AUGUSTA – The Maine Department of Economic and Community Development has awarded nearly $6 million in Community Development Block Grants to help fund projects across the state, including construction of fire stations and community centers and improvement of sewer and water systems.

Twelve communities will receive a total of $4.099 million in public infrastructure program grants. Eleven communities will receive a total of $1.823 million in public facility program grants. The combined total of twenty-three funded applications from each program represents communities in 12 of Maine’s 16 counties.

Together all of these projects will leverage over $20 million in other public and private investments.

Communities receiving 2004 CDBG for public facility projects are:

. Beaver Cove, community facilities, $125,000.

. Brooks, fire station, $250,000.

. Bucksport, renovation of a building for Head Start program, $200,000.

. Canton, fire station, $250,000.

. Columbia Falls, conversion of Union Church to community center, $100,000.

. Danforth, playground, $36,000.

. Detroit, fire station, $250,000.

. Dresden, removal of architectural barriers, $62,000.

. Eastport, fire station for Pleasant Point Reservation; $250,000.

. Mars Hill, fire station, $250,000.

. Moscow, transfer station renovations, $50,000.

Communities awarded 2004 CDBG for public infrastructure projects and the amount are:

. Baileyville, construction of a 13 million-gallon lagoon cell, $400,000.

. Bowdoinham, water storage tank, $400,000.

. Clinton, replacement of water-sewer lines, $301,000.

. Fort Fairfield, installation of equipment for pretreatment of septic, $185,000.

. Fort Kent, upgrading water supply lines, $400,000.

. Gardiner, water-sewer-storm replacements, $400,000.

. Machias, sewer system rehabilitation, $400,000.

. Patten, water-sewer system hookups, $113,000.

. St. Agatha, sewer system improvements, $400,000.

. South Portland, infrastructure in support of LMI housing, $400,000.

. Washburn, wastewater treatment facility improvements, $400,000.

. West Bath, water system improvements, $300,000.