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Town manager reports Maine DOT roundabout timeline, solar contract review and harbor grant
Summary
Town Manager Matt Sturgis updated the council on a Maine DOT Route 100 roundabout timeline, an MPI grant that doubles town funding, progress on a solar expansion contract review, and award of a Small Harbor Improvement Project grant for Broad Cove Pier work.
CUMBERLAND, Maine — Town Manager Matt Sturgis told the Cumberland Town Council Monday that several capital projects and grant awards are advancing, including a Maine DOT engineering schedule for a Route 100 roundabout, a municipal partnership initiative (MPI) grant that the town says will double local funding for a safety project, contract review for a planned solar array expansion and a Small Harbor Improvement Project grant for Broad Cove Pier.
Sturgis said the Route 100 roundabout engineering contract was awarded to LBJ Engineering (formerly Groll Palmer) and that Maine DOT’s current schedule anticipates engineering over the coming year, design and review the following year, final plan and estimates by September 2028, and construction advertisement in October 2028 with construction forecast to begin in 2029. "Engineering will take place over the course of the next year," Sturgis said.
Sturgis told councilors the town expects to receive a Municipal Partnership Initiative (MPI) award for work on Route 100 near Range Road and south of Methodist Road to address blind spots and high-crash locations. "The significance of this MPI grant is that it will double the amount of funding for the project. So, the town had $600,000 put aside for improvement, and that would add an additional $600,000 to it," Sturgis said.
On renewable energy, Sturgis said the solar expansion project discussed at recent council sessions is advancing and that the Town Attorney is reviewing developer contracts. "The Town Attorney is reviewing the contracts for acceptability. We'll complete that this week and get it back to revision and keep that moving forward," he said.
Sturgis also said the town was notified it will receive a Small Harbor Improvement Project grant to assist with the Broad Cove Pier expansion the council approved last year. He estimated the total project cost at roughly $260,000, with the town responsible for about half. Sturgis thanked Chief Rumsey and the Coastal Waters Commission for their work on the grant application.
Sturgis reviewed several public-service dates and events, including a "junk in the trunk" swap at the Prince Memorial Library on Sept. 27 and three Public Works drop-off weeks in October. He said town hall and the Prince Memorial Library will open late at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 18 for staff safety training.
Councilors asked for schematic or DOT materials related to the Route 100 project to aid planning for sidewalks and other local improvements; Sturgis said he could provide the DOT materials to the council.
