Plans are continuing for the state’s $5 million traffic improvement project for downtown Wiscasset. In December, the Public Advisory Committee will make its recommendations to the select board for street lighting and sidewalk construction.

Maine Department of Transportation Project Manager Ernie Martin and landscape architect Kent Cooper reviewed options for project amenities Monday evening. These include the style of lampposts, street bollards, sidewalk bricks, tree grates and more.

The committee decided to move on in spite of the select board’s recent decision to file an injunction halting the project. On Nov. 7, the board voted 3-2 to head to court in hopes of forcing MDOT to reconsider the planned elimination of Main Street parking and the demolition of the Haggett building.

Bill Maloney chaired the meeting in the absence of Town Manager Marian Anderson and began by saying, although he was discouraged by the recent turn of events, he was unwilling to “throw in the towel.” He said the buildings and sidewalks lining Main Street were in need of more than just a little maintenance. MDOT’s project would “revitalize the downtown” making the sidewalks ADA-compliant, add newer, more attractive lighting and include much needed off-street parking, he said.

“My hope is we’d continue on with this,” he said.

Lonnie Kennedy-Patterson said he too wanted to move forward, urging the other PAC members to continue with the group’s mission statement.

PAC member Seaver Leslie responded, the project today isn’t the one MDOT pitched to the community in March 2016. But Leslie said he sincerely believes a compromise can be worked out with state planners. “We’re only trying to maintain the health of our downtown business community,” he said.

Select board member Katharine Martin-Savage said unless the committee can come up with a “reasonable solution” to the Main Street parking issue, she was unsure the project could move ahead. Martin-Savage voted in favor of filing the injunction.

Kennedy-Patterson pointed out some downtown business owners supported MDOT’s project and the PAC efforts over the last year.

Martin told the committee, at the direction of his superiors he’d spent the day meeting with downtown business owners. He said of the eight business owners he met with, seven were in favor of the project. “There’s a lot of misrepresentation out there that’s directing people,” he commented.

When the meeting was opened for public comment, Robert Faunce, Lincoln County planner, urged the committee to move on with the project.

“What happens in Wiscasset has a significant effect on the Boothbay Region, Damariscotta and Waldoboro. You can’t ignore the impact this project has on the rest of the county. The sooner you resolve this the better,” he commented.