letter to the editor

Let’s avoid a catastrophic blunder

Tue, 10/17/2017 - 8:30am

Dear Editor:

I am a member of the Main St. PAC, and work for Sarah’s Café, however I am writing as a tax payer, and my comments are my own.

It saddens and alarms me the level of misinformation and animosity building over the Main St Project proposed for the down town. Over the years, I have seen a car roll down Main St into Red’s curb, emergency vehicles roar over the bridge, folks slip and fall due to unkept sidewalks, heard complaints about trying to get a wheelchair or stroller up the curb, wheelchairs parked in the street on the hill waiting for a ride, many near misses, and snow and ice piled up so guests can’t get to store fronts. Don’t we deserve better? We need to put our energy into working things out, updating and upgrading. Here is the opportunity.

No one wants to lose customers, however, in this shortsighted fight we are losing each other and self respect. Wiscasset is the gateway to the Midcoast, the first waterfront village after the highway, the Shire Town for Lincoln County … isn’t that something to be proud of and tout?

Looking forward, I see choice and change: those who choose to leave make room for those who want to come. I see a more organized downtown, safer and in compliance with laws that include everyone. I see an opportunity for internal restructuring and upgrading, the likes of which have eroded over the past 20 years.

There are a lot of serious business people in the village. Banding together and making this plan work is crucial, as well as allowing the plan to take shape. We need each other and to trust the process (bearing in mind it is bigger than just the Village).

Change and an eventual bypass are inevitable … in which case the amenities brought to us by this project will be greatly appreciated. The time and energy, not to mention money wasted on stopping the project, promises to be a catastrophic blunder.

Susan Robson

Wiscasset