Wiscasset selectmen got an earful Tuesday night from downtown merchants and residents during a brief presentation from two Maine Department of Transportation officials.

William Pulver, deputy chief engineer in MDOT’s Bureau of Project Development, began the discussion saying the state wouldn’t be relying on federal funding in the planned downtown traffic improvements. The project would be entirely financed by the state.

Pulver, along with Ernie Martin, MDOT senior project manager, then took turns fielding a number of questions from downtown merchants and residents.

MDOT has a goal of completing the engineering and design by 2017 with the hope of putting the project out to bid by 2018.

In the coming weeks, Martin wants to meet with downtown merchants, the Wiscasset Area Chamber of Commerce and residents to hear their concerns or suggestions. Selectmen also plan to appoint an advisory committee to work with Martin during the design phase.

“I have a short time to get a lot of work done,” Martin told the audience packed into the hearing room. His comment prompted Main Street business owner Paul Mrozinski to ask what MDOT’s hurry was.

Richard Thompson, a member of the Wiscasset Historic Preservation Commission, echoed Mrozinski’s concern. “All I hear is you have to do this as fast as you can. I don’t understand what the rush is,” he said.

Bill Sutter of Federal Street told selectmen he was concerned with the wording of MDOT’s draft project agreement. “There are so many weasel words in this that Wiscasset has absolutely no guarantee of getting anything that resembles what the majority of the citizens supported in the non-binding referendum last spring,” he read from a prepared statement.

Sutter said for selectmen to sign off on the agreement was to “abdicate any approval authority” over MDOT’s final design.

“You will also be committing the town to pay for all future operation and maintenance costs of the traffic signal system … The downtown business owners have expressed serious concerns for the future of their businesses with the loss of on-street parking and proposed changes to the historic streetscape. At risk is the loss of our vibrant business environment,” added Sutter.

The agreement is still in draft form and selectmen could request changes, Martin said. He added MDOT’s goal was to design something as close to Option 2 (the proposal chosen by voters) as possible.

 Union contract finalized

Selectmen approved a collective bargaining agreement covering the town’s public works employees. The new contract expires June 30, 2018. The unit represents full-time employees of the highway department, treatment plant and transfer station. The terms of the three-year agreement included a two-percent wage increase for each year retroactive to 2015.

The percentage of pay increase is the same as what selectmen agreed to with the town’s three-member police union in December and union support staff in the town office and community center in March.

Selectman Ben Rines Jr. took no part in any of the contract discussions and abstained from voting on ratification. He previously explained he’d been a member of the same union for 33 years while employed at Bath Iron Works.

 Firemen get ballot vote

In response to a petition from firefighters, selectmen agreed to have a referendum question Nov. 8 on allowing members of the fire department to wash their personal vehicles at the firehouse.

The vote was 4-1,with Selectman David Cherry casting the dissent. Cherry based his vote on an opinion from Maine Municipal Association. MMA questioned the constitutionality of the measure and the potential liability that could be incurred by the town.

Appointment

David Sutter was appointed to the Board of Appeals.