These last few months seem to have dragged on longer than usual. While there are plenty of factors this feeling could be attributed to, we’re choosing to believe it’s because we’ve had to spend an increasing amount of time driving around Damariscotta looking for parking.
Thankfully, it seems these challenging times will soon be behind us, as the initial paving of the lot – the last part of the fall project – is scheduled to take place on Friday, Nov. 15.
The nature of infrastructure maintenance is inherently inconvenient, and while we certainly felt that strife, we appreciate the efforts of Damariscotta town officials to clearly communicate what they knew when they knew it.
When we wrote about the project in August, there were many unknowns, including how construction would impact not only downtown residents and businesses, but also the biggest fall festival in the county.
As a note, with the exception of a fine layer of dust on his vehicle, our downtown-inhabiting reporter said he was able to avoid being impacted without much effort. His experience may not be universal for all those living in the area, we realize.
We don’t know the impact for the business sector beyond what we’ve learned from anecdotal conversations with proprietors. Those we’ve talked with said they were able to navigate the challenge of running a storefront with limited local parking options. (That said, we encourage all to make a more concentrated effort to shop locally this holiday season.)
Damariscotta Pumpkinfest saw its largest crowd in years, according to organizers. We’re not implying the parking lot project caused the record-breaking attendance.
Ultimately, these are necessary investments in a town we care about. If January’s storms were any indication, weather events of uncertain severity can pop up at any time, and all we can do is prepare for the unknown. We appreciate town officials had the foresight to begin these conversations and planning efforts prior to catastrophe, even if it meant we had to budget an extra 10 minutes to find parking before a dinner reservation for the last three months.
