Sewers – Fort Kent ME

Description

The Bangor Daily News covered some extensive sewer line construction in the northern town of Fort Kent in the initial CWA jobs program of 1933.

December 4: “OVER 100 EMPLOYED ON CWA SEWER PROJECT More than a hundred men are now digging ditches for the new sewer project as Fort Kent’s share of the federal relief program. Most of the men selected had been receiving direct aid from the town. The sewer lines will run through Pleasant, Elm, Center and Market streets, the Center street line intersecting Main Street near the Fort Kent Drug Co. The number of feet of pipe to be laid is as follows: Pleasant street, 2650 feet; Elm street, 2000 feet; Market Street, 2400 feet, and Center street, 800 feet.
When completed, the town will have one of the most complete sewer and drainage systems of any town in the state. Fort Kent’s allotment is about $28,000, and most of it goes for labor. Outside of labor the chief expense item is an order of 18 car-loads of pipe. When the work is in full operation 130 men will be on the payroll. The men work 30 hours a week at 50 cents an hour. Town Manager Irenee Cyr is in charge of the project.”

March 19 1934: “From the town office comes the information that only 98 men have been retained on the CWA sewer project and that this work is supposed to be finished by next week. However, Mr. Cyr says that an extension seems almost certain, so the men will have another month of work. It will take a month to finish the two sewer lines on Church and Water streets.”

May 31 1934: “Since the C.W.A. started last winter the community has obtained the following benefits. More than two miles of sewer and drainage pipe lines were laid on streets that had required them for years. the roads and sidewalks were kept clean of snowdrifts and in view of the heavy snowfall this winter this was no small improvement. In addition more than $30,000 was paid out directly to about 300 workers who were assigned part or full time work.”

Thanks go out to Chad Pelletier for his assistance in locating Center Street which was changed to Hull Street.