Damariscotta officials, business owners, and members of various state and local organizations, met for a day long hour session Jan. 23 to discuss issues and potential solutions to traffic flow around the town’s municipal parking lot.
Topics of discussion touched during the meeting that extended between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. included creating additional parking, improving traffic flow, revamping the boat launch, and assisting pedestrian navigation within the back parking lot and harbor area.
The morning session began with a review of the survey maps of the harbor by Damariscotta Town Manager Greg Zinser, and project objectives by Town Planner Tony Dater.
The meeting subsequently broke down into three sub groups, which discussed specific issues related to the municipal parking lot. Steven Hufnagel of the Damariscotta River Association summarized the experience of the group that met with engineer Tom Errico, a parking consultant.
“We discussed the boundaries in terms of parking in the downtown area, issues related to the back lot, and improving pedestrian circulation,” Hufnagel said. “We brainstormed ways to increase overall parking within walking distance of town.”
The dual use of the alleyways by Paco’s Tacos and Two Fish by automobiles and pedestrians generated concern among members of the group, according to Hufnagel.
The group discussed ideas for moving utility poles currently located behind the buildings abutting the lot, which included burying the lines underground or integrating the poles with parking barriers, he said.
R.H. Renys Inc. spokesperson Mary Kate Reny expressed concern over the cost of burying electrical lines, but gave positive feedback about her experience in the group.
“Those underground utility lines are very expensive. We’re not Camden or Freeport,” she said. “(This group) put our heads together and developed lots of good ideas. We wanted to focus on how well we use this space (for parking), while making it safe for pedestrians.”
Zinser pointed out before the barriers can be erected, the fire department must be consulted to ensure their trucks will still be able to maneuver around the parking lot in case of an emergency.
He suggested the possibility of using smaller satellite parking lots within walking distance of town, especially for local business employees during the summer, to increase parking further.
Barnaby Porter of the Maine Coast Book Shop inquired about the possibility of constructing a small parking garage on a portion of the back lot to increase parking vertically.
Errico said the price to construct any size parking garage is extremely cost prohibitive, around $20,000 per space to build upwards, or nearly $40,000 per space if underground.
David Atwater suggested five or 10 spaces could be gained by filling in “Misery Gulch” between Schooner Landing, Zecchino’s Submarine Sandwiches, and the back parking lot.
“That’s a fair amount of parking (compared to what is there now),” Atwater said. “It could be used as parallel boater parking.”
Porter attended the mini-meeting with engineer Steve Ruell. According to Porter, the group discussed the town landing and dock, the multiple uses of the river, recreational boating and launching, as well as those of commercial fishermen.
The lack of availability of parking, docking, and launching facilities for commercial fisherman raised concern, he said. Additionally, Porter thought there was a need for more short term recreational docking opportunities.
“I tried to impress upon Steve, we have very little space for two-hour recreational docking,” Porter said. “We have space for two boats currently. We need to rearrange those floats.”
Damariscotta selectman Ed Stelzer summarized the work of the harbor committee to date, and reiterated the need to consider tides, currents, depths, and the structures already in place when considering any projects that affect the harbor.
Zinser urged the group not to overlook the impact of the proposed Twin Villages Marina project in Newcastle may have on the harbor. It is likely there will be increased boat traffic and bigger boats going forward, he said.
He stressed the importance of taking this into account in the planning process for the parking lot, and boat launch improvements. If the Twin Villages project includes fuel, the need for a pump out station must be addressed, Zinser said.
Mitchell Rasor, a design consultant for Damariscotta, led a discussion about how design for the parking lot could help address current issues with the space. Zinser described problems with two-way traffic entering and exiting next to Star’s Jewelry, and suggested that entrance be cut back to one-way traffic approaching from the bridge.
Stelzer raised concerns over the ability of truck drivers with limited turn radii to deliver boats to the back parking lot if the entrance were one-way. Zinser explained traffic in that area would be temporarily stopped to allow the delivery to take place.
Then the entire meeting went down to the back parking lot and toured Riverview Park and the boat launch and boater parking areas, Zinser said.
The group reconvened after lunch to review the mini-meetings and share the issues discussed and ideas developed in each session, according to Zinser.
He said discussions about all these issues and the project will continue going forward, with public hearings in the future to allow more residents to participate in the planning process.
