By paring parking on Hodge Street, Wiscasset selectmen April 15 hoped to up traffic safety in that in-town neighborhood.

Said Town Manager Dennis Simmons, Route One-Hodge-Washington is "kind of a tough intersection ... People coming up from Washington Street wanting to get on Route One don’t necessarily stop at the stop sign on Washington Street, they stop at the stop sign on Hodge Street, which then blocks cars who are trying to turn onto Hodge Street from getting down Hodge Street.”

He added, “If there’s cars parked (at) the sidewalk along Hodge Street and you’re trying to turn off of Route One and there’s cars coming the other way, there’s no place for you to go. And having experienced that, I can say that it is a bit of a safety hazard. I know there’s been accidents there, I’ve had some close calls there. And this just seems like a pretty common sense, simple solution ... The other side of Hodge Street has a similar ban ..."

Selectman Terry Heller said part of the problem is there's not enough parking for Help Yourself Shelf's volunteers and users. She proposed keeping parking for two or three vehicles. "It's a difficult situation for everybody," she said. 

The idea for a change was Hammond Street resident Karen Sullivan's. While some of the discussion centered on the busy time of Thursday nights when, at 12 Hodge St., St. Philip's Episcopal Church's Help Yourself Shelf serves those in need, Sullivan stressed that is important work and her proposal was not against it. The issue was traffic safety and, in her case, being able to get home.

Sullivan explained, due to an angle, the only way to get onto Hammond is to enter Hodge Street from Route One. She asked for "just a little bit of a buffer on either side of Hammond ...," so people exiting Hammond "can safely navigate entering Hodge."

Based on a 3-0-1 board vote (Chair Sarah Whitfield, William "Bill" Maloney and James Andretta in favor, none opposed, Pamela Dunning absent and Heller abstaining due to her association with St. Philip's, including as its music director), an April 16 posting at wiscasset.gov announced the change was for traffic safety and would take effect at 8 a.m. Friday, April 18, banning parking from the Route One-Washington Street-Hodge Street intersection to 80 feet along 4 Hodge St., which is on the left side if coming from Route One.

Whitfield said the board can reevaluate post-summer. 

Also April 15, the board agreed to close Lincoln Street from 1:30 to 8 p.m. May 17 for an open house at the town's new training facility at Scout Hall. Wiscasset Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Chief Erin Bean, who has led the center's creation including improvements to the building, requested the street's closure for next month's event. 

Bean's memo said the open house is from 3 to 7 p.m. Organizers are looking to have food truck The Smoking Pig, Rob Bickford's cover band Three Drinks In, a 50/50 raffle, a silent auction and a bake sale.

The memo stated, "This would be the kickoff to the beginning of EMS Week that starts on May 18 running until the 24th of May. We will have the CPR device out, teaching some hands-only CPR and a stop the bleed lesson for folks. We want to have some trucks from Fire, EMS and (the police department) to have a touch a truck on site as well."

Bean said she is planning the event with Whitfield, Lucy Oyster from Wiscasset Community Center (WCC), Monique McRae from The First and Callie Fairservice from Wiscasset Police Department.

In his manager's report, Simmons said the event "isn't just a celebration — It's recognition of months of hard work, particularly by Chief Bean, whose leadership and hands-on effort turned Scout Hall into a functional, updated space for training, collaboration and community engagement. Her dedication exceeded routine responsibilities, and this open house honors that commitment. Closing Lincoln Street allows the public safe and open access to tour the renovated building, connect with EMS and other public safety professionals, listen to music, grab food, and see firsthand how local investment and leadership are strengthening our emergency response capabilities. It's a small pause in traffic for a big step forward in community readiness."

The board accepted Norm's Used Cars' $20,000 donation for a new sign for WCC. "Really cool," Heller said of the donation. "Thanks, Norm," Whitfield said in recognition of Norm's Used Cars owner Norman Sherman. 

The board also accepted Stephen Wallace's resignation from the planning board, nodded a liquor license for Charm Thai, 762  Bath Road, and a special amusement permit for acoustic music this year at Aekeir Brewing, 11 Main St., and had a moment of silence in memory of Dick Forrest. Whitfield noted Forrest was for many years a very active member of the waterfront committee and others.