OLD ORCHARD BEACH — The town has been awarded a grant that will help cover what Old Orchard Beach officials say are much needed sewer improvements in the Washington Avenue area.

The town was recently awarded a $1 million Community Development Grant of federal funds administered through the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development.  The grant will be used toward a $1.85 million project for water, sewer and storm water and sidewalk improvements on portions of Washington Avenue, Fern Avenue and West Old Orchard Avenue.

The money is contingent on federal budget approval of the the CDBG program in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, though in the past such grants have always received federal approval, said Town Manager Larry Mead at Tuesday night’s Town Council meeting.

Providing the $1 million receives federal approval, the project is expected to begin in the spring of 2020, said Mead. Maine Water will pay for $350,000 of the project. The town will pay about $500,000, which has been set aside in the town’s capital improvement fund, he said.

Mead said the proposed project would include replacement of 3,300 feet of sewer lines, work on 18 sewer manholes and 1,600 feet of replacement or new storm drain lines. Under the proposed project, Maine Water would replace more than 2,000 feet of water mains and the town would replace 3,000 feet of sidewalk as well as 3,000 feet of roadway.

“It’s a significant amount of work in an area that hasn’t been touched in a long time really, other than patchwork. It’s going to be a big improvement for that neighborhood,” said Mead.

A public hearing on the proposed project packed Town Council Chambers last spring. Many residents of the neighborhood spoke favorably of the proposed project, and one resident said he and his neighbors for many years have had periodic drainage and sewer problems.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be reached at 780-9015 or by email at egotthelf@journaltribune.com.

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