Several Chapman Street residents hope to convince the town of Damariscotta to scuttle a plan to build a sidewalk along the road with federal money.
An advisory committee of neighborhood residents will meet at the Damariscotta town office Tuesday, June 25 at 6:30 p.m. to hear from the neighborhood about the request to eliminate the sidewalk. The meeting is open to the public.
Damariscotta Town Manager Matt Lutkus said some residents are concerned about the prospect of losing plants and yard space that lie within the town right-of-way.
The residents want the town to spend the money allocated for a Chapman Street sidewalk to extend the Church Street sidewalk, Lutkus said.
Neighborhood residents should weigh the request with care, Lutkus said. “I can’t imagine another scenario where we would have an opportunity to put a sidewalk in,” he said.
The project also includes sidewalk construction on Hodgdon and Pleasant streets, as well as drainage improvements and water main replacements.
The drainage improvements and water line replacements will go forward on Chapman Street regardless of what happens with the sidewalk, Lutkus said.
The Maine Office of Community Development awarded the town of Damariscotta a $375,000 Community Development Block Grant for the project in May.
The project estimate totals $763,080, according to Lutkus. The town expects another $200,000 from the same program and the figure also includes a previous, $42,280 Efficiency Maine grant for the design of the project.
The town will contribute $100,500 to the project cost. The Great Salt Bay Sanitary District will chip in $40,000.
The project schedule calls for the work to go out to bid this summer, Lutkus said. The town anticipates construction could start as early as this fall and conclude next spring, depending on when HUD releases the money.