The downtown district of Calais is going to receive a significant boost to its appearance over the coming few years as a result of a major project proposal by a partnership between David Seavey and Gary Young. Seavey and Young have combined efforts to purchase both the McAlister building and the Sarsaparilla building on Main Street to restore them to their original condition and enable retailers and renters to enjoy the large amount of space in the two buildings. In addition, Seavey and Young will be renovating the former Visitors Information Center (VIC) to be a restaurant. The project was briefly presented and accepted at a special city council meeting on August 3, along with a $1.1 million sewer project on Palmer Street.
     According to an agreement read by City Manager Jim Porter during the meeting, Seavey and Young are investing over $1.5 million to complete the downtown projects. The agreement expresses that there is a strict limitation that the repair and restoration of the buildings be completed on an agreed‑to schedule. It also noted that a $165,000 forgivable loan is expected to be issued to Seavey and Young that will be forgiven if and when the development goals are met. The funding will come from Department of Economic and Community Development grants, so no taxpayer funds will be used.
     "The project will preserve two historic buildings that may have faced demolition at a great cost to the city and left a tremendous void in the downtown streetscape," read Porter.
     After the meeting, Seavey explained that the goal will be to restore the exterior shells of both brick buildings while simultaneously renovating the smaller former VIC building. While in better condition than the historic brick buildings, the VIC will require as much or more work because of the major interior restructuring involved and the dated materials it is comprised of. Work on the projects has begun.

Sewer project accepted
     A new sewer project has been accepted by the city council following a presentation by Annaleis Hafford, vice president of Olver Associates, the company that manages the city's water and sewer operations.
     Since 2004, the city has been working on a combined sewer overflow master plan to reduce overflow from the sewer. A significant amount of work has been accomplished thus far, but more still needs to be done, Hafford explained.
     There has been a major decline in revenue due in part to the city keeping a flat operations and maintenance budget to support capital borrowing needs and declining water usage. Water usage has declined from over 11 million cubic feet a year to 7.2 million cubic feet. The decline has resulted in a loss of revenue of between $200,000 and $300,000. Grants and loans are thus necessary for projects to be completed.
     The Palmer Street project, which is next on the city's master plan list, includes about 3,100 linear feet of sewer line. The Department of Environmental Protection offered the city a 74% grant or a combination of grants for about $815,000 and a loan of $285,138, for a total of $1.1 million. The annual payment on the loan would be around $19,850 for 20 years with a 1% interest rate. No payments would be needed until a year after the project is finished, around 2019‑2020. In 2022, the city will have a substantial decrease in loan payments when $145,000 in annual payments from past loans are completed. Aside from the Palmer Street project, the identified work to be done will require approximately $3 million.
     Overflow improvements have been steady and aggressive, Hafford reported. In 2007, a total of 22 million gallons of overflow was logged. That amount decreased to 4.62 million in 2016 due to projects to improve the city's infrastructure. In 2017, the year‑to‑date amount is under 1 million. Hafford says, "I think it's possible the overflows will be stopped, it's just going to take time."
     The council unanimously approved the project.