Although Damariscotta was rejected for a grant to rebuild a section of the downtown, the money earmarked might still be put to use.

The Damariscotta Board of Selectmen recently learned that a proposed project that would fix large sections of Elm Street was denied a Community Development Block Grant for 2015.

Because the project required the town to essentially put money down on the proposed rebuild, there was $61,000 allotted for the project.

Town Manager Matt Lutkus said there was a chance next year for more money, and in a letter from the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development Director Deborah Johnson, it was stated that there were more than $6 million in requested funds from towns throughout the state, while only $2.85 million available for grants.

During the Wednesday, April 15 board meeting, Selectman James Cosgrove asked if the money couldn't be repurposed to help defer costs.

“We have $61,000 and Matt (Lutkus) makes a good case (for next year's round of projects),” Cosgrove said. “But, we have a very large increase coming from the school budget, so I'm wondering if that money would be better spent (lowering property) taxes.”

The proposed secondary education school budget, which was shown to the board in March, includes a jump of $295,000. In the proposed secondary school budget, the largest increase ($225,000) comes from instruction, which the rest ($81,000) coming from increased special education costs.

As proposed, the regular instruction budget would go from $926,000 in 2014-15 to $1.15 million in 2015-16, while the special education budget would go from $199,000 in 2014-15 to a proposed $281,000 in 2015-16.

Lutkus said the $61,000 was already in the general fund — it had been earmarked for the proposed CDBG project.

In the end, the boar voted 4-0 to have Lutkus see if it would be possible to move those funds to try and ease some of the proposed increased tax burden.

But, that doesn't mean Elm Street won't go unnoticed this year. The road, which runs parallel to Main Street, is a two-lane road with parking on one side. During a presentation from Wright-Pierce's Travis Pryor, the subject of potentially turning it into a one-way street, because of its narrowness, was broached.

Other potential plans included restructuring the sidewalks to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements, and potentially moving telephone poles to increase the parking spots.

Superintendent of roads Steve Reynolds said that while the CDBG money didn't come through, the town would still look to improve or repair the sidewalks.

One of the increases in the budget deals with potentially sending a student out of district to a specialized school. Selectman Robin Mayer asked if there was anything the town could do to try and control such costs, but according to town attorney Jenny Villeneuve, it's a federal issue covered under the equal access act.

“If we have (several more students attending specialized schools) that's going to break the bank,” she said. “Can we ask our legislators if they can do anything? Because the town has to pay, and I can just see this exploding.”