We recently received a grant application from the Maine Office of Community Development (OCD). They required the town to send a letter of intent no later than September 19. We submitted the letter (application) and received notification from OCD that we have been invited to the next phase in the grant process. The application and the letter from OCD are attached.
In order to proceed, the Town Council needs to fully commit to the project including necessary local share funding. Many communities have expressed concern about the dealines for commitment realtive to budgeting considerations. The explanation from OCD indicated that they had no flexibility based on language in the authorizing legislation. Bob Shafto has prepared a report that describes the details about the project, grant, and matching funds. We have also attached a copy of the proposed River Point Management Plan.
If the Town Council chooses to proceed, the future use of this property must also be part of the decision. The attached documents describe this and all other details. We are concerned about the need to make substantive decisions in a short amount of time but we want to make sure the Council has the opportunity to consider this potential revenue source if it is consistent with the Council's vision for this property. |
