April 13, 2015 — The state, while publicly saying the process has not been finalized, has told Gloucester city officials it is changing how it will identify Massachusetts shore-side businesses eligible for $750,000 in federal fishing disaster funds.
The initial process called for port communities such as Gloucester to play a key role by identifying local shore-side businesses potentially eligible for assistance and collectively submitting the list to the state Division of Marine Fisheries for final determination on which will receive funds.
Now, according to Gloucester economic development officer Sal Di Stefano, the state is removing the municipalities from the formal process.
"Now the state will issue the RFP [request for proposal] and the companies will respond individually and directly to the state," Di Stefano said.
DMF, in a statement, said it is still developing the process for distributing the shore-side business assistance included in the $8.3 million Massachusetts received in the second phase of federal fishing disaster funding.
Read the full story at the Gloucester Daily Times