The state gave a Wiscasset panel an on-site look Friday, June 23, at plans for the downtown. The morning walk was a departure from the Public Advisory Committee’s usual setting for talks with the Maine Department of Transportation at the municipal building. And it was held mostly in the rain, sometimes pouring.

MDOT representatives handed out site maps and orange vests. A cruiser Police Chief Jeff Lange moved to each stop aided the group’s safety. Some participants had their jacket hoods up. Town Manager Marian Anderson borrowed an umbrella from committee member Lonnie Kennedy-Patterson and later shared it with a Wiscasset Newspaper reporter.

MDOT staff and design engineer Ethan Flynn of VHB, Inc. in South Portland showed the committee around the sites planned for loading zones, parking, traffic lights and other possible work. Project Manager Ernie Martin pointed out aspects for the panel to be thinking about, such as time limits on parking, where to put handicap parking and whether or not to have sidewalk lighting in place of the “mongoose” street lights.

Committee members stood on Railroad Avenue and listened to plans for it to become one-way and get a sidewalk, a chain link fence and a parking lot with a retaining wall. MDOT representatives said they will be wanting feedback on whether or not to put any time restrictions on parking spaces and what if any signs to put up, such as ones directing people to businesses.

The rail siding, a section of tracks trains formerly used to pick up passengers, will go, Martin said. “That’s how we were able to avoid expanding (parking at Main Street Pier), because we added all these parking spots here. So that was huge.” The siding’s removal would not preclude a return of passenger rail to the region, because a train could pick up passengers at the main line, he said in response to a question from the Wiscasset Newspaper.

Near the intersection of Main and Water streets, Flynn told participants to pretend they were shoppers who had just made the walk up from the parking lot on Railroad Avenue. “How would I get to Sarah’s? How would I get to where a shop is,” he said in asking them to think about signage.

Later on the walk, committee member Seaver Leslie, who opposes Haggett Garage’s removal, told Martin another parking lot is for sale on Water Street. Martin said he wasn’t interested. “From my seat, it’s coming down,” he said about the building MDOT now owns.

Leslie told Martin, not everyone is seeing it from his seat.

Also Friday, Martin spoke about planned improvements in handicap access to sidewalks and Flynn discussed how the new traffic signals will impact pedestrians’ movement on Main Street. “With the addition of the signals, the pedestrians have to wait for their part in the traffic signal. They can’t cross whenever they want.

“Additionally, there’s going to be no right turn on a red light from the side streets, (because) we just want to keep those crosswalks clear, so when the pedestrians have their walk sign, they’re not going to be having to go around traffic.”

There were moments of humor. Near the walk’s end, as the rain continued, Martin told Anderson he was melting. And earlier, when he asked if anyone knew when a local utility project was going to be starting, Selectman Jeff Slack called out, “July 4.”

“Stop it,” Anderson said, smiling.

“Sorry, selectman humor,” Slack said. Martin joked back, “I just want to get a message board up and say ‘Not MDOT.’”