MEXICO — The town’s plans to continue upgrading streets, and sewer and water lines got a boost Tuesday. Town Manager John Madigan received word the town is getting a $500,000 federal Community Development Block Grant.

Final approval will come within a few weeks so the street projects can begin.

“The design is 100 percent complete and a public hearing will have to be held,” Madigan said.

Planned is a $1.3 million project to replace sewer and water lines on portions of Alder and South Main streets as well as roadwork and paving.

The town is contributing $534,900 from a bond, and the water and sewer departments are each providing $100,000.

Mexico is one of 14 towns to receive word from the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development that an infrastructure project was approved. This round of grants came in at $3.8 million.

Several streets have been built during the past couple of years, and work has resumed for the season on the Backkingdom Road.

In other matters, a significant portion of Tuesday’s selectmen’s meeting was devoted to recreational issues involving the town’s program and one offered by the Greater Rumford Community Center.

Selectmen and members of the Mexico Recreation Board invited GRCC Director Bob Anderson to Tuesday’s meeting to get clarification on several of the programs and the costs Mexico children must pay to participate.

Newly hired Mexico Recreation Director Wayne Sevigny is planning to establish Cal Ripken Little League and Farm League teams, which means Mexico children will no longer participate in the baseball programs at the GRCC.

Sevigny is also planning offerings in soccer and softball, leaving the swim program as the only major program Mexico children may attend at the GRCC.

GRCC board member Gary Dolloff and Anderson also wanted to dispel rumors that the Community Center was closing.

“Seeing that in the newspaper doesn’t help, particularly at budget time,” Dolloff said.

“If there are any questions, I would hope you’d come to the source. There’s no reason we can’t work together,” Anderson added.

He had said earlier that the town of Rumford has already placed funding for the GRCC in the proposed 2012-13 municipal budget.

The Mexico Recreation Board also proposed making several changes to the organization’s bylaws, including one that would expand the board from five to seven members, with up to two of the seven coming from a town other than Mexico. A final decision was not made, but will come up again at a later selectmen’s meeting.