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Town manager: Route 1 study enters design phase; facility study, dredge project and ParkMobile rollout advance
Summary
Town Manager Mike Livingston reported June 17 that the Route 1 corridor study has moved into the design phase, a long-range facility study is progressing, the planned dredge project is near funding and easement completion, and ParkMobile usage is increasing.
WELLS, Maine — At the June 17 Select Board meeting, Town Manager Mike Livingston summarized several ongoing planning and operations items: the Route 1 corridor study has moved into a design phase; a facility study is progressing toward preliminary design; a long-envisioned dredge project is likely to proceed pending a few remaining easements; and the town’s ParkMobile parking app is proving popular.
“I think the consultant advised the design phase may take as much as a year,” Livingston said of the Route 1 corridor study, and he said survey crews could appear along Route 1 this summer. The facility study, conducted by a consulting firm, has completed space‑needs assessments and is preparing preliminary designs that forecast town facility needs through 2045.
On the proposed dredge project, Livingston said the town is awaiting about three or four remaining easement signatures, and staff expect primary funding to come from the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and FEMA. He said the dredge effort is envisioned to begin in November if easements and funding are finalized.
On services and operations, Livingston reported the shellfish lab will reopen starting Saturday and will operate five days per week; the town expects to staff 25 lifeguards this season (up from 19 last year); and the shellfish lab and dredge planning are proceeding in coordination with departmental staff. He said the ParkMobile app — authorized earlier by the board — is in active use and the town hopes to reduce reliance on parking meters to save roughly $10,000 per year in maintenance costs.
Other updates included tree‑canopy work on Coles Hill Road and Bridal Road (approximately 60 trees removed), roadside ditching and paving scheduled for July on several roads, and continued recruitment for an employee labor and relations manager position authorized by voters. Livingston also reported issuance of 628 permits from code enforcement and 5,858 multi‑use beach passes sold to date (about 2,000 online and 3,762 in person).
Ending: Livingston said departmental planning and recruitment efforts will continue over the summer; no formal board action on the described projects was taken at the June 17 meeting.
