DRDC / Farm Project updates

Good morning DRDC members and other important people~

1.  DRDC President Roger Brawn & Engineer Keith Ewing of Plymouth Engineering announced last Friday the "low bidder" of the Fossa Building Renovation of "leaking wall" is J. Wilbur Construction; coming in almost 2/3 less than the next bid and came in at the approximate price that the Engineer firm 'figured'.
The signing of the contract took place on Wednesday, May 16th.
CDBG Terry Ann Stevens was contacted and it is a go!!!  Thanks to Terry Ann for all her quick responses and help while I am learning proper procedure!

2.  J. Wilbur Construction & Roger Brawn and Keith Ewing (and me) gathered at 8 am yesterday, Wednesday May 16th to sign the contract.  Within a few hours, Jonathan and crew began work and plans on having the inside wall finished this week and the outside next week.  The roofing company that did our original roof work, is sub'ing on finishing up the changes done to the roof.  So this part of the project should be done in 2 weeks and we can start the final phase.

3.  Keith, Roger and I met last Friday (Jason was unable to attend) and we went through the plans for working on the Bid package to finish the project.  We also met with Dexter's Code Enforcement Officer Jana Wood about what she needs from us and to all be on the same page.  We found out that by Dexter's code, we do not need an occupancy permit but we do need Fire Marshal and all electrical & plumbing has to be done by Masters of each field.

Keith Ewing contacted QA13, our original architect and they denied the use of the blue prints for this phase of the project so Keith is doingnew plans  to fit our current needs.  I am so thankful to have Keith (Plymouth Engineering) on board!!!  He is taking care of us every step of the way.  Roger & I have tremendous faith in his work.

4.  Mr. Mike Rollins called from USDA about our $40K grant for the kitchen equipment.  There is now a big RUSH on getting kitchen equipment bought because current deadline isJune 30th with (maybe) a written extension if need be.  But Mike would rather we use it up now.  I guess I will be busy the next few weeks.  Mike talked with both Roger and myself so we both are on the same page ;)
On a good note, Mike said that the wood or oil fire oven can be covered under this grant IF it passes the Fire Chief's standards.

  5. I met with the knowledgeable  Linda Titus last Friday morning at the store.  Linda is with Ag Matters and she teaches about food safety, GAP, kitchen stuff, and lots more.  When the time comes, she will come and teach some classes that I feel are needed for our farmers:  which is especially important when selling wholesale to restaurants, hospitals, schools etc. 
She gave me names of other nonprofits that have commercial kitchens (one of which I was at in Farmington last month), to get more info on details of what we need, licensing, etc.
Lauchlin and Linda Titus's company website is at:  http://www.agmattersllc.com/  -  They are very well know in the Ag world and are a wealth of information.

I also have been talking with Trish from Western Mountain Alliance as I told you at our last meeting.  The grant for the DBT is not a fit for us, but she gave me better news and a name to call who may pay for the whole system.  That call is coming up soon.  I will let you know how that goes.

5.  I am scheduled to speak at Dexter Kiwanis tomorrow, Friday, May 18th at 6:15 am  (yup, me at 6:15 AM is not pretty), but anyway, they have been after me to do it, so off I go :)
    Keep your fingers crossed that I have presence of mind to "talk in an understandable manner".  This will be the 3rd such talk in the past couple years they have invited me to talk about the Farm Project.  I am inviting them to a tour following the meeting, about 8 am, if anyone would like to stop by.  I have conveyed this to the J. Wilbur Construction company and he will make sure things are "picked up" as he said while they are doing the 'look/see'.

6.  I am so sad to tell you that our benefactor Ernestine Fossa (who she & family donated the store to us) has passed away this week.  I am saddened that she never got to see it open as she was so excited about our project.  I am sure she will be looking over us and helping us to make it happen anyway.  RIP Mrs. Fossa... Her obituary is at http://www.thedailyme.com/Obituaries/adelaide_ernestine_fossa.html.  She was a wonderful lady!!!  Roger and I made an executive decision yesterday to make  donation in her name.

That is it for now.... I am probably forgetting a lot, but call me with your thoughts and or questions.
Judy

Preconditioned Feeder Calf Sale May 19th

Grass has started to grow and backyard beef producers looking for beef calves to turn out on pasture this spring have an opportunity to buy healthy calves. The Maine Beef Producers Association (MBPA) is sponsoring a preconditioned feeder calf sale at the Northeast Livestock Expo on Saturday, May 19th at 11 am at the Windsor Fair Grounds, just off Route 32 in Windsor www.northeastlivestockexpo.com .

Cow Calf producers have taken the time to precondition their calves for this sale. Preconditioning reduces the incidence of respiratory disease, enteritis and pinkeye by increasing the immunity of the calf in preparation of the stress of weaning and shipping. Dehornings and castrations are healed. “This is a great opportunity to purchase high quality calves for your summer pasture,” says Dick Brown MBPA Director and auctioneer for the sale.

