NORWAY – A $65,000 grant just awarded to Western Maine Development will be used to remove asbestos from buildings on the C.B. Cummings & Sons Mill site.
Marcy Boughter, vice president of the development corporation, said Tuesday the money will help with efforts to improve the property so it can be marketed to developers.
“Before we can really work on any of the buildings; the asbestos needs to be removed,” she said.
According to a news release from from Western Maine Development, the money has been awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. It will cover most of the cost of an asbestos removal project that is expected to cost $85,000.
The Downtown Revitalization Corp., a real estate title holding company under Western Maine Development, will pay the remaining $20,000.
“There is asbestos in six of the 15 buildings on the site, including the office, cinder block mill, dry kiln, boiler room, dowel mill and machine shop,” the release states. “The Cummings Mill property encompasses 4.5 acres and includes 80,000 (square feet) of vacant space.”
Boughter said she has not been notified of when the grant money will be released, but she hopes work will begin on the mill property this summer.
In February, two Community Development Block Grant awards totaling $750,000 were announced for the mill site. They will be used for infrastructure improvements such as a new storm-water drainage system, a parking lot on Water Street, landscaping and some utilities.
Comments are no longer available on this story