Greenville Junction Wharf to get face-lift

GREENVILLE – The aging condition of the Junction Wharf has been a concern of town officials and local residents for several years, but enough state and federal funding for its rehabilitation was always out of reach, until now.

The town recently was awarded a $350,000 Municipal Infrastructure Trust Fund Grant, which along with smaller grants, a local commitment and a congressional earmark, will allow the town to repair the bulkhead, replace a single boat launch with a double boat launch and landscape the wharf area.

Town officials plan to go out to bid for the project by the end of the week and award a contract early next month.

“We have had outcries from the public and we’ve had great citizen participation over many years saying this is what we want, we want it fixed up,” Greenville Town Manager John Simko said Monday.

Despite the urgent need of rehabilitation for the wharf, which serves as an ingress and egress to Moosehead Lake, Simko knew the town was up against some stiff competition for the MITF grants.

“I was trying to be optimistic but I guess that knowing at that time there were 22 communities that applied, I knew the competition would be great,” Simko said. His optimism paid off; the town’s application was the first to be selected for funding, in part because of the public support and the various funding partners.

In addition to the $350,000 grant, the project will be funded by a $120,280 congressional earmark, a $62,300 grant from the Maine Department of Conservation for the boat launch plus $11,000 worth of materials for the launch, an $8,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture Canopy Project grant and a local commitment of $250,000 approved by residents last year.

Commissioner John Richardson, who made the announcement and presented town officials with a grant certificate on July 23, said this week the project had great support. In addition to Greenville’s project, several other communities will share about $1,500,000 in MITF grants to enhance their downtown centers and promote regional economic development activities, he said.

Simko thanked all those involved in the process, including the Department of Economic and Community Development, which administers the trust fund, and Ken Woodbury of the Piscataquis County Economic Development Council, who completed the town’s application for the funding.

Since the wharf will get a face-lift and the work will improve access for boaters, town officials hope to expand the project to improve snowmobile access. On Aug. 1, town officials submitted a pre-application with the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund for $16,000 and expect to file a full application Sept. 1 with Woodbury’s help.

That application will include a proposed paved walkway from the road leading to Kelly’s Landing toward the beach that could be used by pedestrians and bicyclists in the summer and fall months and by snowmobilers in winter.

“We’re hoping it will become more aesthetically pleasing; that it will become a summertime pedestrian route and a wintertime snowmobile access and that will limit the damage to the ground because it will be paved,” Simko said.

In preparation for this part of the project, Simko said the town’s engineer has laid out a design for the trail and that piece also will be included in the bid package with the rehabilitation work, but as an add-on and contingent upon funding, he said.

The entire project will be a benefit to the region, Simko said.

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