Milione & MacBroom, the engineers that produced this site plan of Depot Street improvements, will also be preparing a set of drawings for contractors, when bids go out in the next few weeks.

By Gail Geraghty

Staff Writer

There won’t be any on-street public parking in front of the Bridgton Community Center when Depot Street gets a makeover this fall, said Anne Krieg, Bridgton’s Director of Planning, Economic and Community Development.

Engineers from Milone & MacBroom initially thought they could put eight parking spots on the left side of the center as it faces Depot Street. But, a closer look, said Krieg, revealed issues with setting the grade for such parking, with Corn Shop Brook being so close nearby.

Those eight spaces were the only on-street parking proposed for the project, which runs from Main Street to Corn Shop Brook. It was incorrectly reported earlier that parking spots were going to be provided next to the first entrance to the town parking lot, but those five spaces are, in fact, owned by Elegance Salon, and are non-public.

Krieg said salon owner Kelly Pike plans to pay the contractor to pave those parking spaces when the six-week job gets underway either the last week in August or the first week in September. Renys, as well, will cover costs for paving its four parking spaces by its side entrance.

Krieg said the owners of commercial buildings across from the Community Center aren’t upset about the lack of on-street parking, because they have said they would rather have a sidewalk than parking.

The town will be going out to bid in the next few weeks on the project, which will include sidewalks on both sides of the street except from the Renys’ side entrance to Main Street, where the street is too narrow, she said. Bidders will be asked to give different cost estimates depending on the quality of materials used for the streetscape amenities, such as LED lighting, curbing, benches, street trees and imprinted asphalt crosswalks. For example, either brick or stamped concrete (concrete stamped to look like brick) is proposed for the walk-through lawn area between the parking lot and the street, as well as for the concrete sidewalk borders. Whether one or the other will be used will depend on how the bids come in, Krieg said.

The town has already paid Milone & MacBroom $30,000 for design planning work, and their contract will be extended to compile the set of drawings that contractors will bid on. A total of $360,000 has been budgeted for the project, which includes $235,000 from Community Development Block Grant Funds and up to $125,000 in TIFF funds.

“It’s a great use of block grant funds,” said Krieg, who said she is excited about the project. As a planner, she said, “It’s going to be really nice to see something completed.”