Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands: Land and Water Conservation Funding Available

AUGUSTA, Maine -- Applications for the Land and Water Conservation Fund now are available from the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands (BPL), according to BPL officials.

Land and Water Conservation Fund grants last year provided $366,166 in funding throughout Maine. Five grants recently were awarded to the towns of Vassalboro, Old Orchard Beach, Pittsfield, Standish and Camden.

“This program provides funding for local communities for outdoor recreational facilities, while also providing new economic opportunities,” said Mick Rogers, BPL supervisor of Outdoor Recreation at the Maine Department of Conservation. “There was a significant increase in interest for this grant opportunity in the past year.”

Thirteen towns applied for the grant funding, Rogers said. The awards are as follows:

• Vassalboro, $35,500, for improvements to the town’s existing recreational fields and restroom improvements.
• Old Orchard Beach, $18,617 for a skate park near the town’s ballpark;
• Pittsfield, $25,000 for phase 2 of the town’s Hathorn Park Recreational Area improvements, including improvements to a gazebo, wheelchair-accessible paths, restroom facilities and a playground;
• Standish, $27,966 for a new playground at the town’s Johnson Field Recreation Area.
• And Camden, $75,000 for snowmaking expansion at the Camden Snow Bowl.

Land and Water Conservation Fund monies are made available to BPL through the fiscal year 2012 National Park Service budget. Municipalities can apply for assistance of up to 50 percent funding with a maximum of $200,000 in federal assistance for any one project.

A fully completed application must be submitted on or before Nov. 16.  A pre-approval site inspection to the proposed site by a BPL representative must be made to qualify for funding. Requests for site inspections should be made before July 27. 

The application for LWCF is available online at: http://www.state.me.us/doc/parks/programs/community/lwgrants.html

For further information or a printed application, contact Mick Rogers at 287-4962.

For more information about the Maine Bureau of Parks and Lands, go to: http://www.parksandlands.com