WATERVILLE — A dangerous five-way intersection at First Rangeway and Western Avenue will be configured to make it safer, city councilors have decided.
The council voted unanimously Tuesday to award a $204,491 contract to McGee Construction LLC, of West Gardiner, to do the work. As part of the vote, councilors also authorized City Manager Michael Roy to spend an additional $18,509 to hire a geotechnical firm for the project.
The state Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration previously agreed to provide $223,000 for the project. The city will not have to spend any money on the work.
Roy said talks to make the intersection safer have been going on for 11 years, since he started working for the city. The city put the project out to bid last year, but the prices came in above available funding, delaying project planning. The state transportation department says the intersection has an accident rate that is three times what is normally considered a hazard.
As part of the improvements, Western Avenue will be blocked to traffic where the upper part of the avenue meets First Rangeway and a road will be built to connect Chase Avenue to Mount Merici Avenue. The intersection will thus become a four-way intersection.
Mayor Nick Isgro, who lives on upper Western Avenue, said he supports the reconfiguration because the intersection is dangerous.
“I think this will be a big help,” he said.
Councilor Sydney Mayhew, R-Ward 4, said he has heard mixed reviews from people in the neighborhood about the plans to reconfigure the intersection. “But they’re also mostly proponents of the safety issue,” he said.
In other matters, councilors voted 6-0 to award a $248,805 contract to B&B Paving, of Hermon, for shim and overlay street upgrade projects for this year. A 10 percent contingency of $24,880 was added as part of the vote.
The council awarded a $593,345 contract to Vaughn Thibodeau Contracting, of Bangor, for reclamation work on roads this year. As part of the vote, a 10 percent, or $59,334 contingency, was added, as well as $70,000 set aside to reclaim part of upper Western Avenue not being included as part of the five-way intersection project.
In other road votes, councilors awarded a $216,551 contract to B & B Paving for upgrades to Airport Road and Union Street, both state-aid roads. A 10 percent contingency of $21,655 was added and $25,000 more included for reconstruction of sidewalks on Union Street. The cost of the project will be divided equally between the city and the state as part of the 2016 municipal partnership initiative.
Councilor Rosemary Winslow, D-Ward 3, was absent from Tuesday’s meeting. Councilors voted 6-0 to approve a change to the zoning ordinance to allow College Quik Stop on West River Road to install a canopy and gas pumps at the business. They also voted unanimously to authorize Roy to contract with Mitchell & Associates, of Portland, for $23,500, for design and consulting services for a river walk at Head of Falls.
The council also approved food, liquor and special amusement licenses for JR and Erika Russell, doing business as The Country Inn, in the former John Martin’s Manor on College Avenue. The Russells are turning the former restaurant into a steakhouse, banquet facility, full-service bridal salon and retail consignment business for antique, vintage and new furniture, clothing and dining items. They also plan to have an outdoor flea market on Sundays.
“Thank you for taking a blight in our community and turning it into something really, really exciting,” Councilor Dana Bushee, D-Ward 6, told the Russells.
The council waived cloture and added an item to the agenda asking the council to start the process of applying to extend the historic district downtown to include the area from Temple to Appleton streets to enable people renovating vacant buildings to get tax credits for their plans. The current historic district goes from Temple Street to Spring Street.
Justin DePre, who with his father, Thomas, and brother Tom bought two buildings on Main Street just south of Appleton, asked councilors to support the extended historic district. The DePres have removed facades on their two buildings to reveal historic brickwork.
“I think you deserve a round of applause for doing that on Main Street,” Bushee told DePre. “It looks great.”
Roy announced the council will hold budget meetings at 6 p.m. Tuesdays for the next several weeks, with a joint meeting with school officials and the council to be held at 6 p.m. next Tuesday in the council chambers at The Center.
Amy Calder — 861-9247
Twitter: @AmyCalder17
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