Damariscotta dedicated the new Bus. Rt. 1 sidewalk to the late Richard “Dick” Else, whose approximately $200,000 bequest helped make the sidewalk possible, Aug. 30.
Damariscotta used $72,200 of Else’s bequest as the 20 percent match necessary to secure a $361,000 Department of Transportation grant to build the sidewalk.
Chris Stanley, a longtime friend of Else, described the former Damariscotta resident in comments read by Damariscotta Board of Selectmen Chairman David Atwater.
Else was a loving and devoted husband, a skilled carpenter, a shrewd investor, an antique dealer “who loved to make a deal,” a great intellect, a true friend and a man who loved Maine and the Damariscotta area in particular.
Stanley, in a brief interview after the ceremony, said he met Else through the antique business. Stanley would sometimes go to Else for advice and, after the death of Else’s wife, they would go out to Moody’s Diner every week.
Later, when Else began to suffer health problems, Stanley would check in on him at his home on Bristol Road in Damariscotta. Else eventually moved to Chase Point after a series of falls.
Else died Jan. 24, 2010. He was 96.
Else also made substantial bequests to Lincoln Academy, Lincoln Theater, Miles Memorial Hospital and Skidompha Library.
Stanley called him “a rare person” and said he will think of his friend whenever he walks the new sidewalk.
The town plans to place a bronze plaque at the sidewalk in honor of Else.
Atwater also spoke of the sidewalk as the first segment of a sidewalk the town hopes will eventually extend to Biscay Road. The town has already submitted a grant application to extend the sidewalk to School Street.
The sidewalk “represents a significant milestone toward making Damariscotta more pedestrian-friendly for the benefit of our residents and visitors alike,” he said. “At the same time, it opens up a safe pedestrian access to several businesses located along this busy roadway.”
A large contingent of Damariscotta and state officials, contractors and others involved with the project attended the ceremony.