Some cow calf producers consigning animals to the sale have also signed affidavits attesting that their animals have been raised under the MBPA Natural Meats program protocol of never having received hormones, antibiotics, or feeds or feed supplements containing animal-by-products. And/or their animals are 100% grass (forage) fed, no grains, grain-by-products, grain crops, grain crop silages, or other prohibited feeds under the USDA grass fed guidelines have been fed.

The MBPA are expecting about 100 calves weighing from 400 to 900 pounds to be sold at the May 19th sale at 11 am. If you are interested in buying a few or a lot of animals or have questions contact Sale Manager, Pete Dusoe at 207-948-3233, 207-416-5441 or pbdusoe@uninets.net or Bob Dusoe at 207-322-5609.

Monthly meeting

The monthly meeting of DRDC/Dexter Community Farm Project is tomorrow night, Tuesday, May 1st.

We will begin at 6:30 PM at the Fossa Store with a little clean up of trash that was left over from working upstairs. Roger is bring his pickup to load the trash in.

The shortened meeting will follow with an overview of the new Engineer Drawings that Plymouth Engineering produced and of the walk thru by the contractors last Wednesday of the "wall". 

I will also go thru the rest of the renovation schedule.
Anyone interested is invited to come and to participate.
Cya then!

Contractors: Invitation to Bid

INVITATION TO BID

Project: Fossa Building Renovation

Owner: Dexter Regional Development Corporation
122 Number 10 Road
Dexter, ME 04930

Architect/Engineer: Plymouth Engineering, Inc.
P.O. Box 46, 30 Lower Detroit Road
Plymouth, Maine 04969
Date: April 20, 2012


Bidders are invited to submit a Bid to the Owner for Fossa Building Renovation at 4 Main Street, Dexter, Maine. The Owner will receive Bids until 2:00 PM local prevailing time on May 4, 2012, for the following project: Description: Work site is an existing, ongoing project. This project is funded with CDBG. The task for the project is to move the existing unfinished wall off the neighboring building. Install exterior metal wall panel over moved wall and existing wall. Cut roof back and install new edge condition on roof and spray foam the designated area with 4” of foam.

The Owner requires the Project to be completed by June 15, 2012. Bidding Documents for a Stipulated Price contract may be obtained directly from Plymouth Engineering Inc. for a fee of $30.00.

General Contractors may opt to secure additional plans electronically from Plymouth Engineering’s website. The website password will only be issued to general contractors by Plymouth Engineering to ensure a complete list of bidders. Documents can only be obtained by general contract and subcontract Bidders. Only full sets will be issued. Others may view the Bid Documents at the office of the Architect/Engineer.

 A pre-bid meeting will be held at the site on April 25, 2012 at 9:00 AM. Refer to other bidding requirements described in Document 00200 - Instructions to Bidders and Document 00300 – Additional Information Submit your Bid on the Bid Form provided.

Bidders may supplement this form as appropriate. Your Bid will be required to be submitted under a condition of irrevocability for a period of 60 days after submission. The Owner reserves the right to accept or reject any or all Bids.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Seedling workshop

Start Your Own Plants from Seed is the latest program in the You Can series. It will be held Thursday, April 26th from 10:00 am- 12:00 pm at Charlotte White Center, 572 Bangor Road, Dover-Foxcroft. 

Cost is $5 and you can register through PVAEC by calling 564-6525 or online athttp://bit.ly/pyoucan. 

What’s the best way to start seeds? High seedling mortalities and leggy, unhealthy plants that never perform well when moved to the garden are some of the common problems that will be discussed. 

Learn the best gardening practices for starting plants in the home. You’ll bring home a newly planted seed that you started in class. Patricia Jones and Amanda Costello are graduates in the Master Gardeners program through UMaine Extension.

April Monthly Meeting

DRDC/Dexter Community Farm Project monthly meeting is going to be held an hour early this month. It is tomorrow, Tuesday, April 3rd, 6 PM at the Fossa General Store.

We want to share the work completed upstairs and also go over what our engineer has planned for the leaky wall, etc.

We will keep the meeting short, but dress accordingly! Remember there is no heat currently :)

Questions? Feel free to contact us at judy@DexterFarmProject.com or call.
See you tomorrow night!

Maine Senior FarmShare Program

Through the Maine Senior FarmShare Program, Maine farmers provide fresh, unprocessed, locally grown produce to low-income seniors. Food is distributed directly from farms to seniors. Each participating senior receives a share worth $50 of produce during the growing season.


Farms are prepaid in the spring for the produce they agree to provide later in the season. Only fresh, unprocessed vegetables, fruits and herbs from the farmer are acceptable FarmShare products.


To qualify, seniors must meet both age and income requirements. They must be age 60 or over (age 55 or over for Native Americans), and have a total income (including all pensions, social security and other payments) of no more than 185% of the poverty level. Participating seniors must sign an agreement with a specific farmer to provide their share.

The Maine Senior FarmShare Program is administered by the Maine Department of Agriculture (DOA) in partnership with other agencies and organizations, including the Office of Elder Services, the Maine Nutrition Network, Maine Cooperative Extension, and Maine's five Area Agencies on Aging. The Program is funded through the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP).

For more information on program guidelines and participating farmers call Area Agencies on Aging at 1-877-353-3771 or visit www.getrealmaine.com.