Fire relief grant applications filed Lincoln moving forward in efforts to restore ravaged downtown

LINCOLN – Town officials are moving forward in their efforts to restore Lincoln’s downtown.

On Friday, Town Manager Glenn Aho completed the last application – a $60,000 Rural Business Enterprise Grant – for federal planning assistance through Rural Development.

The manager said the $60,000 grant money would be coupled with a $50,000 Economic Development Administration planning grant.

“The important part of Lincoln’s redevelopment are these planning grants,” said Aho. He said the planning grants would help the town refine conceptual plans to restore its downtown. He said the grants will provide the town with needed funding to hire experts, who will assist in writing additional grant proposals to help foster private commercial development.

Aho said Rep. John Baldacci and Sen. Susan Collins are working with the town on the Rural Development grant. He said Sen. Olympia J. Snowe earlier told town officials the EDA was prepared to award Lincoln the planning grant.

Aho hopes the town will receive word about the grants within three to six weeks. Once the planning grants are awarded, he said the town will begin the process of hiring experts on a retainer basis. These experts, who include design engineers, architects and commercial developers, will work with town officials.

Aho said the town also received other good news from Gov. Angus King. He said the state will pay nearly $24,000 of the $53,551 costs incurred by the Lincoln Fire Department and six area departments for the Jan. 17 and Jan. 20 fires. He said the state money will pay personnel costs.

In the meantime, town officials continue to work with local property owners to develop a conceptual plan to restore Lincoln’s downtown. Aho said he was very optimistic.

“Once the conceptual plan becomes a proposal, then the town will host a number of public hearings,” said Aho. “We are in the preliminary planning process. We have a lot of ideas and that is all they are at this point including a new seaplane base. Nothing is cast in stone and nothing is going to happen overnight.”

He said the idea for a seaplane base came up long before the January fires. Should the town pursue this project in the future, Aho said the costs would be very minimal, less than $2,000.

Lincoln’s Relief Fund, which was established last month, has reached more than $10,000. The manager said the relief fund money will be used as a match for downtown business grants, or for downtown improvements, or for downtown beautification, depending on the size of the fund. Aho said all donations would be used specifically for downtown redevelopment projects.