HALLOWELL — During last December’s storm, after the Kennebec River submerged the basement and rose three feet high in the first-floor shops, the surging flood waters lifted Rich and Barb Friscia’s four-story commercial building off its Water Street foundation.
The building didn’t float far, but the structural damage caused when the building fell back down caused engineers to worry the building could collapse and left the Friscias facing more than $200,000 in repairs.
“My wife and I bought the place in 2020 for retirement income,” said Rich Friscia, now 70, of Bridgton. “Because of the flood, we were facing possible bankruptcy. But we got lucky. With insurance, a state grant and a lot of help, we’re going to survive this, and we’ll be ready for the next one.”
Friscia gave a tour of his renovated basement on Tuesday to members of the Maine Infrastructure Rebuilding and Resilience Commissionbefore it released its first report on how …