Some reports that could help inform decisions on Wiscasset's facilities and its waterfront are in. Selectmen were set to hear about them March 17.

View the multi-page reports in the board's meeting packet at wiscasset.gov

One says the best and probably cheapest option for everything now at the municipal building at routes One and 27 is to leave the police, fire and ambulance departments there and give the town office a new building, possibly at Wiscasset Community Center, on the opposite side of the parking lot from the Center.

The town office and police, fire and ambulance departments' needs have outgrown the 54-year-old municipal building, according to the report.

The report by Artifex calls moving the town office the least disruptive option and notes, "This would still require the construction of additional apparatus bays for the Fire and EMS as their current bays do not provide the space required for contemporary equipment, nor do they provide necessary protection for the health of the service personnel."

The report says town staff favor a town office move, versus either a new town office/police/fire/EMS building and selling the old one, or keeping police and the town office at the old facility and building fire and EMS a new one.

March 17, Artifex engineers and architects were set to present the results of a needs assessment on all those departments and WCC, according to an announcement at wiscasset.gov; working the past year with town staff, the firm has identified "significant space shortages, operational challenges, and modernization needs across all facilities ... This presentation marks an important step in the Town’s planning process as Wiscasset considers long‑term investments in public safety, community services, and municipal operations ... No decisions will be made at this Selectboard meeting. Currently, the Selectboard is reviewing these studies and considering next steps, including additional public outreach."

Town Manager Dennis Simmons told Wiscasset Newspaper Monday, "The needs assessment study and the reports are the first step. This building has served us well, but as the demand for services increase, so too do the demands for space to efficiently provide those services."

As for WCC, Artifex found the Center, which turns 28 this year, is in overall excellent condition and is short about 5,000 square feet of its needs. "Concerns shared with (Artifex) include the need for additional workout space, small group fitness/dance classes and additional areas to accommodate more kids during summer break. Other observed needs include additional private space for small classes and senior programs with access to a kitchen and larger community room. Security and access is a priority for childcare areas as well as maintaining controlled access to the facility."

The report suggests one addition for storage and more exercise space, and another for seniors, public rental and expanded after school programs.

Selectmen were also set to hear about Haley Ward Inc.'s assessment of the vulnerability of the waterfront's infrastructure. The biggest threat is water height from storm surge and sea level rise, the firm said. The report calls for a "professionally developed" waterfront master plan, and for it to include Pleasant Street Extension. The report recommends "a phased approach to elevate each element of the waterfront in the order of its relative vulnerability: The Recreational Pier, the Commercial Pier, the Creamery (Main Street) Pier, and the lands that support (them)."

The report also discusses possible ways to make the waterfront continuous: A trail was a no-go as, among other issues, it could be a safety risk and erode; railroad siding as a promenade raised safety, cost and other issues; and a boardwalk "below/outside of the high tide property boundaries of the abutting landowners" is the most likely to succeed, according to the report.

In a phone interview March 12, Economic Development Director Aaron Chrostowsky said the report "tells us a couple things: That climate change is real and it's affecting the waterfront; and there's an economic value associated with it, so if we refuse to ignore (climate change), it's going to affect us economically."

Chrostowsky said the public wants the waterfront, and the town is "I think rather astutely taking advantage of the money that's available to communities," including the state grant that funded Haley Ward's look.