State funds to improve downtowns Calais, Eastport each get $400,000 to jump-start redevelopment plans

Washington County’s two cities will have plenty to crow about this summer now that they have been awarded $400,000 each in state money to improve their downtowns.

In Eastport, a group called Eastport For Pride is credited with working toward redevelopment of its downtown, and the $400,000 will help that group move toward its goal.

In Calais, City Manager Linda Pagels said the goals of her city’s project have their roots in a 1999 waterfront development plan.

“Its purpose would be to abate so-called slum and blight conditions, connect Main Street with the waterfront and enhance parking and pedestrian opportunities,” she said in a news release.

The second phase of the downtown Calais waterfront revival calls for creation of a parking area for the Downeast Heritage Center and removal of the burned-out Johnson’s building on Hog Alley. It also would allow for creation of handicapped access to the waterfront project.

“We’re excited about it,” Assistant City Manager Jim Porter said Tuesday.

Johnson’s True Value Hardware store burned in July 1996. Although most of the building was removed shortly after the fire, a portion remains.

In Eastport, the Maine Development Foundation’s Maine Downtown Center announced last year that the city had been designated as a Main Street Maine community, making it eligible for assistance. The Maine Development Foundation is a nonprofit private organization whose mission is to champion sustainable long-term economic growth.

City Manager George “Bud” Finch said Tuesday that part of the money will be set aside so downtown property owners, working with matching funds, can renovate their buildings.

“The majority will be used to redo the walkways, lights and road … and the infrastructure needs for the streets,” Finch said. “It’s a step long overdue on Eastport’s behalf to be pursuing this, and it’s hopefully going to launch us into a great summer.”

The Eastport For Pride group, working with an architect, expects to present its plans to the City Council in a few weeks. Once the council has approved the plan, the work could begin this summer.

Funding for the state grant program originated with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and is administered by the state. This year, HUD allocated nearly $17 million for the Maine program.

“It sounds like a lot of money,” said Orman Whitcomb, director of the Office of Community for the state Department of Economic and Community Development, which administers the grants. “But it goes fast when you spread it among so many grant programs. For that reason, we look favorably on grant applications that leverage funds from other sources.”