Fourteen vote in favor with 42 in opposition
LIMESTONE, Maine — A small portion of the audience began applauding when Special Town Meeting Moderator Patrick St. Peter announced the secret ballot results for a proposed sidewalk project.
The meeting, which was held in the Limestone Community School auditorium, lasted roughly 50 minutes and resulted in a 42-14 defeat of the proposal.
A number of audience members expressed concern over the potential sidewalk construction.
The town of Limestone was recently given the option to use Maine Department of Transportation funds to construct several hundred feet of sidewalks within a close vicinity to the school for the purpose of enhancing student safety. While the project would normally cost approximately $540,000, the state was offering to cover 90 percent of the expenses as the town incurred them.
When asked about the tax impact on Limestone’s 10 percent match, Town Manager Fred Ventresco said that it would be the equivalent of one mill.
Maine State Bicycle and Pedestrian Program Manager Patrick Adams was on hand to answer audience questions about the project.
“I anticipate limited impacts to most of the property owners, but we won’t know the final answer as to who has what type of impact, or the extent of that impact, until we do the survey work,” said Adams. “As we go through and begin the design, the objective is to minimize how much we impact other people’s property. If the town agrees to this project, but we are not able to create a design that is acceptable to the town, there is the opportunity for the town to opt out of the project. You will have an opportunity as a town to bring the project to a close if you don’t think we can complete it.”
Ventresco later mentioned that if the town decides to opt out of the project, they would be responsible for all of the costs up the point of backing out, instead of just the 10 percent share.
One audience member asked what would happen if the project exceeded its projected cost.
“At that point it’s a decision the town will need to make,” said Adams. “If the estimate comes in over our projection, we’d need to decide whether to increase the budget or to decrease the scope of the project to keep it within the budget.”
“What about the kids who live on the other side of town?” Asked another resident. “Do they deserve to be safe, too?”
“Any other questions?” The moderator responded.
After a few more audience members voiced their opinions, residents decided to cast their vote via secret ballot. The meeting adjourned once it was announced the majority were opposed to the sidewalk expansion project.
