Rockport seeks partnership funding with Maine DOT for Village improvements, Goose River Bridge planning, sidewalks to schools
ROCKPORT — The Rockport Select Board will hear Monday evening, Nov. 14, about an effort to work with the Maine Dept. of Transportation on plans for a new Goose River Bridge at the harbor, and improving the town’s bike and pedestrian infrastructure. The vehicle for accomplishing this is through a new DOT program, the Village Partner Initiative.
The Select Board will convene for a regular scheduled meeting at 6 p.m. in the Geoffrey C. Parker Meeting Room at the Rockport Opera House. The meeting will be streamed live at vimeo.com/rockportmaine.
The agenda also includes appointing Lee Goss to the Rockport Parks and Beautification Committee and Jan Rosenbaum to the Planning Board, as well as a discussion about reducing mowing in town, extending a peddler’s permit for the business Native Sauna to continue to use a spot at Marine Park at which to offer saunas to the public; and hear from the Conservation Commission about its 2023 work plan.
At Monday’s meeting, the Select Board will also review bylaws governing the Village Partnership Initiative Task Force, which is to oversee the DOT partner initiative, as well as other goals.
The task force consists of 10 members, three of them being the public works director, planner, and town manager. The mission of the task force, as stipulated by the Select Board at its May 16, 2022 meeting, is to establish an improvement plan for the village, assist Maine DOT as the Bridge Advisory Committee relating to the repair or replacement of the Goose River Bridge, and seek out federal, state, and private funds to support village improvements within the plan.
According to a letter of application submitted to the DOT and which was composed by Rockport’s planning office, the project, if approved, would help reshape Rockport’s downtown village at a time when the DOT is planning either to build a new state-owned bridge over the Goose River at the head of the harbor, or rebuild the existing bridge.
“The opportunity to participate in the PPI [Planning Partnership Initiative] program will enable us to make improvements to our village infrastructure that will benefit local businesses and residents, as well as the tourism industry on which our village depends,” the letter said.
See attached PDF for the complete application letter, and board packet.
In 2022, Maine’s DOT set aside $4 million to build it Village Partner Initiative program, and will repeat that investment in subsequent years for investment in Maine village and downtown centers, the state agency explained.
With the money, the DOT said it would help, “local officials to reinvest and revitalize one of the distinguishing features of New England: our iconic village centers.”
The DOT said village areas: “need to be built on a human scale: walkable, bicycle-friendly, and business-friendly. In sum, this can be bigger than just transportation; it is potentially place-making. These investments, when coupled with broadband if currently unavailable, will create an incentive for businesses to want to locate, people to live, and others to visit and possibly relocate. We believe these projects will improve pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicular safety and have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by allowing people to do more business locally.”
What the cost-sharing (50-50, 60-40, or 70-30) between the state and Rockport might be, if the application is approved, depends on the municipal valuation of properties.
In the letter of intent, Rockport said it wanted to work with the DOT on:
- A PPI study that considers safety and mobility improvements for all modes of transportation within the scope area and including the bridge area. Provisions and recommendations for pedestrians, bicycles, on street parking, traffic calming, access to businesses should be considered in this study;
- Provide bike and pedestrian provisions on both sides of Pascal Avenue, including across the Goose River bridge and extending to Central Street. This would include lighting for safety on the bridge. These improvements would also include upgrades to the harbor pathways (and lighting for safety) and integrating the harbor pathways traffic flow into the new south side sidewalk on the bridge;
- Consider provisions for a sidewalk along West Street connecting the downtown area with the elementary and regional high schools; and,
- Review existing parking studies with the MDOT to identify areas suitable for additional parking, opportunities for improved use of existing parking, and additional study if needed.
In a summary, Rockport’s planning office described a small downtown, “located between the public library at the northeastern end of Central Street and the Goose River Bridge at the beginning of Pascal Ave.”
Over the past decade, the downtown district was revitalized, “but the infrastructure to support parking, vehicular, bike, and pedestrian flow have not kept pace with this growth.”
The letter said: “The village is centered on the bridge that crosses the river and which has seen multiple revisions over its long history resulting in some unusual and awkward situations for vehicular, pedestrian, and cyclist traffic. Compounding the current awkward arrangement is the pending repair/replacement of the bridge by the MDOT for the fourth time in its history, which presents both complexities as well as opportunities for the improvement of our downtown district. The opportunity to participate in the PPI program will enable us to make improvements to our village infrastructure that will benefit local businesses and residents, as well as the tourism industry on which our village depends.”
Reach Editorial Director Lynda Clancy at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6657
