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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 35 J U N E 1 1 , 2 0 1 8 F O C U S S M A L L B U S I N E S S the street. e uproar prompted the state to cancel the plans. In the ensuing years, the down- town's reputation for charm and as an antiques mecca grew. Many of the antique shops in the city of 2,600 that fronts a broad stretch of the Kennebec River are gone, but restaurants and bars have taken their place. In 2012, the MDOT began a seri- ous push for the current project. e street, which hadn't been upgraded in more than 100 years, has a steep center crown that causes safety, drainage and parking problems. Its brick sidewalks and granite curbing doesn't comply with the American with Disabilities Act and are rough and uneven. e $5.89 million project, which comprises about half a mile, will be fi nished in November, with a break for a couple weeks in July when con- struction switches street sides. e contractor, Sargent Corp., will fi nish paving and other detail work in the spring. Initial city meetings about the project in 2013 were largely about how to stop it. "A lot of people anticipated that no one would come downtown at all," says Fahy, of the Harlow Gallery. In Belgrade, discussion of widen- ing narrow Main Street began in 1998. A town committee at the time put together a streetscape plan for sidewalks and other enhancing elements, but resi- dents and businesses strongly resisted. By 2011, the 38 miles of Route 27 between Augusta and Farmington had been upgraded and widened with the exception of the 0.36-mile stretch that runs through the village. at year, the town's streetscape committee updated the plan. " e road is the heart of the village, and any alterations will have the poten- tial to impact the village's character and goodwill," the report, as quoted in the Kennebec Journal in November 2011, said. " ere was a lot of public resistance from various groups," says Diane Oliver, whose family has owned Day's Store on Main Street for 60 years. Oliver was a vocal member of the opposition. e $3.1 million project called for widening the road, adding parking, wider asphalt sidewalks and cutting down the giant maples that line the street. e village, with the road, homes and businesses squeezed in between two lakes, is known for its historic charm. Oliver says the project was going to make it "a sea of asphalt." Rechanneling the opposition e state recognizes that businesses fear how they'll be aff ected by con- struction. It provides a 30-page docu- ment, "Digging Maine: Business Savvy Tips to Survive Construction," on its website that includes advice like busi- nesses teaming up, gathering informa- tion from customers and developing a marketing plan. In both Belgrade and Hallowell, several groups were already on it. Belgrade selectmen initially approved the project in 2016, and gave fi nal approval in February. " ere was going to be 22 feet of asphalt road and another fi ve feet of asphalt sidewalk," Oliver says. "It was going to change the look of our village C O N T I N U E D O N F O L L OW I N G PA G E » Diane Oliver, owner of Day's Store in Belgrade, initially fought village road construction, but is now part of an effort that raised $725,000 to add enhancements to the work. In Belgrade, the green line indicates where road construction is planned. Much of the village funnels into an isthmus. P H O T O / M A U R E E N M I L L I K E N M A P / M A I N E D E PA R T M E N T O F T R A N S P O R TAT I O N You can't just not do You can't just not do You can't just not do You can't just not do You can't just not do You can't just not do You can't just not do You can't just not do You can't just not do You can't just not do You can't just not do You can't just not do You can't just not do You can't just not do something because it's something because it's something because it's something because it's something because it's something because it's something because it's something because it's something because it's something because it's something because it's something because it's something because it's inconvenient. … Hallowell will be more marketable at the end of this. — Deb Fahy Harlow Gallery

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