When it came time to ask for a show of hands for approval, the crowd gathered at a public hearing Wednesday, Feb. 18 in Damariscotta left nary a hand un-lifted.

A dozen or so residents and non-residents of Elm Street agreed that something needed to be done about the town’s infrastructure, and while all were in favor of the town applying for a Community Development Block Grant, not all could agree on which direction they would like to see the street take.

The town held a public hearing to discuss the proposed CDBG grant, which would potentially raise sidewalks along Elm and Theater streets, along with a bevy of other infrastructure upgrades.

While everyone who spoke Wednesday spoke in favor of the project, the subject of directions-of-travel weren't so one-sided.

Currently, Elm Street is open to two-way traffic, in addition to having parking spots on one side of the residential street. Several Elm Street residents who spoke at the meeting Feb. 18 asked Wright-Pierce project manager Travis Pryor if the road could be switched to one lane of travel to try and alleviate some of the neighborhood's problems.

Pryor said that the Chapman and Church streets project was very similar to the proposed Elm Street project, and the two were first discussed near the same time.

“We did the preliminary study on Elm Street and Theater Street in 2007-2008,” he said. “When we were looking at projects from Lewis Point Road to the Day Block, we received a wealth of input on these projects.”

Pryor said that every piece of community input helps the town in the grant process; and another boost to the town will be its ability to package together different utilities in the grant, like it has done in the past.

In the town's previous attempts for grant funding for similar projects, it has partnered with the Great Salt Bay Sanitary District to improve infrastructure, which makes the project more appealing and thus more likely to acquire grant funding, Pryor said.

The focus, if the grant is acquired, would be on improving drainage akin to the Church and Chapman streets project, while also improving and potentially widening the sidewalks to conform with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.

The utility poles would be moved to free up some of the parking spaces, and some of the trees that line Elm Street would need to come down if the sidewalk was widened. There would also need to be some grading on private property, as the sidewalks would be raised instead of lowering the road.

However, when the idea of turning the street into a one-way road was floated, it was met with opposition.

Maine Coast Book Shop's Barnaby Porter was one of the people who said he was in favor of applying for the grant, but not for a potential switch.

“I drive up and down that road every day,” he said. “I think it would be a mistake to make it one-way.”

Those who spoke in favor cited the danger of the road, like in the current snowy conditions, of cars trying to drive by each other.

But mostly, the crowd gathered agreed that something needed to be done about the small sidewalks.

Former selectman Dick McClane said Damariscotta has a head start when it comes to its sidewalks, and should continue adding to them.

“We've done a lot of sidewalk work and we've made the town a lot more pedestrian friendly,” he said. “But once you step off Main Street, that ends. (If Elm Street is rebuilt) it will bring it around full circle.”

The town sent a letter of intent after it conducted a survey on the neighborhood. The area was deemed to be in compliance with demographic requirements for the grant.

The next step will be at a public hearing on March 4.

Because the town will need to transfer funds for the match grant, it will also need to seek public approval to move the fund necessary. If the town doesn't receive the grant, the money will stay in the fund balance.