Stop the Lawsuit – Start the Revitalization!

To the editor:

My wife and I fell in love with Wiscasset and the people who call it home – enough to purchase a property on Main Street. Even though we live far away in the mountains of Colorado, we have become fervent supporters and promoters of the community and only want the best for the town into the future.

We have operated businesses in Vail, where similar projects to the one being debated have been completed. The main benefits to Wiscasset from this undertaking will be:

Much-needed revitalization of the crumbling Main Street sidewalks.

It will have some impact on the traffic flow through Main Street, maybe not a perfect solution, but anything will help.

Greatly improve the overall visual appeal of the Main Street area, which will lead to attracting passersby to stop, park, and shop.

Provide a basis for becoming more of a true destination in the future and not a place that people simply pass through.

I look forward to the day when I don’t have to circle the block several times fighting traffic, hoping for a parking spot to open, and can stroll on the sidewalks, stopping at Treats for a coffee, before I peruse Moulinette, Birch, Wiscasset Bay Gallery, Trifles, Rendall, and visit with all the people that drew us to this town in the first place.

To the other out-of-town owners of the properties on Main Street, instead of funding the opposition lawsuit, why not embrace the project (as the majority of Wiscasset residents did in the initial vote) and put the money and effort you’re spending on this lawsuit into restoring your buildings. We should all be working toward impactful improvements to this historic town, that we are all lucky enough to be the current stewards in history of!

We are directly invested in the future of Wiscasset and believe that a no vote to stop the wasteful lawsuit on April 17 is the best choice for ensuring that Wiscasset remains the “prettiest little village in Maine!”

Bradbury Ketelhut

Vail, Colo. and Wiscasset