LIVERMORE FALLS – Town Manager Martin Puckett was notified Friday that the town will receive a $150,000 community enterprise grant.

The town applied for the money from the Maine Community Development Block program to help businesses improve their building facades, Puckett said Friday.

The grant can be used for windows, doors, brickwork, awnings, signs, lights and other similar work, he said. The money cannot be used for interior work.

The town’s application asked for the maximum of $150,000 allowed under the program, he said. It was a competitive process with only $750,000 available and many other municipalities in the state competing for the money.

Local businesses will be able to apply for up to $25,000, but will need to match the amount dollar for dollar, he said. If someone applied for $25,000, the business would need to put up $25,000 of its own.

“We’re excited at the news. It’s fantastic because there’s no local match from taxation. It’s a freebie for the town,” he said.

The town will have a year to use the money. Applications should be available at the town office by the end of April.

Once a business fills out the application, the grant committee will review it and award funding. After it’s awarded, an engineer would work with the business to ensure it meets grant guidelines; then any work to be done would need to go out to a competitive bid process, Puckett said.

The grant is meant to augment efforts to revitalize the town’s business community, he said earlier this year.

Partners involved in the grant project included Jay, Livermore, Livermore Falls Chamber of Commerce, Livermore Falls Downtown Betterment Group, and the Greater Franklin Development Corp.