Posted on January 5, 2026
BROOKSVILLE—The town of Brooksville has been denied an $890,000 Catalyst grant which would have largely funded its long-planned dredging project in Betsy’s Cove in Bucks Harbor. At its monthly meeting on December 16, the Brooksville Harbor Committee voted unanimously to pursue alternate sources of funding in an effort to keep the project moving forward.
The Catalyst grants, which are awarded twice yearly, are designed to support rural economic development through infrastructure improvements.
After the decision not to fund the project was made by the NBRC, Harbor Committee chair Mark Shaughnessy, had a discussion with the commission.
“Today we met on Zoom with the Maine director, and Olivia Jolley from the Hancock County Planning Commission, and we talked about why we didn’t get it. They said it was because we weren’t completely ready to go with guaranteed funding [for the town’s share] and they only want to give things to people who have guaranteed funding.”
“I explained,” said Shaughnessy, “that we are a town and we have to vote on these things. I can’t go to the town and say we might get this grant so will you vote for spending $300,000? It doesn’t work.”
The other reason that the NBRC gave, Shaughnessy said, “we didn’t show enough economic benefit for increased recreational use, despite the fact that we showed more than enough benefit for the commercial use.”
The commercial benefits from dredging Betsy’s Cove and building a new pier, which would provide all-tide access for commercial fishermen, have been well-documented. A recent study by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers estimated that local lobstermen alone would realize nearly $600,000 in savings annually with the project’s completion.
The harbor committee members felt strongly that if another Catalyst grant application is submitted for the spring funding round, a strong case can be made for significant economic benefit from increased recreational use of the Besty’s Cove channel and pier.
Because all of the relevant studies needed for the project have been completed and permits have been granted—at a cost of roughly $60,000— if the project isn’t started in 2026, the town will have to re-apply, essentially spending the same amount again.
Following a great deal of discussion, the committee voted unanimously to allow the chair to enter into funding discussions with the town regarding ways that the project can continue to move forward without wasting the money—and time—already invested.
At the same time, the harbor committee will explore alternate grant funds and re-apply for a Catalyst grant from the NBRC’s spring funding round.
