Before it can apply for funds to give the village area a facelift, Lisbon has to give residents a chance to offer input.

A public hearing on a Community Development Block Grant application has been set for the next Lisbon Town Council meeting, March 20. The town intends to apply for the $300,000 grant from the state Department of Community and Economic Development.

The grant would go toward improving the Lisbon Village area. While an initial plan is to improve sidewalks, Economic Community Development Director Tracey Steuber in- formed councilors that land acquisition — in terms of green space and parking — could be paid for with grant funds. A decision on that wouldn’t have to be made until the town submits its application.

The town would be required to provide a 25 percent match of the grant, which councilors have already approved. Community members making investment in the area, however, can also be counted as contributions toward the matching dollar amount. For instance, MT Pools has been approved for a new facade grant, which will count toward the 25 percent.

“The more that we show collaboration between the town and community of businesses, it looks better for us in terms of scoring,” said Steuber.

In a memo to councilors, Town Manager Diane Barnes said she is coordinating with other property owners in the area planning improvements. A further commitment of matching funds would help Lisbon score higher on the overall application for the grant.

The CDBG program assists local government in community projects. The downtown grant must be used as part of a strategy that targets downtown service and business districts, and will lead to future public and private investment.

A deadline to submit the full application for the grant is set for March 30.

chris@timesrecord.com