CANTON – The town’s Comprehensive Plan Committee wants a significant part of the village relocated away from the floodplain.

That could include up to 60 homes and other buildings located along Route 140 and parts of Route 108.

“We’re trying to deal with the flooding issues,” said the committee’s co-chairwoman Dianne Ray.

Flood waters from the Androscoggin River caused hundreds of thousands of dollars damage to homes and other buildings in 1936, 1953, 1978 and 1987, said Ray.

Water lines are evident to the bottom of the second floor of Canton Elementary School and in the municipal offices. “That’s why there’s paneling there,” she said.

The floodplain extends from the intersection of routes 108 and 140 north to the Gilbertville Bridge and about a half-mile west on Route 108.

The committee has started the application process to try to get several million dollars from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that would aid in relocating homes and other buildings, and constructing flood walls and levies. A draft of the application was sent to the State Planning Office in June. Revisions are due by the end of November.

Fort Fairfield is the only municipality in Maine to have moved a major portion of its built-up area in recent history due to flooding.

That town’s code enforcement officer and community development director, Tony Levesque, said the 1994 flood of the Aroostook River that rose 4 feet above the 500-year flood level prompted a move of 48 homes. Most were taken down and residents provided new housing. Only three were physically moved. The Main Street of the town remained at its original site with the protection of a substantial levy.

The process took four years and $2.5 million from FEMA, Community Development Block Grant program, Maine State Housing Authority and several other funding sources.

“It’s quite a feat for Canton to attempt this,” he said. “I wish them luck.”

Ray said the committee will know next year if its application has been accepted.

Tentative recommendations from the Comprehensive Plan Committee suggest moving a portion of the village to a hillside at the rear of the Victorian Village. That would require working with a developer and negotiating with the landowners for purchase of the property.

The recommendation is one part of an in-depth plan the committee has been working on for two years.

Among the buildings that would be affected are the Canton School, municipal offices and the fire and rescue squads, along with dozens of homes.

Participation by homeowners would be optional, Ray said.

The committee is looking to a section of Route 108, about a half-mile south of the intersection with Route 140, as the site for relocation of the fire and rescue squads, and a Pine Tree Zone. The town is already considering construction of a fire station in that area, and a Pine Tree Zone economic area may be established there under the River Valley Growth Council’s plan to establish a zone in the region. The zone would encourage economic development through tax exemptions and related savings.

Ray said residents will vote on the comprehensive plan during the annual town meeting in March. Besides the proposed village relocation, other components of the plan include protecting the water quality of Lake Anasagunticook, setting up a site plan review procedure, and preserving the small town character of the municipality.

Once the comprehensive plan has been adopted, a series of subcommittees will be set up to follow through on each idea.

The town received a $15,000 grant from the State Planning Office, along with a $5,000 emergency planning grant to put together a comprehensive plan. The town also kicked in $5,000. Rothe Associates of Hallowell has helped the committee write the document.

Public hearings on the proposed plan will be held in February prior to the town meeting.

“We’re looking to use the comprehensive plan as a basis for total revitalization. We’re excited about the opportunity,” said Ray.

eadams@sunjournal.com

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