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V O L . X X I I I N O. X X V O C T O B E R 1 6 , 2 0 1 7 24 drop off family members with small children or pick up a larger item they might purchase at an art gallery." But she admits: "Change is diffi cult and you always hope it's going to be positive, but it remains to be seen. We don't know." Two referenda and counting Two years in a row, voters have been asked to weigh in on the MDOT plan. A non-binding referendum in June 2016 asked voters to choose between three options: Keep on-street parking (Option 1), remove downtown parking (Option 2) or do nothing (Option 3). Option 2 won out, garnering 426 votes, while Option 1 received 90 votes and Option 3 received 206 votes. After DOT decided to use state rather than federal funds to pay for the project, the Taxpayers Alliance gathered signatures for a second, binding refer- endum this summer on the changed Option 2. Besides putting a bigger burden on taxpayers, the group was concerned that the decision to use state rater than federal funds to pay for the project unilaterally removed previously promised compliance with federal his- toric preservation standards, according to spokesman Bill Sutter. "When MDOT announced they were not going to use federal funds, my fi rst impression was we've been had," Sutter says, underscoring that Wiscasset remains a blue-collar town and also lost its biggest taxpayer in 1996 when the Maine Yankee nuclear plant closed. Besides putting a heavier fi nancial burden on taxpayers, MDOT's deci- sion not to use federal funding would exempt the project from compliance with the National Historic Preservation Act. Historic preservation concerns were further rattled by the agency's use of eminent domain for Haggett's Garage. In the June 2017 Taxpayer Alliance- led referendum, voters rejected the changed Option 2 by a tally of 400 to 323, followed a week later by the selectmen withdrawing their support in a 3-2 vote. During a well-attended regu- larly scheduled meeting on Oct. 2, the Select Board again split 3 to 2, approving a motion to reject MDOT's Main Street parking-removal plan. MDOT staying the course Despite the latest development, MDOT still plans to develop a new parking lot later this year and start road con- struction in 2018. "Maine DOT worked through a signifi cant collaborative planning process with the Town of Wiscasset, culminating in the Select Board's unanimous endorsement just over a year ago, of the project being deliv- ered," DOT spokesman Ted Talbot says via e-mail. "After receiving that unanimous support and direction, Maine DOT is now well along in the development of the project with con- struction just months away." MDOT's plan comes several years after it rejected building a bypass after concluding it would be too expensive, at an estimated $100 million, and require the displacement of 26 residences and 14 businesses. "Since eliminating the bypass option in 2011, Maine DOT has con- tinued to work with the community to develop less costly ways to increase safety and reduce the tremendous backups experienced in Wiscasset," Talbot says. is November, Wiscasset voters will decide whether the town's Historic Preservation Ordinance establishing the Historic District Commission should be scrapped. Maine Preservation has put the Historic District Commission and the downtown on its endangered list. Main Street shopkeepers, includ- ing long-timers, are already talking about leaving town if they lose their on-street parking, albeit reluctantly. "It's a last resort for us having been here for so long," says Wiscasset Bay Gallery's Oehmig. Next door at the Old Carriage House gallery, James Kochan is hold- ing off on buying other downtown properties and talking about "pulling up stakes" a few months after moving from Fredericksburg, Md. It's a diff erent story across the street at BIRCH, where co-owner Brad Sevaldson couldn't be more upbeat about having more parking spaces in town. "We are so for it," he says in between packing up holiday trinkets for a customer. "It's better to have no parking than to see someone feel like all the spaces are taken." He notes that parking around the corner wouldn't be much farther than at a typical shopping mall and is thank- ful for the foot-traffi c spillover from Red's Eats. "It shows that people are re-discovering downtown." R C , M a i n e b i z s e n i o r w r i t e r, c a n b e r e a c h e d a t @ . a n d @ » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E 207-854-2422 directpersonnel.net 1-800-639-8802 mainestaff.com A corporate division of Maine Staffing Group Call us today! Diverse hiring solutions for Maine's competitive economy Filling entry-level roles to specialized technical positions. Providing skilled candidates for any industry! • Healthcare • Administrative • Accounting/Financial And much more! F O C U S P H O T O / J I M N E U G E R Brad Sevaldson, left, and Greg Uthoff, owners of the BIRCH home accessories boutique in Wiscasset.

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