MADISON — Many rural towns across Maine are finding ways to engage their communities, persevere through hard economic times, and commit to a brighter future. The documentary “Resilience” chronicles the steps that three rural Maine towns — Madison, Millinocket and Jonesport — have taken to strengthen their local economies.

Told through the voices of local residents and community leaders, “Resilience” is a story of economic perseverance and the power of a community working together toward a shared vision.

The 90-minute documentary is set to be screened at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 28, at Somerset Abbey, 98 Main St. Doors open at 6 p.m. There will be a panel discussion immediately following the screening.

This film was commissioned by the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development and produced by Blaze Partners and Timber + Frame.

The panelists include Deb Rountree, Bill Milliken and Sam Hight.

Rountree is an educational administrator that loves to create an engaging community environment, along with building relationships with local businesses and organizations. She is involved in the revitalization of the greater Katahdin Region and is executive director of Rural Development Initiatives for Eastern Maine Community College and the University of Maine at Augusta at the Katahdin Higher Education Center.

Milliken, the sixth great-grandson of the first English settler of Jonesport, is involved in local politics and serves the community in a number of positions. His real estate career began in 1988, closely working with his grandfather who started the firm, Bold Coast Properties, in 1965.

Hight is the dealer principal of Hight Ford in Skowhegan and Hight Chevrolet in Farmington, part of the Hight Family of Dealerships, a fourth-generation family business started in 1911. He also is a partner of 55 Weston Avenue LLC, a real estate development company focusing on affordable housing; and Hight Properties LLC, a real estate development company focusing on commercial real estate in the day care, restaurant, healthcare, and automobile businesses.

Hight holds board positions at Skowhegan Savings Bank and its charitable foundation, Redington Fairview General Hospital, the Skowhegan Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Somerset County Jail, Educare of Waterville and Maine Auto Dealers Association. He recently was appointed by Gov. Janet Mills to the Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits Authority.

 

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