PORTLAND, Maine (AP) -- Officials with the city of Portland say the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hopes to begin work on rehabilitating Fort Gorges in a little more than a year.
The Civil War-era fort is located on a small island in Maine's Casco Bay and was identified for hazard mitigation work by the Army Corps about 20 years ago. A spokesman for Portland says the Army Corps hopes to begin the work in the spring of 2017.
City officials say the work is a step toward preserving the fort and making it accessible to the public. Portland's Historic Preservation Board will meet on Wednesday at 5 p.m. to review the Army Corps' preliminary plans for the site and its specifications for safety improvements.
Portland took ownership of the fort in 1960.
