MONMOUTH -- The downtown Grange building may get a major facelift in the next couple of years.

Selectmen agreed during Wednesday's meeting to join with The Theater at Monmouth, which owns the former Monmouth Grange building at 775 Main St., in applying for a $250,000 Community Development Block Grant.

The grant provides funding for communities that form partnerships with local nonprofits to improve blighted areas in specific downtown areas, said David Greenham, producing director of The Theater at Monmouth.

The grants are meant to spur economic development and increase job opportunities for those in low- and middle-income levels.

The Theater at Monmouth needs at least $50,000 to meet the matching requirements required to qualify for the CDBG grant, Greenham said.

The theater company has already applied for a $400,000 grant for the project through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The theater company has been recommended for funding, but Greenham is said he is unsure how much the company will receive.

The town joined with The Theater at Monmouth last fall for a CDBG grant to develop plans for renovating the Grange and Toad Hall, the theater company building used to house actors.

The $250,000 CDBG grant would specifically be used to update the Grange, which the theater company uses during the summer for rehearsals.

Improvement to the Grange would include a new foundation, roofing, windows, support columns, interior wall and floor finishes, and exterior wood clapboards, Greenham said.

The renovations will cost an estimated $430,000.

"It's our feeling these buildings can be an asset to the town in more ways than just The Theater at Monmouth in the summer time," Greenham said. "It would be a place people could gather."

The building also could be a draw for actors, writers and other artists looking for a quiet place to hone their craft or develop new works, Greenham said.

"This could make the renovated Grange and renovated Toad Hall available to any kind of organization," he said. "The possibilities are very exciting."

Selectmen on Wednesday also heard updates on various ongoing projects, including:

* Public Works Director Herb Whittier said the town has received $27,000 for approximately 20 acres of trees cut at the Cobbossee Boat Launch off Route 135. The area will be blazed with walking trails. The trail committee met for the first time last week.

"I think we have a good committee," Whittier said.

* Police Chief Robert Annese confirmed the town's E-911 system and dispatching for emergency services have been switched from the state's Regional Communications Center in Augusta.

Beginning Wednesday, all 911 calls have gone to the Somerset County communications center, and Winthrop now handles dispatching for Monmouth.

The switch is expected to save the town about $7,000 per year.

"The 911 transition went extremely well," Annese said.

Craig Crosby--623-3811, ext. 433

ccrosby@centralmaine.com