Presque Isle moved a step closer Wednesday to a downtown revitalization project with the Maine Department of Transportation.
City councilors voted unanimously Oct. 2 to pursue a $27 million federal Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant through the MDOT’s Village Partnership Initiative.
State officials first presented the plan to city leaders in 2022. The council joined the project’s first phase, seeking to fix longtime structural problems with Main Street and boost activity downtown. Under the initiative, the DOT will foot 90 percent of the $30 million bill.
Public opinion was divided. Some said a proposed three-lane design would inhibit farming equipment and other oversized vehicles. Others said the downtown area isn’t walkable or safe as it is. A few urged councilors not to commit to something just because the DOT is asking for a decision before the January 2025 deadline.
“Please don’t hurry this through because of the fear of that carrot falling away,” Brent Grass of Mars Hill said. “Pick something that’s going to fit us. Agriculture, lumber — what else is there here?”
He doesn’t live in Presque Isle but his family farms 9,000 acres in surrounding communities, Grass said. Traveling through Presque Isle is a safe respite away from narrow, curving roads that go around the city, Grass said.
The city has hosted a series of public sessions to garner input. The most recent meeting on Aug. 28 included the first design suggestions. Among them were changing from a four-lane Main Street to two traffic lanes and a middle turning lane.
City councilors don’t understand how the project will affect farmers, he said, noting some of his equipment is 24 feet wide. He urged councilors to consider agriculture and other industries with oversized equipment that must travel through the city.
Committing to the project right now is premature since the Presque Isle bypass isn’t finished yet, Kirk Carroll said.
Fred Grooms was concerned about the three-lane design impacting snow removal. If two lanes are shut down, that means hiring flaggers for the single remaining lane, he said.
Former City Councilor Mike Chasse supported the initiative. Some downtown infrastructure hasn’t been touched since the 1950s and safety is an issue, he said. He referred to a resident at the September council meeting who had been struck twice while crossing Main Street.
During his tenure, the council put off some sidewalk and other maintenance because of costs. The Village Partnership project will address safety, but also a lot of maintenance that was deferred because it was too expensive for the city to tackle by itself.
“I think we’ve got to move forward with a project that gives us 90 percent of somebody else’s money to make our community better,” Chasse said.
It would be silly not to take the Department of Transportation funding to fix problems that will crop up sooner or later, said Noah Rush-Mabry of Easton, which borders Presque Isle. The money may not be available again.
Morgan Bailey favored the proposed walking and bike lane on Main and State streets. The city’s 6-mile bike and walking path is one of its best features and adding more space like that would increase quality of life, she said.
Councilor Craig Green said he’s not a fan of every aspect of the project, including the proposed tree-lined promenade feature that would divide the traffic and pedestrian lane, but overall the project would fix a lot of infrastructure for a minimum of city money.
The grant agreement means a $3 million match from city coffers, which could be aided by grants or a bond issue, he said.
As to concerns about oversized equipment, DOT representatives actually went out on the road in a piece of farm machinery to refine lane measurements, Green said.
The city’s vote is only to commit to the grant process and start the next engineering phase, Council Chair Kevin Freeman said. Construction wouldn’t start until 2029 or so, after the Presque Isle bypass is finished.
“The engineering is going to determine maybe more things that we’re not able to foresee right now,” he said. “None of that’s going to happen if we don’t do the RAISE grant.”
Councilors agreed, voting 6-0 to sign on to the grant with the DOT.
In other business, the council approved a license for an adult-use and medical marijuana store, owned by Paul Jalbert and Sam Gravely, in a building still under construction at 9 Parsons Rd. The store will be the city’s 10th marijuana business.
The council voted to allow Kim Smith, communications officer, to apply for a $300,000 grant from the Northern Border Regional Commission that would renovate the kitchen at the Forum.
The city has had to turn down four requests for event hosting worth about $250,000 because the Forum didn’t have a kitchen suitable for catering, Smith said. Proper kitchen facilities will also let the building serve as an emergency shelter.
The city’s first budget hearing will take place Tuesday, Oct. 8, and is open to the public.
For information, visit the city website at presqueislemaine.gov. The city will soon add a section on the website for the Village Partnership Project with updates, detailed plans and ways for residents to share input.
