Damariscotta may lose about $250,000 of a $3 million federal grant financing its waterfront improvement project, which is scheduled to begin its second phase this fall.
Town Manager Andy Dorr reported this update from the Economic Development Administration, along with several state road improvement projects, at the Damariscotta Select Board’s Wednesday, May 17 meeting.
The administration suggested cuts to “non essential components” of the project scope possibly to fit within the proposed funding timeline, which spans four years with a possible fifth-year extension, Dorr said. Damariscotta was awarded the funds in 2020.
Cuts to the project’s second phase include the living shoreline project, miscellaneous improvements, and sidewalks from Water Street and Taco Alley, according to Dorr, who said he is still in discussion with the administration.
The drainage improvements and parking lot resurfacing do not have a price tag yet until bids are returned, he said.
“We’re trying to advocate, to show them that there is a need for the full three million,” he said.
Remaining work for the second phase, if funding is cut, will consist of stormwater drainage work, a resurfacing of the parking lot, and 850 feet of deployable flood wall, which Dorr said would cover the entire length specified in the original plans.
A proposal for a permanent flood wall with a deployable section would need to meet U.S. Emergency Management Agency specifications to reduce the floodplain, which was “far higher” than the grant could cover or the town could afford locally, Dorr said.
The town is investigating how or if it will be able to meet the original scope of work with or without federal funding, according to Dorr.
The transfer of the sewer lines under the municipal parking lot remains in progress after the March discovery that the Great Salt Bay Sanitary District was not listed as a co-recipient on the administration’s grant to reconstruct them.
Dorr said the district’s board of trustees was working to authorize signing on as co-applicants to the grant and, if it progresses, bid documents could go out this fall.
The Maine Department of Transportation will install a rumble strip this summer over nine miles of Damariscotta on Route 1, from north of Lynch Road in Newcastle to the East Pond Road traffic island in Nobleboro. The strip to be installed is of a new design that reduces noise when vehicles cross onto it.
A second DOT project, to construct a pedestrian and bicycle path on the east side of Main Street from Biscay Road to Great Salt Bay Community School, has opened for public comment. The proposed construction, currently in the public meeting phase, would build about 1,900 feet of sidewalk and bikeway.
Construction is expected to begin late next summer and be completed in a year. Details and comment options are available at the department’s virtual public meetings page at bit.ly/mainedot-meetings.
On town-owned roads, construction continues for capital projects on Miles Street, Egypt Road, and Belvedere Road. Construction work on Hodgdon Street is expected to begin in several weeks.
A federal project is also on the way for the town. The Federal Aviation Administration has developed a draft of an environmental impact assessment for a project in Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire adjusting helicopter ambulance routes, in Damariscotta’s case to and from the LincolnHealth Miles campus.
According to the administration, proposed changes will not increase the number of flights or cause any disturbance on the ground.
Public comment is open for the project at faa.gov/air_traffic/community_engagement/maine.
Dorr said the town is ordering a stencil to repaint crosswalks in the downtown, which has been a concern in the downtown for several meetings.
In other business, the board approved an entertainment license for Ann’s Book Bistro, a public service liquor license for Damariscotta River Cruises, and catered function applications for Stone Cove Catering and Seacoast Catering.
The Damariscotta Select Board will next meet at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 7 in the town office.
