Sanford gets $25M in federal funds to revitalize downtown. Here’s what’s planned

SANFORD, Maine — Mayor Anne Marie Mastraccio mentioned town knew it had an excellent proposal on its arms when earlier this yr it utilized for federal funds to go towards revitalizing downtown Sanford.

“We had been hopeful,” Mastraccio mentioned.

And with good cause. On Monday, Sen. Susan Collins introduced that the Metropolis of Sanford will obtain a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Fairness – RAISE – grant price $25 million. Town will use the funds to enhance infrastructure, beautify and create extra alternatives for recreation and cultural occasions in downtown Sanford.

“We’re simply so excited,” Mastraccio mentioned Monday afternoon.

Town submitted the appliance in collaboration with the Maine Division of Transportation.

Collins, a Republican and a rating member of the Transportation Appropriations Committee, mentioned the funds heading Sanford’s approach will convey change to its downtown.

“The funding in Sanford is thrilling and can be transformative,” Collins mentioned. “It should assist revitalize the downtown and enhance the standard of life for town’s residents, appeal to extra guests, and assist small companies.”

The funds – anticipated throughout the subsequent fiscal yr, in line with Mastraccio – will comprise the bulk share of the Downtown Sanford Village Partnership Initiative, which is projected to have a price ticket of $31.3 million. The rest of that sum will come from town’s beforehand permitted capital enchancment funds, Mastraccio mentioned.

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Within the utility earlier this yr, town outlined its focus for the funds: bettering streets, sidewalks, crosswalks, underground utility ducts, streetlights, parking areas, and drainage areas.

“We have to repair these things and get it proper,” Mastraccio mentioned.

Town additionally plans to make use of the funds for the walkway round Quantity One Pond to create the Mousam Promenade, a path for pedestrians and cyclists that connects with the native path system.

As nicely, town needs to determine a park-and-ride facility on Emerson Road to serve the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and different regional employers who daily welcome tons of of Sanford residents to their workplaces.

A map, supplied by Jordan Wilson, town’s communications coordinator, particularly reveals a portion of Predominant, Faculty and Washington streets, the intersection of Cottage, River and Winter streets, and alongside Quantity One Pond on Riverside Avenue and William Oscar Emery Drive as areas of focus the place the grant can be utilized.

Earlier this yr, Sanford Public Works Director Matthew Hill mentioned town already has a five-year capital enchancment plan in place for the initiatives. He mentioned town’s engineering division has been planning this revitalization “for fairly a while already,” and has accomplished so in cooperation with Metropolis Supervisor Steven Buck, the Maine DOT, and a number of other consultants, together with VHB, of South Portland, Gorrill Palmer, additionally of South Portland, Titcomb Associates Surveying, of Falmouth, and Aceto Panorama Architects, of Portland.

“The RAISE Grant Benefit Standards intently mirrored each native and statewide objectives for Sanford’s future,” Hill mentioned on Monday. “We’re wanting ahead to persevering with innovation, financial competitiveness, high quality of life, and environmental sustainability by means of Sanford’s infrastructure.”

The grant for Sanford contains half of the RAISE funds heading Maine’s approach, in line with Collins. The Metropolis of Bangor will obtain $24.6 million to interchange an aged portion of an overpass alongside Route 95.

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‘A built-in highway race, in our downtown’

In February, Hill described the Mousam Promenade that can encircle Quantity One Pond, as soon as accomplished.

“It’ll be an excellent strolling distance for anybody who works downtown and desires to take a break and stroll alongside the water,” he mentioned.

Or run round it. The 1.5-mile loop would be the equal of a sure sort of race when taken twice.

“It’s a built-in highway race, principally, in our downtown,” Hill mentioned.

A part of the reconstruction will contain reworking the roundabout on William Oscar Emery Drive right into a extra standard intersection, in line with Hill.

Town can also be finishing a parking research as a way to right-size potential parking demand for the Mousam Promenade, Hill added. The research is taking a delicate method with surrounding residences and companies in thoughts, he added.

For years, individuals have gathered alongside Quantity One Pond to get pleasure from fireworks on the Fourth and the Maine Attraction Water Ski Group’s reveals within the summertime. At one level within the early 2000s, previous World Battle II planes even descended upon the water to drop pumpkins on floating targets as a part of the “Harvest Daze” competition town as soon as held. And in day-to-day life, individuals get pleasure from sitting on the benches or of their parked vehicles and searching throughout the pond to the historic mills within the distance.

The promenade can be key to the group’s connectivity, mentioned Lee Burnett, of town’s trails committee and of Cycle Sanford, a gaggle of bicycle fans. Earlier this yr, Burnett referred to as Hill the “champion of all this,” and mentioned the paths committee has pursued the concept of a motorbike and pedestrian path alongside the pond for a very long time.

Burnett referred to as the longer term path an “various transportation artery,” much like Again Cove in Portland. He mentioned the promenade will shut a niche that at present exists within the metropolis’s intensive trails system.

“The Mousam Promenade will sew all the things collectively into an built-in path system,” Burnett mentioned.

On Monday, Mastraccio mentioned the profitable grant utility is one other instance of what’s occurring in Sanford because of the sturdy partnerships town has cultivated. She mentioned these initiatives can be a number of work and can take time.

“It is going to be price it,” she mentioned. “Excellent news for Sanford, proper?”