Penobscot housing study planned Effort may lead to grant application

BANGOR – Residents of the Penobscot County towns of Bradley, Clifton and Eddington are being asked to participate in a comprehensive study aimed at identifying some of their most pressing housing needs.

Once the communities’ needs have been assessed, the most critical need could form the basis of an application for funding from the Community Development Block Grant program, Ron Harriman of Ron Harriman Associates said Wednesday.

A grant application will be submitted only if enough interest exists, according to Harriman, a Bangor-based community development planner and technical assistance grants writer hired by the towns to oversee the grant process.

Residents from all three towns who want to offer comment, make suggestions, ask questions or otherwise help, can begin by attending a public hearing at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 22, at Eddington’s town office.

During the hearing – one of many Harriman said must be held as part of the process – local officials and members of a citizens committee will provide an overview of the study and discuss the potential benefits as well as eligibility requirements and responsibilities.

According to Harriman, the proposed three-town study will look at housing and development issues, including the availability and affordability of local housing, homelessness, the needs of residents with disabilities and access to day care.

The block grant program is financed by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development and administered in Maine by the Department of Economic and Community Development, which leaves much of the day-to-day administration to local officials.

While Clifton and Eddington have received the federal grant in the past, a CDBG grant award would be a first for the town of Bradley, said Harriman.

Local committees oversee the programs and develop guidelines. The money is an outright grant to the communities, he said, but homeowners may be required to contribute money or labor. The guidelines are different in each community and depend on local needs.

“The [application] process is very competitive,” Harriman said. “Having many people offer their views makes for a much better product.”

For more information or to participate in the effort, contact Harriman Associates at 947-8595 or call the town offices in the three participating communities.