The site where a contractor will soon begin construction of public restrooms in Damariscotta’s municipal parking lot. (Evan Houk photo)
Construction of public restrooms in Damariscotta’s municipal parking lot will begin in early November, according to the contractor.
Charlie Frattini, of Rockport-based Phi Builders + Architects, hopes to start setting up a chain-link fence around the project area Monday, Oct. 26, he said during a Zoom meeting Monday, Oct. 19.
The contractor will limit disruption as much as possible, Frattini said. The contractor has been communicating with abutters to the site.
The Zoom meeting included Damariscotta Town Manager Matt Lutkus; Robin Mayer, chair of the board of selectmen; Jan Wiegman, of the engineering firm Wright-Pierce; representatives from Phi Builders + Architects; and downtown business and property owners.
The restrooms will be behind Cupacity, where a barbershop previously stood. The building will face the water and will sit about 3 feet above the existing grade of the lot on wooden piles.
Rob Mattes, of Phi Builders + Architects, said driving in the wooden piles will be the loudest part of the project and all abutters will be notified ahead of time.
The construction crew will work from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday and will use a small number of parking spots adjacent to the site as a staging area.
Frattini said the crew will not take up any spots Nov. 7, the day of Damariscotta’s annual Early Bird Sale.
The contractor aims to complete enough of the masonry and roof work to allow its workers to move inside during the coldest part of the winter.
Frattini said that with a possible break in the winter, the latest completion date would be July 4, although he does not expect to do any heavy work past the end of May.
Phi Builders plans to rent office space in the downtown area to serve as a base of operations.
Chase Excavating Inc., of Falmouth, will begin work on replacing the sewer lines in the parking lot around the same time, Lutkus said. He said that work should be complete by Thanksgiving.
Lutkus has said that Chase Excavating will work on no more than 200 feet of the project at one time and will cover its work each evening, so the parking lot will remain accessible for the duration of the work.
The replacement of the sewer lines and the construction of the restrooms are part of a $4 million-plus waterfront improvement project.
The project will also include raising and rebuilding the parking lot, drainage improvements, and construction of a seawall.
The U.S. Economic Development Administration awarded the town a $3 million grant in April to cover the majority of the cost. The town is contributing $1,127,000, largely from donations.
