NORWAY – Voters Thursday night approved $600,000 worth of grant applications to improve Main Street business buildings.

The first Community Development Block Grant request for $100,000 is for the Community Enterprise Program to improve downtown business facades. The town will administer the program, and businesses will be required to provide matching amounts for work on their storefronts.

Town Manager David Holt said that five or six businesses have already expressed interest in the program.

The second CDBG request is for $500,000 to refurbish the Odd Fellows hall at 201 Main St. The town must provide an additional $500,000 toward the project.

Enterprise Maine, a group of community-based nonprofit organizations and for-profit subsidiaries dedicated to creating economic opportunity in rural western Maine, bought the three-story brick building for $60,000 from the Independent Order of Odd Fellows Lodge No. 16. One of its subsidiaries, the Growth Council of Oxford Hills, an economic development partnership providing infrastructure, community and workforce improvements, plans to relocate from 166 Main St. in Paris to the second floor of the building. It hopes to lease business space on the second floor as well.

The first floor would be used for two commercial spaces and the third floor would house offices.

The first floor was built in 1894 and the other two in 1911.

Among the improvements would be an elevator, a new facade, a new roof, heating, electric and plumbing work, handicap access, and front and back stairs.

Paul Brook of Norway, owner of Woodman’s Sporting Goods on Main Street, objected to the grant.

“I’d be hard-pressed to call any building on Main Street worth a million dollars,” he said, “and you know my feeling on spending tax dollars.”

Selectman Robert Walker argued that the grant money was going to be awarded by the state, and “if the money’s going to be spent, I’d rather it happen in Norway than in Norridgewock.”

Grant writer Lori Allen of the Growth Council said, “Our hope is organizations working in commercial and economic development will be located in that building.”

“The Growth Council’s efforts haven’t been perfect,” Holt said, “but they have helped a lot of businesses that wouldn’t be with us without that help.”

Noting that some of the money will go toward making the building compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, he added, “Sometimes the government gives money to do the very things that it requires.”

After the special town meeting, selectmen met to hear recreation director Debra Partridge present the recreation committee’s recommendation for resurfacing the town’s tennis courts on Cottage Street. As recommended, selectmen awarded the contract to Pine Tree Paving and Vermont Tennis for a total of $45,371.

At the June town meeting, the recreation committee will ask voters to approve using the remaining $10,000 in the account to repave the basketball court/parking area.

In other business, selectmen appointed Harry Sims to a part-time position in the Norway Police Department. Sims left the department for a full-time position in South Paris last year, but Norway will “welcome him back with open arms,” Walker said.