On Tuesday night, Wiscasset selectmen heard from Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority’s Patricia Quinn about a proposal to run The Downeaster from Brunswick to Rockland on summer weekends. The presentation had been postponed from a Jan. 23 meeting canceled due to inclement weather.

Selectmen did not vote, but expressed that they favored the project. The town would have to build or buy a platform that meets Americans with Disabilities Act standards, and install sidewalks and lighting. Quinn said she would send the town the platform’s specifications so the town could try to identify the cost to build one or to buy one from the Maine Department of Transportation. According to Quinn, MDOT said its cost to build one, several years ago, was more than $20,000.

The plan calls for the train to stop near the recreational pier, south of Route 1, to avoid Route 1 traffic while loading and unloading. This is where Maine Eastern trains stopped.

The plan is to run the trains  from the Fourth of July through Labor Day this year, if all the issues can be worked out in time. As with a Newcastle meeting Jan. 22, Quinn provided information about the proposed schedule, which would include Friday evening and Saturday and Sunday trains.

A legal issue with MDOT was not on the agenda. The town’s lawyers, Peter Murray and John Shumadine, are still in discussion with MDOT. At a judicial settlement conference Jan. 24, the court took no action. A second one is scheduled for Feb. 7. Town Manager Marian Anderson announced, Wawenock LLC, a series of mostly commercial properties owned by the Doering family, filed an appeal with the State Judicial Supreme Court. Wiscasset is named as a party-in-interest. In a letter, Ralph Doering III offered to pay some of the town’s legal expenses. Anderson said the town would not accept the funds.

Selectmen agreed to changes to parking violation fees. Selectmen imposed a local $250 fine for parking in a handicapped space, as well as parking in front of a fire hydrant. All other parking fines were increased from $20 to $25.

The board approved a resolution supporting Senate bill 1903 and House of Representatives bill 3970. The bills are called  the “Sensible, Timely Relief for America’s Nuclear Districts” or the STRANDED Act of 2017. It would provide funds annually for economic development in communities where nuclear waste is being held. Wiscasset stands to gain $8,134,000 per year from fiscal years 2018 to 2024. The resolution supports the bills and asks Maine’s delegation to support them.