AUBURN — Following months of consideration, the Androscoggin County Commission unanimously approved funding Wednesday night for the Franco Center, the Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning and Labor and Seniors Plus from pandemic relief aid.

The Franco Center received its request of $500,000, Maine MILL received an additional $700,000 on top of an earlier appropriation of $300,000, while Seniors Plus’ funding request of $500,000 is contingent upon a financial review by the accounting firm of BarryDunn, which is advising the county on the federal funding rules.

The three nonprofit groups have made several presentations before the board over the past couple of years seeking American Rescue Plan Act funding. Last month, the board had said it wanted to move forward on these projects before the Dec. 31 deadline, or it would forfeit the remaining unobligated ARPA funds. Out of the $21 million initially received from the federal government, the county has less than $2 million remaining that has yet to be obligated.

All ARPA funds must be spent by Dec. 31, 2026.

Because much of the request from Seniors Plus was going toward building a new facility on Mollison Way in Lewiston and not for providing food assistance for those in need, BarryDunn questioned if the project would qualify under federal guidelines.

“We have a lot of hoops to jump through,” said BarryDunn analyst Zeb Letourneau.

Letourneau said he would get together with Seniors Plus officials and review their financial records to see if there was enough lost revenue during the pandemic for the organization to receive funding.

With a nearly $2 million renovation budget, the Franco Center has already spent $650,000 awarded from the city of Lewiston to shore up buttresses, window protection, HVAC upgrades and other structural issues. The $500,000 from the county will go to strengthen another buttress, as well as repair an emergency issue in relining the chimney. Other scheduled repairs with county money will go toward sprinkler system and gutters.

The chimney must be completed before winter, said Michael Lajoie, who oversees the condition of the building.

Maine Museum of Innovation, Learning and Labor is well on its way toward a March 2026 completion date. Its capital campaign has raised $8 million to date with a goal of more than $12 million. Set to open in the former Camden Yarns Mill building along the Androscoggin River will become an 11,000-square-foot museum.

The project is expected to break ground in October.

With the town of Greene rejecting a broadband expansion proposal at its recent town meeting, commissioners voted to table giving ARPA funds to the town for that purpose.