LINCOLN, Maine — The local chamber of commerce supports the proposed $1.8 million widening of West Broadway and will hold an informational seminar to explain why others should, too, officials said Wednesday.
The Lunch and Learn informational seminar will feature local and state officials and will be held at Shooters Billiards Bar and Grille on West Broadway at 11:30 a.m. Thursday. Residents are invited to attend the event, which is free, according to Will Labrie, executive director of the Lincoln Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce.
“It is not going to be the taxpayers dollars that will be paying for this,” Labrie said of the $1.8 million project. “It will allow us to make West Broadway safer and to expand our ability for economic development and lessen impact fees on the businesses that come onto West Broadway.
“We want to get as many people educated on it because it is such a critical point for Lincoln to move forward on,” Labrie added.
In November, voters will need to approve allocating $1.2 million of town money toward the initiative. Town leaders hope to use tax-increment financing money and road impact fees levied to businesses that would move onto the road to pay the $1.2 million.
The Maine Department of Transportation is in the process of signing a letter of understanding that would allow the state to pay $600,000 of the $1.8 million bond, officials said.
The road widening would establish a center turning lane from the Hannaford Supermarket lot to River and Transalpine roads. It covers about a mile of West Broadway, which is one of the town’s main business arteries.
Town officials see the project as a job and business creator that will broaden Lincoln’s appeal as a service hub to the Lincoln Lakes and Katahdin regions. The widening effectively would free nearly 254 acres for business development along West Broadway and near Transalpine while making the road safer, according to David Cole, a former Maine DOT commissioner who is helping Lincoln officials with the project as a private consultant with David Cole Consulting of Brewer.
Ruth Birtz, the town’s economic development coordinator, will be one of the featured speakers at Thursday’s event. She will discuss other phases to the town’s economic development plans, including the installation of water and sewer lines to the River Road section of town, Labrie said.
Those plans complement the ongoing installation of natural-gas pipelines. Both projects are viewed as essential to developing West Broadway and the Interstate 95 off-ramp that connects to River Road.
Amanda Woodard, the town’s planning officer, said she hoped residents will attend the meeting on the road widening and ask the questions they want answered instead of relying upon hearsay or rumor.
“If you have a question, you can get it answered,” Woodard said.