Insider Notebook: Portland mulls nearly $1M in CDBG development money
Courtesy / First Parish Church
Money to increase accessibility at Portland's First Parish Church is one of many Portland projects that have been recommended to get Community Development Block Grant funding from the city.
The Portland City Council is set to review allocations for more than $2 million in Community Development Block Grant money, with nearly $1 million going to development and construction projects.
Recommendations by City Manager Jon Jennings and the CDBG allocation committee will go to public hearings Monday, April 27, and Monday, May 4. The hearings will be attended remotely.
The money, which comes from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development and is funneled through the state Department of Economic and Community Development, is for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Some $902,098 is allocated for development and construction; $664,347 for social services and $389,184 for administration and planning.
There were $2.2 million in construction and development requests submitted for the coming fiscal year.
"I was delighted to see that the number of development activity applications almost doubled this year from 11 to 21," Jennings said in an April 10 letter to the city council. "These funds play a critical role in the physical infrastructure and the economic development of our city."
While $902,098 is available from the fund for development and construction, Jennings said $90,000 in tax increment financing money could be added to fund his recommendations, which are for $992,028. The CDBG allocation committee, which scores applications on criteria required by HUD, recommended $902,098 worth of development projects.
Recommendations of Jennings that depart from what committee recommended include $77,244 for the city's Economic Development Department’s Business Assistance Program, $27,700 more than what the committee recommended.
Jennings is also recommending $15,000 for the Maine Irish Heritage Center upper sanctuary accessibility project and another $17,000 for the center's front stairway restoration project. The center is in the former St. Dominic Church on Gray Street.
Other development recommendations by Jennings not recommended by the committee included $50,000 to partially fund the First Parish Church accessibility project and $30,300 for the Catherine Morrill Day Nursery life safety repairs project.
He's also recommending $199,000 instead of the committee's $249,000 for the Department of Public Works Bayside Area Sidewalk project.
The CDBG program aims to develop strong communities by helping develop affordable housing and, providing services to those who are considered economically vulnerable and expanding economic opportunities for low and moderate income persons. The money is used in partnership with government, businesses and nonprofit organizations.
More information the program, including Jennings' and the committee's recommendations, are available on the city website.
Jefferson sawmill reopens after fire
Also on the Community Development Block Grant front, N.C. Hunt Lumber’s Jefferson sawmill is up and running a year after it was destroyed by a fire. The rebuild was partially funded by the federal grant program.
N.C. Hunt, which has stores in Damariscotta and Jefferson, started operating with the new mill in mid-February, owner Rob Hunt told the Lincoln County News earlier this month.
The two-story, 11,900-square-foot steel-frame building replaces the wooden one that was destroyed in the fire on March 29, 2019.
A $350,000 grant, which directly matched the company’s investment and was approved by Jefferson voters last May, helped pay for the rebuilding, as well as some equipment lost in the fire.
The sawmill is operating at about three-quarters capacity, with the goal of being at full capacity sometime this summer.
The new sawmill carriage from Cleereman Industries Inc., of Wisconsin, allows the mill to saw timber up to 24-by-8 feet. There's also a new Corley combination gang/edger, which helps straighten and smooth lumber. The new equipment allows the mill to be flexible, and has helped keep it open during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hunt said.
The retail stores are also open, according to the company’s Facebook page, and are taking precautions, including non-contact delivery.
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