Coverage of Washington County is made possible by a grant from the Eaton Foundation.
Dale Crowley remembers when Addison had a thriving downtown. He grew up in this small town, off the beaten path of Route 1, before moving away for work. He moved back here when his daughter graduated from high school. The change between the downtown of his memories and the current downtown is pronounced.
Small businesses once thrived downtown, including a clam shack and a hotel, but most are gone now. Although Addison’s population has doubled in Crowley’s lifetime, many businesses are now located at the Four Corners plaza in Columbia rather than downtown Addison. There are four derelict buildings, and the lots they sit on are too small to be attractive to developers. Addison has been suffering from an economic blight, and even the town hall has had a leaking roof.
“The businesses kind of disappeared,” Crowley said. “We don’t even have a place to buy gasoline.”
But that soon may change. The town is about to start work on a number of projects in an effort to revitalize the downtown and to cut taxes for Addison residents who have been buffeted by the recession, and instability in the lobster industry.
In the coming months the town will break ground on three energy-saving projects funded by a $76,847 grant from the Maine Public Utilities Commission. The centerpiece will be the installation of a 10-kilowatt wind turbine on town property to supply up to 90 percent of the town hall’s energy use. In addition, two thermal solar panels will be positioned on the town hall to augment the water-based heating system and cut heating costs by up to 40 percent. The town will use much of the rest of the money to install energy-saving LED light bulbs on municipal streetlights.
The grant comes from federal stimulus money aimed at decreasing oil consumption through increased energy efficiency and green technology. Revitalization chairwoman Daria Alexander estimates the improvements will save the town some $150,000 over the lifetime of the equipment. She said the savings will be used to cut taxes for Addison residents, which is especially important with proposed cuts in state educational aid. “We want to cut taxes so our fishing community can cut costs somewhere,” said Alexander.
In addition to the energy projects, the town is moving forward with plans to design a small park with saltwater access in the heart of downtown. Earlier this year, the town won a state Office of Community Development grant for $53,000 to build the park on a tiny lot in the heart of downtown. The park will be small, just 85 feet across and 55 feet long, but may have a stone sculpture and a stone wall. Alexander said the park will provide a center that the town has been missing.
The Addison revitalization committee has several more projects it wants to tackle in the future, if the grant money is available, including a concrete pier at one of the town landings. Currently, the town has two private piers, but no public one. Crowley fears the private ones easily could be bought out for non-fishing use in the future. If that were to happen, there would be few options for lobstermen to get their catch onto shore. A public pier would ensure access. “It’s necessary for the salvation of the fishermen,” Crowley said.
Alexander also hopes to find money for downtown sidewalks in conjunction with a projected MaineDOT redesign of the town dike that will restore natural saltwater flowage in the Pleasant River.
Private groups are working to restore the town’s former beauty, as well. The Friends of the Church on the Hill is is planning to restore a steeple in town.
“Slowly but surely, we’re trying to knock off each need that needs to be addressed,” said Alexander.
The town coordinated with the Washington County Council of Governments on the grants. Seven Washington county municipalities won more than $200,000 from the state’s public utilities commission for energy-efficiency projects. The green benefits of the projects are secondary to their economic benefit, said Judy East, the council’s executive director.
“It’s the bottom line, it saves them money,” said East. Plus, the construction projects will boost the local economy, she said.
Alexander hopes to bring momentum back to Addison’s downtown, although she admits the process of applying for grants can be tiring.
“I just hope we can get the ball rolling so that when we get burnt out, someone else can carry the torch,” she said.
Craig Idlebrook is a freelance writer based in Ellsworth.