MADAWASKA, Maine – The St. John Valley region has no shortage of major developments coming in the year ahead, including a multi-million dollar road repair project, new public safety facilities, and new businesses.
In Madawaska, Town Manager David Daigle said the next phase of urban development for the midtown shopping plaza is well underway.
Fish River Rural Health, a new health care facility, is expected to open in the plaza next fall.
“This is a great addition for our residents,” Daigle said. “The 30,000 square foot facility resides in our downtown plaza and will be accessible not only by vehicle, but is situated and surrounded by a multi-modal transportation system being constructed adjacent to the facility.”
This transportation system will let people travel to the plaza via ATV or snowmobile while also accommodating people who walk to health care appointments.
The town received a $2.1 million Economic Development Administration grant to help revitalize the plaza, and it has helped fund upgrades to water, sewer, electrical and lighting systems as well as entrance and sidewalk improvements.
There will also be some potential development in a former Kmart building located at the plaza, which was purchased by local developer Steve Pelletier.
“It is our understanding that Pelletier is gearing up for providing space for 2-3 tenants,” Daigle said.
Daigle said Madawaska has also been working on developing a focal point in its downtown area at the Bicentennial Park. The area currently contains a Veterans Memorial and children’s park. The town’s Bicentennial Park Committee has been working with architect Carol Botelho, who is also a former Madawaska exchange student, on revitalizing the area and creating an “Acadian Pavilion” that will replace a recently removed gazebo.
“The town has made a commitment to start building the pavilion during the 2025 construction season,” Daigle said. “Specific corporate donations are currently being sought to help finance the pavilion construction, and the committee will be discussing other ways to fund future park development projects.”
In Fort Kent, one of the town’s largest upcoming projects will be the replacement of a roughly 1.66-mile water main in town. The project will replace water lines that are over 50 years old and are at a high risk of failure.
The water line runs along an area that is critical for many who live in Fort Kent. It supplies crucial facilities like Northern Maine Medical Center, Fish River Rural Health as well as nursing homes and businesses along Route 1.
The water main replacement project is estimated to cost roughly $6 million, and the town has applied for grants that would offset these costs. In April, officials applied for a $3 million loan via the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund with $1,050,000, or 35 percent forgiveness. Town officials will apply for a loan for the other half in 2025, with the same amount of forgiveness.
Town Manager Suzie Paradis said on Wednesday that the new water lines will also be larger in diameter. The project involves replacing 10-inch asbestos cement pipe with 12-inch ductile iron pipe. The work also includes replacing two parallel six-inch cast iron water mains with 2,900 feet of 12-inch ductile iron pipe.
Paradis said this project will be going out to bid in the new year.
Fort Kent is also waiting to hear back about federal congressionally directed spending money via DOT for a $1 million reconstruction and paving project on Pleasant Street. The work includes widening out the sidewalks for a bike path. The work will be funded by the Department of Transportation, but it is separate from the town’s Village Partnership Initiative project, which is still in the design phase.
Another upcoming project in Fort Kent involves building a garage for the town’s police department. Paradis said they will go out to bid for this project within the next few weeks, and that construction would likely occur in the spring.
The town applied for $400,000 worth of CDS funding for the garage, and depending on how much funding the town receives and how the bids turn out, Paradis said they hope to have at least a three-bay garage.
The department does not currently have a garage. Paradis said this new addition will ultimately save the police money for vehicle maintenance.
“There’s more costs to having the vehicles stay outside,” she said. “They have to let the vehicles run during the winter time. It will help preserve them a little better, too.”
Van Buren also has several projects coming up. The town is redeveloping its former police department, council chambers and firemen’s meeting room in the former municipal building into a community connectivity hub.
“This state-of-the-art facility will feature high-tech conference rooms, two telehealth rooms, and computer workstations, providing essential educational, technological, and healthcare services to our rural community,” Van Buren Town Manager Luke Dyer said.
In the new year the town will work on securing funding for this project, with the goal of total completion in 2026.
Van Buren is also developing a “Star Stage” at the former Hebert’s Pharmacy building, which was lost to a fire.
Dyer said the stage’s design work is complete, and the town has applied for funding from various sources.
“Once completed, the Star Stage will serve as the future home of the “Music on Main” summer series, providing a vibrant venue for live performances and enhancing the town’s cultural and recreational offerings,” Dyer said.
The town also recently obtained a $5,000 grant to help kickstart this series, which will feature eight bi-weekly performances from musicians in Maine and, if available, New Brunswick. The series will run from June 6 to Sept. 12.
The town’s community garden project will also begin full construction in the spring of 2025. The garden will have at least 10 spaces for local gardeners, two greenhouses, and it will feature four beehives for honey production. The garden is fully funded via grants from the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation, the Community Resiliency grant and the Maine Bee Wellness grant.
“This initiative aims to promote food sustainability, foster placemaking, combat elderly loneliness and provide valuable education on food production and environmental stewardship,” Dyer said.
