HARTLAND – Just 10 years ago, it was often joked that Hartland was “the armpit” of Somerset County. Riddled with petty and not so petty crime, empty storefronts and crumbling buildings, it wasn’t an attractive community and took on a Wild West reputation after dark.

“Yeah, those rowdy folks gave us a bad name for a while,” admitted Selectman Harlow Powers.

But through strong leadership and an extraordinary volunteer spirit, the Somerset County town of 1,845 residents has evolved into a place retirees are seeking out and families with children are choosing to live.

“It’s a great place compared to 10 years ago,” agreed Lt. Pierre Boucher of the Somerset County Sheriff’s Department, who along with local Maine state troopers often patrolled the Hartland area night after night.

“We are not the town we were 10 years ago,” Town Manager Peggy Morgan proudly said Friday. With more than $2 million in grants over the past two years, a new town office space, a new middle school building, a renewed interest on lakefront property, a new community center and a new pride by local residents and businesses, Morgan said, Hartland is a safe, rewarding place to call home.

And she should know. Morgan – who is at her desk by 6 a.m. daily – has been town manager of Hartland since 1979, 24 years of consistent leadership. Under her guidance, the community has added $4 million in valuation in just the past three years.

“We have become not only a place for young families to relocate,” she said, “but a place to retire, especially on our lake.”

Selectman Harlow Powers said the construction on Great Moose Lake is impressive and frequent. “Hartland has become a place of promise,” he said. Instead of just sticking a finger in the dike, said Powers, Hartland people refuse to stand still and keep moving their community forward.

Hartland’s success rests on keeping one foot firmly planted in the past and on tradition, said Morgan, while keeping the other foot walking forward toward new ideas and opportunities.

Groups such as The Helping Hands flourish in Hartland. The volunteer organization holds bingo games to raise money for children’s programs, and the historical society is currently renovating the second floor of the former junior high school.

“We have an incredible sense of community here,” said Morgan, “and these volunteers have a lot of pride in what they do.”

Morgan said that if the town needs more money for a project, “we put on a supper.” Volunteers line up to assist, she said, and when they don’t, they are recruited.

“We’re hauling people right into our selectmen’s meetings,” she said. “We need them. One of the things that has been a real ace for us is our volunteer structure.”

“It has to be that way to make things happen,” said Selectman Powers. “Some people get mighty upset if they are not asked to help.”

The town’s can-do attitude has garnered $2.1 million in grants over the past two years. They include:

. $250,000 in a Community Development Block Grant to assist Irving Tannery, the town’s largest employer, through the Chapter 11 process.

. $100,000 to support the Sebasticook Valley Summer Camp, which provided upgrades and repairs to 63 area homes.

. $100,000 in federal funding for the Home Network Repair program through the Kennebec Valley Community Action Program.

. $150,000 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to upgrade communications and equipment at the Hartland Fire Department.

. $300,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds to rehabilitate 22 to 24 homes.

. $700,000 from the U.S. Economic Development Administration paired with $300,000 in state CDBG funds to replace equipment and upgrade the Hartland sewage treatment plant.

“There is quite a chunk of stuff going on,” Morgan said. “We are very, very busy.”

But not too busy, she said, to remember to take time to look to the future.

“We’re looking ahead,” said Morgan, and quickly ticked off a half-dozen projects, which include finding a site for a new swimming pool, helping raise funds for a new American Legion Post home, and promoting the abandoned railroad bed recently purchased by the town.

“We are definitely not standing still,” she said. “In fact, some days I wish our feet would move faster.”