Piecemeal waterfront projects will likely attract more grants than one giant project would, Wiscasset Economic Development Director Aaron Chrostowsky and a Haley Ward representative told selectmen March 17.  Ben Meader of the Bangor-based planning firm said massive projects are “huge public investments that would probably require more revenue than can be … appropriated by the town and probably (more than) can even be grant-funded.”

Meader recommended crafting a long-term master plan of phases. “Then you're kind of biting off chunks that you can digest, grant by grant, as you go along.”

How likely is it “a decent chunk” of the waterfront work could be non-taxpayer-dollars, Selectmen’s Chair Sarah Whitfield asked.

Chunking it out will maximize that chance, by showing prospective grantors the town’s due diligence, and because grantors can only give out so much in a round, Chrostowsky said.

Selectmen accepted the firm’s report and authorized Chrostowsky and the climate action team “to move forward with next steps toward a master plan for the waterfront.”

Also March 17, the board accepted another Bangor-based firm's reports on the needs of the municipal building and Wiscasset Community Center. Town Manager Dennis Simmons will go over them with the involved department heads and come back with a recommendation.

Artifex found the best and probably cheapest option for everything now at the outgrown 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. Artifex found 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.

For WCC, Artifex said additions could address the Center's space needs.

Simmons read aloud a thank you letter to EMS Chief Erin Bean from a representative of the motorcyclists group RSM, for Bean's outstanding teaching of a first aid class. In her monthly report, Bean said the class happened at Atlantic Motorcar Center, at owner Bruce Howes' invitation.