SKOWHEGAN — Comic Shop News is coming to downtown Skowhegan.
The shop, now in Biddeford, is set to relocate to the former Kennebec Stitchery site at 14 Madison Ave. and renovate the property.
The Skowhegan Select Board last week awarded $50,000 in tax increment financing, or a TIF, to cartoonist David Witting and his wife, Bjarni Brown, to help with the renovation.
Selectmen also awarded a $50,000 TIF for building improvements at Somerset Masonic Lodge No. 34 at 170 Water St.
Comic Shop News is a national print fanzine read by 50,000 to 55,000 people each week. Witting, a cartoonist who has worked for Disney and DreamWorks, bought the publication in 2022 and became its editor.
He said he is moving his operation from Biddeford to Skowhegan to take advantage of “shocking” momentum and investment in the community.
The shop is to serve as the new headquarters for Witting’s comic newspaper operation, but most of the space will be occupied by Brown’s used bookstore, Bookish, he said.
The couple said they plan to invest $76,000 upfront into the property, and will use the $50,000 TIF grant for the renovations.
“We are asking for $50,000 in TIF funds to help us make really good decisions on the building,” Witting told selectmen. “We’re basically going to apply the funds to cleaning up the building exterior, cleaning up the retail space and then fixing infrastructure.”
The building has suffered from “benign neglect” over the years, with problems covered rather than fixed, and Witting said he plans to address them.
Witting said he and his wife are bringing new businesses to “a stretch of downtown that could use some brightening,” with opportunities for employment.
He noted the good schools, the “shocking amount of momentum in Skowhegan” and the “level of investment and enthusiasm” as factors in his and his wife’s decision to relocate from Portland. Bryan Belliveau, Skowhegan’s director of economic and community development, said the town’s valuation has increased by about $500 million since 2006, when the town established its TIF district.
“A half a billion dollars in less than 20 years,” he said.
Under Maine law, a TIF district allows a municipality to set aside property tax revenue from new development in a designated area and place it in a special fund for infrastructure and economic development projects, such as those in Skowhegan’s downtown.
When a town’s property value rises because of major development, it pays more in county taxes and receives less state revenue through education subsidies and municipal revenue sharing.
New tax revenue from a TIF district, however, is sheltered for up to 30 years from education subsidy and revenue sharing calculations, as well as county taxes, benefiting municipalities. That means a town can use the new revenue without being penalized for higher property valuations through the loss of state funds or an increase in county taxes.
Skowhegan has four TIF districts approved by voters at town meetings. The downtown district was created in 2006, renewed in 2017 and is set to expire in 2036. The balance in the town’s TIF capital reserves account is $129,711.45, and the funds must be spent or they will be lost.
Comic Shop News’ TIF award was approved 4-1 by the Select Board, with Chairman Whitney Cunliffe opposed.
He said he had questions about the businesses’ exact economic impact on the town and how many employees would be hired.
“One of the other issues I had is we’ve had other TIF recipients take the grant, spend the money, fix up the building and sell it,” Cunliffe said.
Cunliffe asked Witting if he would be willing to put some “skin in the game” by agreeing to a five‑year owner‑operator agreement and a clawback clause. Witting said he would, but the Select Board did not include the stipulations in the approved motion.
The grant awarded to Somerset Masonic Lodge No. 34, located across the road from the Town Office, is to be used to update the building, which dates to the early 20th century, to meet fire code on the first floor.
The lodge, one of the first in Maine, was established in 1801 when “the trees were just babies,” Chris Clarke, a brother mason, said during a presentation on the group’s project.
He noted the lodge’s long history of community involvement, helping neighbors and fundraising, including for the Bikes for Books initiative and food drives.
“Our community impact is huge,” Clarke said. “We will do anything we can within our power to help the community.”
The lodge, which now has 89 members, hopes to continue hosting its own events, hold community fundraisers and rent the space for commercial operations, according to lodge member TJ Olson.
“Even at the worst of it, we might be able to do 40 events in a year,” he said. “And if we can get $400 for that event, we can put together $16,000.”
Cunliffe added, “I believe that, you being in the town so long, I’m not worried about you getting the money and up and leaving.”
Kristina Cannon, president and CEO of Main Street Skowhegan, a nonprofit dedicated to revitalizing the town, expressed support for both TIF grant proposals, saying they represent the kind of investment Skowhegan needs downtown.
“Both of these presentations have really made my heart soar,” Cannon said. “This is the type of stuff that we have been wanting to see for years.”
Special town meeting
Skowhegan is set to hold a special town meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10, at the Municipal Building, Town Manager Nicholas Nadeau announced.
Voters are to consider three warrant articles: approving the purchase of property on a turnaround, updating the police section of the town ordinance and authorizing the Select Board to enter into a lease agreement for the boardwalk project, he said.
Burglaries
Chief of Police David Bucknam said his department has closed its last burglary case, most of which involved suspects from out of town, and issued a stern warning to would-be thieves.
“If you’re thinking about coming to Skowhegan to rip us off, think twice,” he said. “We’re five for five right now. You’re going to spend some time in jail, I promise you.”
Town ordinance digitization
The Select Board also approved $15,247 on Nov. 25 to pay General Code LLC for a full update and digitization of town ordinances for online use.
The program is expected to cost $1,200 annually and be added to the code enforcement operating budget, Code Enforcement Officer Aaron Crocker said.
