Senator Hickman celebrates Community Action Grants awarded to Hallowell and Gardiner

Posted: September 18, 2026 | Senator Hickman

The funds awarded will support storm recovery and resilience projects to protect Maine people, businesses and infrastructure.

AUGUSTA — Senator Craig Hickman, D-Winthrop, is pleased to announce that the Cities of Hallowell and Gardiner were selected to receive Community Action Grant awards from the Community Resilience Partnership. The Partnership, administered by the Maine Office of Community Affairs, helps Maine communities transition to clean energy and become more resilient to climate effects, including severe storms and flooding.

  • The City of Hallowell will receive:
    • $80,000 for city code updates to meet transportation, energy efficiency and natural resource resiliency goals.
    • $45,000 to the Kennebec County Council of Governments for Community Vulnerability Assessments of four municipalities, including Hallowell.
  • The City of Gardiner will receive:
    • $65,000 for the development of a capital investment plan for upgrading municipal infrastructure to prepare for effects from climate change.

“I’m so glad that the two cities of my district will receive this funding,” said Senator Hickman. “When the Kennebec River flooded during the twin winter storms of 2023-24, entire areas of Hallowell and Gardiner’s downtowns were underwater, and power was out for days. I know this funding will be well utilized to ensure the area is prepared for the next such event, heaven forbid.”

The most recent round of grant funding, awarded earlier this month, is the second set this year and seventh overall. It will support projects in 72 communities with $4.7 million in total awards. A complete list of awardees is available through the Maine Office of Community Affairs. The previous round, which was announced in May of this year, supported projects in 76 Maine communities with over $5 million awarded. A complete list of those awardees is available here.

Funding for the grants comes from several sources, including measures passed by the Maine Legislature with Sen. Hickman’s support:

  • The Supplemental Budget that was passed by the Legislature in 2024 to increase community resilience and preparedness in the wake of the December 2023 and January 2024 storms;
  • Funds from the biennial budget authorized by the Legislature in 2023; and
  • A federal grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Senator Craig Hickman represents Senate District 14, which includes the municipalities of Chelsea, Farmingdale, Gardiner, Hallowell, Manchester, Monmouth, Pittston, Randolph, Readfield, Wayne, West Gardiner and Winthrop. He is the Senate chair of the Legislature’s Government Oversight Committee and Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee.

###