BETHEL – Work on preventing erosion at Riverside Cemetery began the day after funding for the project was approved at a special town meeting.

Voters OK’d three articles aimed at preventing damage to the cemetery. In July, selectmen agreed to join with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to stabilize the Androscoggin River’s banks.

The riverbank has eroded to a point only five feet from an 1890 grave, and threatens to wash away some of the oldest graves in the cemetery.

By approval of one article, the town may take $180,000, the amount the project is estimated to cost, from the undesignated fund balance. Residents voted to accept funds from the USDA, which are estimated to make up 75 percent of the project costs.

Residents also accepted $45,000 from the Riverside Cemetery Association Inc. to go toward the stabilization project.

Town Manager Scott Cole said Savage Contracting was awarded the bid, and the project will reinforce 180 feet of riverbank with 3,100 cubic yards of rock and other materials. He said the final cost may differ from the estimate because it is based on the volume of material placed on the riverbank.

“The project’s under way right now,” Cole said. “It should be done in about two weeks.”

The town also approved $83,500 for repairs to Angevine Park, which was damaged during torrential rains and flooding in July. Cole said the swimming pond at the park was filled with 3 feet of sediment, which had to be pumped out. He said the cost also includes repairs to the parking lot and fences, as well as damage caused by trucks driving onto the site to remove sediment.

Voters approved accepting aid from the federal and Maine emergency management agencies, which together will cover 90 percent of the project.

“The net local impact is somewhere around $8,400 based on our budget estimate,” Cole said.

In the meeting’s final article, voters approved a community block development grant application for the urgent need program for $80,000. Cole said the money would reimburse the Bethel Water District for its efforts in maintaining the town’s water supply after the July storm through means such as trucking in water and other emergency measures.

If the application is approved, residents will have to authorize municipal officials to accept the funds.