KINGFIELD — Municipal officials reviewed new details of a proposed Main Street reconstruction plan at a Board of Selectmen meeting Monday night.
David Guernsey, chairman of the town’s Road Reconstruction Committee, told selectmen he would send a letter to several property owners who would be affected when a new section of sidewalk is built across from the Herbert Grand Hotel.
The Maine Department of Transportation’s proposal to upgrade a section of Route 27 includes the municipality, and the committee has developed plans to add more parking, increase wheelchair accessibility and improve pedestrian safety, including traffic flow and crosswalk access.
The new construction will eliminate the town-owned entrance from Main Street down to Mill Street, which runs parallel to the Carrabassett River. The several properties between Main and Mill streets are privately owned, and the town does not have an obligation to provide access. Guernsey and the committee have developed a plan to close it, build a section of sidewalk in its place and add three new parking spaces. The committee has met several times to plan the reconstruction details, including the municipality’s costs and obligations.
“My concern is that if we’re going to close this off, you can’t do that without affecting everybody down there,” said Selectman Wade Browne.
Guernsey said the committee would ensure that all details of the the town’s right of way were clearly defined through any necessary research at the Franklin County Registry of Deeds. He shared a letter he planned to send to the Mill Street property owners, and selectmen approved sending it.
In other matters, selectmen approved allowing the addition of an on-site fleet vehicle inspection service for Public Works, highway and wastewater vehicles. The town had hired outside inspectors for town vehicles, but that option has changed, according to Administrative Assistant Leanna Targett.
“The person who did the Fire Department trucks is no longer available,” she said.
Applying for a fleet inspection license will cost $13, Targett said, and vehicles will not be required to drive out of town for the service.
Targett told selectmen the town must hire a new animal control officer by the end of the year, because Mark Savage has submitted his resignation effective Dec. 31. Several people have expressed an interest in the position, according to Targett.
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