NORWAY – Only nine people showed Tuesday for the first of two public meetings to discuss redevelopment plans for the C.B. Cummings mill.

“We knew that we were going to have a tough time getting a crowd tonight,” admitted Brett Doney, president of Western Maine Development. Doney’s organization has purchased the mill property and is overseeing its redevelopment.

Despite the lack of interest – which Doney attributed to the Thanksgiving holiday – talk went forward on what should happen with the site.

Doney said there are two grant opportunities that could provide up to $250,000 and $500,000 for the project.

Initial surveys of the mill site suggest some buildings and areas of the property will require significant work, he said. “Our rough estimates are still that all the site work is going to cost upwards of $1 million.”

Because the grant funds are limited, Doney asked those present which areas of the project should be improved first.

Western Maine Development intends to improve six buildings on the site and sell them, he said. In addition, townhouses and a public performance or gathering space may be added.

The audience was dominated by members of the Norway Board of Selectmen and representatives of Norway Downtown Revitalization.

Resident Ron Blake said many recent developments in the area do not fit the traditional character of Maine communities, and he urged Doney to focus on making the mill buildings fit into the local landscape.

“We’re laying the groundwork here for what we hope people are going to be looking at for the next 100 years,” he said.

Doney pointed out that the redevelopment will be tightly controlled, and plans will be reviewed by a steering committee before being accepted.

Marge Medd, chairman of the board of Enterprise Maine, which is affiliated with Western Maine Development, encouraged the consideration of landscaping improvements.

“At least it will look better, look like a better site, and people might get excited about it,” she said.

Doney took notes on both suggestions. He said the second grant application may have to have a broader scope.

Last year, Western Maine Development failed to secure a $400,000 Community Development Block Grant for improvements to the site. This year, Doney said, the grant ceiling has been raised to $500,000, and his organization will be reapplying.

The next public meeting on the mill site will be at 7 p.m. Dec. 7 at the Norway town office.