LINCOLN – People affected by the catastrophic fires in Lincoln won’t have to wait long to get help from the federal government, according to U.S. Rep. John Baldacci.

Within a week, Baldacci expects displaced Lincoln business owners will become eligible for additional assistance through the Small Business Administration.

Within a month, Baldacci expects the town will receive federal planning money to assist in its efforts to rebuild Lincoln’s downtown.

Baldacci, accompanied by several state and federal officials, told a crowd of displaced businesspeople who filled the town office Wednesday that rebuilding Lincoln’s downtown would take time.

“It’s not going to happen overnight,” said Baldacci. “You are going through a very thoughtful process to rebuild for the future. You have the attention of the governor, U.S. senators, Congress and the state.”

The congressman, who met each displaced business owner, said the town and displaced businesspeople had a good opportunity to receive federal and state resources.

Mary E. McAleney, the Maine director of the Small Business Administration, met with business owners and gathered information needed to complete paperwork for the special disaster declaration for Lincoln. Last weekend, Gov. Angus King declared an economic state of emergency in Lincoln.

Once the disaster declaration becomes official, McAleney said, business owners affected by the two fires will be eligible for additional SBA assistance.

Through the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, businesses will be eligible for long-term loans of up to 30 years at low interest rates of about 4 percent for up to $1.5 million.

McAleney said the loan proceeds could be used for lost wages and salaries, for working capital to replace equipment and inventory, and for rent for a new building.

“It is to help get them get up and going,” she said. The SBA also will provide business counselors to help people re-establish their businesses.

The SBA official urged business owners and their employees to apply for unemployment through the state’s Department of Labor.

Michael G. Rollins of Maine Rural Development and Stephen Mockler of the state’s Department of Economic and Community Development met with Town Manager Glenn Aho regarding the town’s applications for grants.

Aho is seeking a $400,000 Community Development Block Grant for redevelopment of the downtown and a $300,000 federal grant through the Rural Business Enterprise Grant Program to construct a new small-business incubation mall on the lake side of Main Street to help the town replace some of the retail space destroyed by the fires.

Rollins said Maine had used up its federal allocation for the fiscal year but added that the state will be able to compete with other states for national reserve funding beginning Feb. 15.

Rollins said the town’s application needed to be submitted to the Washington office by Feb. 15. He estimated it would take three weeks to process the grant application. If the grant is approved, he said, the federal money would be available immediately. “We are going to do everything in our power to try get that money out of Washington to Maine,” said Rollins.

In the meantime, Sen. Susan Collins will meet with town officials at 11 a.m. Saturday at the town office. She also will tour the fire sites with displaced business owners.

In order to be an effective advocate for Lincoln, Collins said, it was important for her to be able to tell a Cabinet secretary or the head of a government agency that she has been to the fire sites. “I will tell them that I’ve been to the sites, spoken with town officials and small-business owners and that I’ve seen firsthand what they need in order to recover,” she said.

For similar reasons, Collins is asking Mike Aube, the state director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program, to join her Saturday. As state director,

Aube will review and make a recommendation to the national office of Rural Development on Lincoln’s grant proposal.

A crisis intervention meeting and debriefing class to help all emergency personnel and their families to deal with the devastating fires was held Wednesday night at the hospital.

No arrest has been made in connection with the Jan. 20 fire, which was ruled arson by investigators. The investigation is continuing.