Relief Work – Waterville ME

Description

In 1933, acting under the leadership of Mayor Thayer, the local C.W.A. administrator, various actions were taken to stabilize the finances of the town and reemploy as many people as possible.

Reconstruction Finance Corporation Grant Received during 1933: $19,820.75
Among the various project launched:

1-H Sewing project “supervised by Mrs. Blye Drew. Clothing of all kinds has been furnished, through the Poor Department, for the relief of needy persons.
More than 400′ mackinaws have been made and distributed to minimum paid ‘Civil Works employees engaged in outdoor work, in this, the most severe winter we have experienced in a generation.” (Thayer)
No. 1 J – School records
No. 1 L – cleaning river banks
No. 1 N – Street signs
No. 1 P – Administrative
No. 1 E – Public building repair
No. 1 F – Decorative street lighting

Park Commission
“Through the aid of the Federal C W A funds we were able to erect and maintain two ice skating rinks.
Also, through the efforts of our Honorable Mayor, he secured an allowance from the C W A Federal Funds for a much needed work on our trees. A crew under the engineer in charge, Mr. Wesley Marden has been trimming the trees and taking down the dangerous trees and limbs.”

During 1934 Mayor Jackson reported on misc. relief work in the city: the building of a barn and repairs to the City Home, the construction of fire prevention pools in the rural sector, & removal of dangerous trees.

Relief

“The City Home, under the able management of Mr. and Mrs. Napoleon Bisson, in spite of increasing demands and improvements made at the home, by close cooperation with the department, made a saving of over $1,500.00 over last year. Steam heat, and a toilet were installed on the third floor of the home to make it inhabitable for the old people. We bought the materials and the E. R. A. furnished the labor. Another long felt need for the farm was a barn. Heretofore they had no suitable place to store the hay or keep the cattle. A new barn was built as a relief project by the E. R. A. They furnished labor and material so that now, we have a modern barn at almost no cost to the city. Of course, the controlling factor in keeping our expenses as low as they were is the thousands of dollars expended for relief by the E. R. A. They have given us the closest cooperation and our relations have been most pleasant. Without the E. R. A. no one could tell how we could have survived the year. Our thanks to Mrs. Blye Drew supervisor of the E. R. A. sewing room, who has worked hard to cooperate in saving money for this department.”

Transportation of C. C. C. b o y s ____ $179.54

Park Commission

“A very needy undertaking is also carried on thru the office of the ERA Administrator in the care and trimming of the City’s shade trees and the removing of the old stumps and dead trees throughout the City. All of this work being carried on by the Federal Appropriation and under the supervision of our local
Administrator.”