At the Maine Department of Transportation Public Advisory Committee meeting Monday, Project Manager Ernie Martin said Pike Industries was awarded the contract Friday and planned to begin work shortly after the Memorial Day weekend.

The announcement drew gasps from the committee and attendees. Member Seaver Leslie maintained the town would have to sign any agreement that allowed MDOT to work on any side streets, although Martin said that was not so.

Francoise McCoy said that when she bought the Marston House in June 2017, she had no idea the project was happening at all. She objected to the traffic signal and the signs, and questioned if the project was needed. She said she would sell her property and move. Then she left the meeting.

Kim Dolce again brought up parking, stating the town would lose 52 parking spaces within a 300-foot radius of downtown. Town Manager Marian Anderson suggested Dolce present her concerns to selectmen. Other downtown residents said the only reason parking wasn’t resolved was the town’s lawsuit against MDOT preventing the demolition of the Haggett Building on Water Street. BIRCH co-owner Brad Sevaldson told Dolce the plans for the building had been scuttled due to the actions of Dolce’s group.

Martin said parking at the Haggett Building is not in the immediate plans. During the construction phase, the building will serve as a construction office and the parking lot will have equipment and supplies, as will the parking lot on Railroad Avenue. However, he said, before the Route 1 work begins, the Railroad Avenue parking lot and the northern part of Water Street would be largely finished, except for paving and striping. He acknowledged parking would be an issue, but said, "Paint's the last thing that’s going to happen,” and some parking areas would be finished after the rest of the project.

Other residents were concerned about what would happen on their streets during the construction phase, and how they would be able to park and get around.

Martin also revealed the work would take place Monday through Thursday overnights from 8 p.m. until 6 a.m. on the side streets. Residents of the downtown area worried about how they would be able to sleep with the construction lights and noise.

MDOT spokesman Ted Talbot said work would also occur between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. on Route 1, when two lanes would be open. Talbot said there will be one eight-hour full closure of Route 1 from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m., sometime between Sept. 23 and Oct. 21.

Martin encouraged everyone to sign up for email notifications through MDOT’s website. Once active, the emails will alert residents and businesses to the ongoing construction and traffic issues.

The project will start with Railroad Avenue, where the parking lot will be constructed from Memorial Day through August. Water Street on the north side of Route 1 will follow. Martin said it would be 100 percent complete, except for surface paving, before work begins on Route 1. On Route 1, work is expected to begin in the fall. Two lanes will be open at all times.

The target was to finish the project by October 2019, Martin said.

Also during the meeting, the amenities that landscape architect Kent Cooper designed were outlined, from a newly designed "sitting wall” of granite on Main Street, to light poles, bollards and bricks.

A PAC meeting was tentatively scheduled with Meg Lane, one of MDOT’s communications officers, for 5 p.m. May 21. Lane will be working closely with businesses and residents during construction.