USDA Rural Development awards $902K for Greenville public safety building

This week USDA Maine State Director Rhiannon Hampson announced the final of five major USDA Rural Development grants to central Maine towns in 2023 for fire station construction. Greenville, Plymouth, and Newburgh join Corinna and Bradford in building spacious public safety buildings using USDA Rural Development Community Facilities grants. The Town of Greenville received a grant of $902,000 to help pay for construction of its new public safety building.

Following the recent storm and record flooding, emergency response has been in the forefront of the news. Hampson was similarly focused in her remarks, saying, “This week all too many Mainers lived through dangerous circumstances in Monday’s storm and the flooding that followed. We have been reminded of just how vital our first responders are – and in rural Maine, many of those emergency responders are volunteers. That spirit of shared responsibility, and the commitment to mutual aid between neighbors, is part of what makes life in Maine the one we’d choose every time.” 

Greenville’s new facility will house the town’s fire department, police department, and a community meeting room. Construction is nearly complete on the 19,000-square foot building. The old fire station, built in 1963, was not well insulated, had no hot water, and just one bathroom. The new structure will house the police department as well and provide ample workspace and room for regional trainings. It was designed to serve the town’s anticipated needs for many years to come. 

Altogether, USDA Rural Development invested $5.8M across the five central Maine towns for the fire stations. Eligible rural communities may apply at any time to USDA’s Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program. Public bodies, community-based nonprofits, and federally-recognized tribes are eligible. Visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/me (look under “Key Programs”) or contact Bob Nadeau, Community Programs Director (robert.nadeau@usda.gov or 207-990-9121) for more information.

“The new facility represents growth not only for the Town of Greenville, but the Moosehead Lake region as well. It offers appropriate space to complete the job, with private areas away from public view when the police have business to take care of. The facility offers an opportunity for a regional training center for both fire and police. It has been designed to allow for area expansion 50 years out,” said Greenville Police Department Chief Jim Carr and Lt. Bill Plume.

“For the residents of Greenville and for the town the Fire and Police services, the new facility provides safety and security and a warming and cooling shelter. Our old building, built in 1963, was not well insulated, had no hot water and one bathroom. Therefore for staff, the updated building allows for a cleaner and healthier work environment too,” said Greenville Fire Department Chief Sawyer Murray.

“We formed a building committee of 12, visited several new facilities in Maine in order to get an idea how to design the building and move forward to the process of seeking out a contractor,” said Town Manager Mike Roy. “After sending out a request for proposals and interviewing contractors, we decided to go with a design/build contractor: Sheridan Corp. from Fairfield was awarded the contract. The team at Sheridan has been outstanding to work with, helping us stay on budget and completing the building about one month ahead of schedule.

“This facility would not be possible without the help and support of Senator Collins and Senator King. Their support represents federal dollars, not only coming back to Maine, but coming our region.”