1. Establishment; purpose. The Rural Manufacturing and Industrial Site Redevelopment Program is established within the authority to provide technical assistance, planning grants and implementation grants for the rehabilitation, revitalization and marketing of manufacturing and industrial sites in rural communities. [PL 2017, c. 174, §2 (NEW).] 2. Technical assistance and planning grants. The authority may provide technical assistance and grants for redevelopment and marketing of a nonproductive industrial or manufacturing site to a municipality or the owner of the nonproductive industrial or manufacturing site. In awarding grants and providing technical assistance under this subsection, the authority shall give preference to nonproductive industrial or manufacturing sites located in communities that have experienced severe economic decline and employment loss due to the nonproductive nature of the site and insufficient technical or planning personnel or resources. A. The authority shall work collaboratively with other state agencies and regional economic development organizations to provide technical assistance under this subsection. [PL 2017, c. 174, §2 (NEW).] B. A municipality that receives technical assistance or a planning grant under this subsection shall form a committee, whose membership includes but is not limited to local residents and the owner of the nonproductive industrial or manufacturing site, to provide advice regarding the redevelopment of the site. [PL 2017, c. 174, §2 (NEW).] C. If the authority is unable to provide technical assistance to a municipality or the owner of a nonproductive industrial or manufacturing site that is qualified for technical assistance under this subsection, as determined by rule, the authority may provide a planning grant to the municipality or the owner of the nonproductive industrial or manufacturing site. [PL 2017, c. 174, §2 (NEW).] D. The authority shall adopt rules related to the implementation of this subsection, including rules regarding the application process and eligibility of applicants for technical assistance and planning grants. Rules adopted under this paragraph are routine technical rules pursuant to chapter 375, subchapter 2-A. [PL 2017, c. 174, §2 (NEW).] [PL 2017, c. 174, §2 (NEW).] 3. Implementation grants; rules. The authority may provide grants for implementing a project for the redevelopment and marketing of a nonproductive industrial or manufacturing site located in a rural community that has experienced severe economic decline and employment loss due to the nonproductive nature of the site. An applicant for a grant must demonstrate the capacity to undertake the project with a reasonable prospect of bringing it to successful completion. The authority shall adopt rules, which are routine technical rules pursuant to chapter 375, subchapter 2-A, related to the implementation of this subsection, including rules regarding: A. The application process for implementation grants; and [PL 2017, c. 174, §2 (NEW).] B. The criteria and scoring system for awarding implementation grants. The scoring system must include, but is not limited to, an evaluation of the plan for redeveloping and marketing the nonproductive industrial or manufacturing site, community support for the project and consistency with any applicable regional economic development plan. [PL 2017, c. 174, §2 (NEW).] [PL 2017, c. 174, §2 (NEW).]
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