Colby College announces plan for Resilience and Economic Impact Center

PORT CLYDE, Maine (WABI) - In recent years, communities on the coast of Maine have faced physical and financial damage due to severe weather in the area.

On Wednesday, in response to that, Colby College announced a plan to open a Center for Resilience and Economic Impact.

“Above and beyond everything, it gives the message of hope,” stated Co-Founder of the NorthLight Foundation Dan Tishman.

Their mission is to for it to be a place, where bonds are made, severe weather is researched, and the community can learn how to bounce back from it.

It stems, in part, from a commission created last year by Gov. Mills called the Commission on Infrastructure Rebuilding and Resilience.

“The Center for Resilience and Economic Impact will bring innovative research, community engagement, and student education that will create the next generation of resilience leaders,” said Director of the Maine Office of Community Affairs Samantha Horn.

Dan Tishman served on the commission, and with his wife Sheryl, created the NorthLight Foundation, and also made donations towards the center. With their eyes on benefiting Port Clyde and beyond.

“It’s not just about working on problems in Port Clyde, it’s using this as a hub to solve the problems that are state-wide and then ultimately, I hope, nation-wide,” answered Dan.

One of the primary goals of the center is to keep Maine looking like Maine. Not just in the views, but also in the fields that people work.

“Many of the legacy industries are facing challenges, and we need to continue to diversify the economic base throughout Maine to ensure that people can have a good living here, that this is going to be a place that’s going to continue to grow and where people will prosper,” added Colby College President David Greene.

Colby College already has a presence in the area, specifically in the summer with their Allen Island Research students, who can’t wait to see how the center will further the relationship between the two.

“I think it will create a space for it in Port Clyde that is able to work better with the community here. Right now, it feels like we are kind of squeezing in and making enough room for ourselves where there might not be enough room with the current infrastructure,” responded Allen Island Research Fellow Oliver Beardsley, along with peers Catrin Carey and Rachel Hernandez.

The center will be based in Port Clyde.