When it comes to the Twin Villages and the Pemaquid region, Damariscotta is right at the center.

Now, Damariscotta will be at the center of some federal help when it comes to one of the region’s largest upcoming issues: aging in place.

On Tuesday, Feb. 3 Damariscotta was announced as a recipient of an Environmental Protection Agency award.

Damariscotta applied for two awards in November: the Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Technical Assistance Award and another. On Tuesday, Feb. 3 it was announced that the town was selected as one of 22 communities throughout the country to be awarded the Technical Assistance Award.

The assistance will likely come in the form of expertise, Damariscotta Town Manager Matt Lutkus said, adding that nothing has been officially announced as of yet.

“With the official announcement of this award, we will begin working with Spectrum Generations on how best to utilize the technical expertise that EPA will provide,” he said. “While most of the details have yet to be worked out, it is very likely that the assistance will be used to help promote citizen participation in a community-wide discussion on housing issues, especially as they relate to the retirees in our community.”

The focus will be an issue right at the heart of Damariscotta's long-term planning, Lutkus said: aging-in-place.

“The award and the community workshop that will result are very much in sync with the high priority that the board of selectmen has given to the development of strategies for the town’s aging in place,” he said. “It also dovetails with the recommendations and implementation plan included in the 2014 Comprehensive Plan.”

According to a release from the EPA, Damariscotta's focus will be on sustainable strategies to help meet housing needs for different ages and incomes.

Damariscotta was one of only three communities in New England to receive assistance from the EPA: Newburyport and Scituate, both in Massachusetts, will receive assistance as well. Those two town's assistance will not be focused on aging in place but rather on flooding resiliency.

Lincoln County has been called the oldest county in the oldest state, and with Damariscotta's newly-crafted comprehensive plan, which was adopted in 2014, a lot of the focus has been directed at the future housing needs for both an aging population.

When the details are pinned down, it will likely result in a workshop held between the EPA and the town and will be open to the public, according to the release.