PARIS – A handful of people voiced their concerns about Paris’ proposed water bottling project at a special public hearing at town hall Tuesday.

The meeting was required as part of the application process for a $10,000 Community Development Block Grant that town officials hope to secure for the planning phases of the project.

“Who suffers when we get into another drought period again?” asked Becky Armstrong, wondering whether the town’s idea to bottle and sell local water may put too much pressure on Paris’ aquifer.

The state, Town Manager Steve McAllister said, would never allow the proposed bottling plant to take precedence over the residents’ needs.

“The first thing that would have to go would be all commercial endeavors,” he said

He also addressed concerns over the possible failure of the water bottling project. Measures will be put in place to protect the taxpayers as much as possible, he said, but any business venture could fail.

When asked by Selectman Barbara Payne whether any data had been compiled for the grant application, McAllister said he and the Growth Council of Oxford Hills are putting together detailed information on the proposal.

The grant application is due Friday, he said.

“What this money is going to be used for is to hire somebody as a consultant to help us with the planning phase,” McAllister said.

The Board of Selectmen has voted to match the grant with an additional $2,000 if it is awarded to the town.

If Paris does not receive the planning grant, McAllister said, the board and a committee of local volunteers and business leaders will continue working on a plan for the project. The hope is to have a proposal ready by next year’s town meeting, McAllister said.

He added that economic development is the primary purpose of the water bottling project. There are no solid projections on how much the endeavor would raise, but McAllister said he expects to create 10 to 15 new jobs.

He would not say how much he expects the project to cost, but said he thinks the town will need 20,000 square feet of plant space. The going rate for such construction is about $75 per square foot, he said.

McAllister said he too is concerned about issues such as the effect of the bottling project on the town’s water supply. The town hopes to do more extensive research on similar issues before proceeding, he said.

“That’s what we would like to have this planning grant for, to help us get through this stuff,” he said.