NORWAY – Town Manager David Holt is shrinking an area that may be designated as “slum and blighted” in order to qualify the town for money to redevelop the vacant C.B. Cummings & Sons Co. mill property.

The change is in response to concerns residents have had over an initial proposal that encompassed several properties between Main Street, Water Street, Pikes Hill Road, Orchard Street and Greenleaf Avenue.

“I certainly appreciate and understand the concerns that people have,” Holt said, adding later that he knows many people have made great investments in their properties and do not want them labeled as slums.

At a special town meeting tonight, voters will be asked to designate an area that begins with the old Aubuchon Hardware building on Main Street, continues to the intersection of Water Street, runs along Water Street to Pikes Hill Road, and ends at the Verenis property on Orchard Street.

Streets including King Street, Oak Avenue and Greenleaf Avenue no longer will be considered for the “slum and blighted” designation, Holt said.

Holt has explained the designation would help qualify the town for a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant to pay for improvements to the former Cummings wood-turning mill and surrounding area.

Orman Whitcomb, director of the state Office of Community Development, said the designation often is used by towns to facilitate downtown revitalization projects. Norway will have to meet state and federal standards to prove that a majority of the area in question is in poor condition, he said. Related statements have to be “backed up with photos of the buildings or statements from the code enforcement officer about code violations or whatever,” Whitcomb said.

Some residents are torn on whether to accept the “slum and blighted” designation.

Richard Denison, who lives on Oak Avenue, said he planned to attend the special town meeting to learn more.

“I can’t think of any houses in that area that could be called blighted or slums,” he said, speaking of Holt’s initial map. “Even the mill property is in pretty good shape.”

However, if the designation meant redevelopment money for the C.B. Cummings mill, Denison said he would probably support it. “And we cross our fingers and hope nobody notices.”

Mariel Geiger, whose Orchard Street home still is included in the “slum” area, also said she’ll be at the town meeting to learn more. “I’m not overly concerned about it,” she said, and added that the mill redevelopment needs to go forward. “I think we need to get the job done, plain and simple.”

Main Street business owners like Teresa Kozak of Snip’s hair salon felt the designation would be worth accepting for downtown improvements.

“Something needs to be done,” she said.

The mill property alone was designated “slum and blighted” last year in preparation for a similar grant application. That application was denied.

Holt said it may have been because the application focused only on the mill and did not tie the redevelopment project into a larger downtown area. With the downsizing of this year’s proposed designation, he said, the town may face the same problem.

Go and Do:

What: Town meeting on downtown redevelopment

When: 7 p.m. today

Where: Town Office