ROCKLAND — A new Rockland ad hoc committee will hold its first meeting this Thursday, Feb. 11, as a preliminary step toward balancing the needs of downtown restaurants during the pandemic with the frustrations of access-weary residents.

Officially voted into order during the Monday, Feb. 8, City Council meeting, the Ad Hoc Downtown Traffic Pattern Study Committee was devised as a central hub to sift through opinions and options that many residents have been posting individually to Facebook, news outlets, and directly to City Councilors.

“This order is not about doing the same thing that we did last year,” said Councilor Nate Davis. “It’s an order about exploring what we can do this year. There may be some things that carry over, and I’m sure there will be some things that don’t carry over.”

During the public hearing portion of the Council meeting, three residents spoke in opposition to any revival of the experimental one-lane Main Street that, according to them, left traffic snarled, parking nonexistent, and residents avoiding that portion of the Route 1 thoroughfare altogether during the summer of 2020.

“This kind of disruption for all other people traversing Route 1 in the summertime to favor four or five restaurants is having the opposite effect intended,” wrote Sharon Setz, in a letter to Council.

Setz went on to ask: “Does it [the lane closure] penalize businesses during the very short 100-day season they have to make money? Were businesses operating on Main Street last year given a tax break after the council made it virtually impossible for customers to access their stores?”

Downtown-based Fiore business owner Pat O’Brien countered the argument, saying that a Main Street modification, “due to COVID, will be necessary again this summer.”

He suggested providing angled parking along downtown Main Street in order to increase parking options.

O’Brien said that his retail shop survived 2020 with the ability to maintain in-store customer transactions while adhering to the 5-person limit. The store also managed a curbside pickup because of a parking spot allotted to them.

His concern is for the nearby restaurant/bars, and for the exclusion of ad hoc committee voting rights by non-resident business owners.

“We, as a community, need to do what we can to afford the restaurant/bars the opportunity to survive this pandemic, and the necessary restrictions designed to keep all of us safe so that we can come out it as a strong, cohesive community,” he said.

According to O’Brien, those food establishments need additional space on Main Street to be able to safely seat a minimal amount of people.

But, said Setz, “last year, right up to November it looked like a construction site. How many people are interested in eating in the road while simultaneously gulping down exhaust fumes?... Main Street looked horrible last year. Lime green barriers, orange barrels and yellow posts. Literally, ridiculous. A nightmare to navigate, and nothing has ever looked less inviting.”

Mayor Ed Glaser stated his hope that by April 2021, the committee will have submitted a plan – or no plan, at all.

The committee consists of a member of City Council (Ben Dorr), a member each from the city, Rockland Main Street, Public Services, police and fire departments, as well as representatives of downtown businesses and the community.

“There is not a foregone conclusion about what is going to come out of this committee,” said Councilor Sarah Austin, who has heard opinions from all spectrums of the issue. “And, the more participation that can happen, both by being a member of the committee and by continuing to provide input to the committee, the better the outcome will be.”