Select Board accepts waterfront resilience report and authorizes next steps toward master plan

The Wiscasset Select Board on March 17 accepted a final report on the Wiscasset Waterfront Resilience Project and authorized staff to pursue next steps toward a master plan to address storm risk and projected sea-level rise.

Hailey Ward presented the final report, describing alternatives studied by the project team — including elevating, floodproofing, or relocating waterfront facilities — and said the plan would guide long-term decisions about harbor infrastructure and shoreline uses. Ben Meader told the board the team had assessed current conditions and incorporated public feedback collected during the study.

Ward told the board there was "the need for a master plan to guide, over time, the development of the waterfront," and cited specific items the plan would address, such as interactions with Maine Department of Transportation (MDOT) tracks, removal of ramps, parking reconfiguration, and the walkway between piers. After the presentation, Select Board member Bill Maloney moved to accept the report and authorize the next steps for a waterfront master plan; the motion passed 5-0-0.

The board did not set a timeline or funding commitment for the master plan during the March 17 meeting; the motion authorized staff to proceed with the next steps identified in the report. The decision means the town will move into a planning phase to evaluate design options and implementation pathways, but any construction, property changes, or capital expenditure would require future board action and, where applicable, state approvals.

The Select Board is scheduled to reconvene March 24 to finalize the Town Meeting warrant budget; the waterfront master plan’s funding and schedule may be addressed in subsequent meetings or warrant articles.