March 28, 2024
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St. Agatha seeks more funds for sewer project

ST. AGATHA – Town officials spent time at a Board of Selectmen’s meeting Monday evening talking about ways to try to garner an additional $350,000 to complete a significant sewer line extension project in the community.

Town Manager Ryan Pelletier said Tuesday afternoon that the amount of money is an estimate of what the town thinks will be needed to move forward with the Cleveland Road and Pelletier Island sewer extension project.

The project includes 20,500 feet of sewer line extension, including an extension along Cleveland Road and a double line beneath 2,200 feet of Long Lake to Pelletier Island. The island, which is located in Long Lake and is part of the town, has approximately 55 camps and homes on it.

The sewer line will be extended along Cleveland Road 8,500 feet and will add 35 to 40 new users.

Thus far, Pelletier explained, the town has garnered nearly $2.5 million to fund the initiative.

Last summer, the town received a $1.7 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Agency and a $575,000 low-interest loan to pay for some of the work.

In February, the town also received a $136,000 grant from the Maine Department of Economic Development to assist low-income individuals with the expense of connecting their homes to the new sewer line.

Now, Pelletier said, the town is working to see if it can secure additional money through grants and low-interest loans to finance the remainder of the work. They also are trying to determine if any cuts can be made to save money.

“We are looking to see if we can make some cuts without taking away from the overall integrity of the project,” he said Tuesday. The manager said that selectmen want to complete the project without increasing user fees.

“We do not want to pass on any increase in user fees because of this project,” Pelletier stressed. “We want to make it work without touching the user fees, so we are going to be working hard to find grants and other such financing to move forward with this project.”


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