The Town voted on Saturday to put into place a mechanism to match sidewalk grants. BHCD is seeking donations to fund a $20,000 engineering assessment as a next step; almost $9,000 has been raised so far.
The Selectboard and citizens of Blue Hill gave the Town a much better chance to procure an MDOT grant for sidewalk repair, replacement and new construction by almost unanimously approving a warrant article Saturday, April 8 at Town Meeting. The MDOT grant application, due August 15, requires that at the time of application the Town certify that it has the source of the 20% match secured. For the maximum grant of $400,000, a $100,000 community commitment is required.
Blue Hill Community Development (BHCD) is working with the sidewalk project team and the Selectboard to prepare for and submit the grant application. In support of the effort, BHCD is actively seeking donations toward a $20,000 goal. This money is needed to hire CES Engineering to do a design study, providing design alternatives for different sections of Town and establishing cost estimates for each. That data is necessary for the Town to submit a strong application.
Almost $9,000 has been donated to date from friends, neighbors, and merchants in amounts ranging from $20 to $2,000. We need to engage CES as soon as possible, so please consider a tax-deductible gift today! Checks may be made out to BHCD, and mailed to BHCD, PO Box 438, Blue Hill, ME 04614.
Presuming the MDOT grant is awarded to Blue Hill when announcements are made in January of 2018, we will need to raise funds to defray the community commitment, which the Town has backstopped. Those funds are not required to be in place until the project commencement, which would be in 2020. Please consider a generous commitment toward a tax-deductible donation.