presence for the Bureau of Forestry in Northern Aroostook’s largest municipality, Fort Kent. It would support construction costs on a plot of land that the Bureau has already purchased and is in the process of developing.

LD 1886 faces additional work sessions in committee.

###