CANTON – The town of Canton will receive a $3 million federal grant that will enable the continued buyout of some of the 66 homes in the Whitney Brook and Androscoggin River flood plains.
“This will make a huge dent in the buyout,” said Diane Ray, chairwoman of the town’s Special Projects Committee and grant administrator.
The funds come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program and were funneled through the Maine Emergency Management Agency.
JoAnn Mooney, grant manager for MEMA, said last week that Canton’s application was the only project funded in the state.
“This was highly competitive,” she said, adding that two other applications were submitted in the state from the towns of Wayne and Fayette. All three applications aimed to eliminate or lessen flooding.
According to the FEMA news release, $235 million nationwide was awarded.
The town’s goal is to buy 66 homes, demolish most, then turn the house lots into green space. The Comprehensive Plan also calls for establishing a new village center out of the flood plain on higher ground. A tentative site is off Route 108 and the Edmunds Road.
Much of Canton’s village has been repeatedly flooded throughout the years, with the last flood, in December 2003, causing more than $2 million damage.
Ray, selectmen, or members of the Special Projects Committee began applying for a variety of grants soon after the flood.
More than $1 million in grants and forgivable loans from the Maine State Housing Administration, the Community Development Block Grant Program and the Hazard Mitigation Grant program are being used to begin the buyouts.
The committee has worked with the owners of the top 10 severely damaged homes or those likely to receive further damage, during the past 18 months. Two were bought out in June and four more are under contract, Ray said. The committee is working with four others who have not yet found suitable housing. She said six of these homes are expected to be demolished by the end of the year.
She estimated that the FEMA funds will be used to buy another 25 to 30 homes. All buyouts are voluntary, she said, and the offers are based on independent appraisals of the property.
If additional money is needed to continue the buyout, Ray said the town can apply for more through the Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program.
But for now, the town and the committee will wait and see how far the FEMA money goes.
“We are thrilled that this little, tiny town can help its citizens,” she said Monday afternoon.
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