Section 670-9-2 - ELIGIBILITY REIMBURSEMENT PROCESS AND REQUIREMENTS1.General Eligibility Requirements The Program is available to any political subdivision or a snowmobile club, as conditioned below. (Hereafter "applicant" or "grantee").
To be eligible, a snowmobile club must be incorporated and registered with the Program. Registration requires providing the Bureau with a completed copy of the club's "Request for Taxpayer Identification Number" (IRS Form W-9) by December 1st to be eligible for Grants to be awarded during that winter season. The snowmobile club must also file a Snowmobile Club Information form with the Bureau each year. The club must be legally incorporated with the Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions and in good standing.
Operators of capital grant supported equipment must successfully complete the Off-Road Vehicle Division's "Maine Trail Groomer Operator Awareness Training" program prior to operating said equipment.
2.Amount of Grant and Application ProcessTo receive a Grant, the applicant must submit a complete application, as supplied by the Bureau. In order to receive the maximum allowable grant or reimbursement, the application must be received by the Bureau or postmarked on or before June 15th of the fiscal year in which a purchase was made or the applicant entered into a purchase order with a vendor. For the purposes of these rules, unless otherwise stated, a year means the State's fiscal year that begins on July 1st and ends on June 30th. Applications postmarked after June 15th of the fiscal year in which the purchase was made or the applicant entered into a purchase order with a vendor will be denied.
A.Amount of Grant(1) The Bureau will, on an annual basis, determine the reimbursement percentage. Awards will be granted based on the results of the application review and scoring sheet. The first award will be given to the applicant that received the highest score. The second award will be given to the applicant with the next highest score. This process will continue by awarding grants to applicants with the next highest score until the amount of money available for reimbursement is depleted or when the Bureau determines in its best judgment that no further awards should be made. In the event of a tie in the scoring, applicants that received the same score will be treated the same to the greatest extent possible. A wards will continue to be based upon the percentage of reimbursement determined by the Bureau. An applicant may only submit one grant request per fiscal year. The disbursement of funds is always subject to the availability of sufficient moneys in the Fund for this purpose. (2) Equipment purchased under the program or equipment described in an approved purchase order must cost a minimum of $1500 for a drag unit or $3000 for a power unit. The purchase price of a groomer cannot exceed $200,000. Purchases based on approved purchase orders must be completed by September 15th of the calendar year in which the purchase order was approved. The Bureau will subtract the value of any previously sold equipment, trade-in and any other grants or funding received from the total cost before calculating the amount of the Grant. B.Application and Reimbursement Process(1) The Bureau's Off Road Recreational Vehicle Office administers the Program. All correspondence and applications forms must be submitted to: Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry,
Bureau of Parks and Lands
Off Road Recreational Vehicle Office
Capital Equipment Grant Program
SHS # 22
Augusta, ME 04333-0022
(2) The applicant must complete and submit the following documents: (a) Capital Equipment Grant Application form (supplied by Bureau); (b) A legible photocopy of a purchase order or the receipt for the proposed purchase of the equipment with buyer's and seller's names; description of equipment; purchase price, date of purchase if sale is complete, and amount credited for a trade-in of grooming equipment; (c) A photograph of the equipment; (d) The amount, if any, of any other grants or funding, or sale obtained from previously paid for grant equipment awarded for the purchase of the equipment. (3) The Snowmobile Advisory Council's Review Committee will review applications for grants. The Committee then will submit its recommendation of award or denial to the Director of the Off-road Recreational Vehicle Office, and reimburse the grantee using the procedure set for in Section 2(2)(A)(l). 01- 670 C.M.R. ch. 9, § 2