Weeks ahead of Wiscasset’s straw vote, the town’s historic preservation commission on Monday gave more of its mixed reviews to the state’s downtown options. Some of the greatest concern was voiced via a laptop.

Member Jib Fowles wintered in Texas and has attended most of the new panel’s meetings via Skype. Monday’s was his last one before returning to town and resuming attendance in person, Fowles said.

Members talked over the Maine Department of Transportation’s options that voters face June 14. Fowles’ comments focused mostly on his opposition to number two. It would take all parking off Main Street between Water and Middle streets. That would make the downtown a ghost town, Fowles said.

“There’s not going to be any economic viability to downtown once those spaces are gone,” he said. “(Option) two is just off my radar.”

Fowles described option one as having the least negative agenda. It would leave some on-street parking.

Fellow member Gordon Kontrath also opposed an end to on-street parking. It would be a disaster for merchants, he said. Option one would do better than two at preserving the downtown’s ambiance and historic fabric, Kontrath said. He and Chairman John Reinhardt said they want MDOT to be willing to compromise on a project so that the town gets one that it wants.

Kontrath suggested people write to Gov. Paul LePage. “(He) might be the only person who could influence a change” from the current options, Kontrath said.

Reached later Monday night, MDOT Regional Planner Gerry Audibert reiterated that some aspects of the options remain open, like whether the state would buy Haggett Garage or another building to replace with a parking lot, and what the lighting and other features would look like on Main Street. But some or all parking on Main Street between Water and Middle would need to go for the project to be effective, he said.

State officials have said the project would help traffic move and make motorists and pedestrians safer.

Member Susan Blagden spoke against both of the state’s offers for change. “They are so badly flawed, it would just be terrible,” she said. Clearing snow and ice from the new wider sidewalks, along with other maintenance work the project would create, would make a big annual cost for the town, Blagden argued.

“I’m for nothing.”

Doing nothing would be foolish, and keep people avoiding downtown Wiscasset in the summer due to the traffic, member Wendy Donovan said later in the discussion. The town is probably not going to get another opportunity with MDOT for a downtown project, she said.

She prefers option two, but could go either way between that and option one, Donovan said. “Personally, I could not vote for nothing.”

However, she agreed with Blagden that it will be interesting to see the referendum's outcome.

Reinhardt asked Town Planner Ben Averill to weigh in. He’s optimistic the town will go with either option one or two, Averill said. “Both options have good and bad points, but will allow Wiscasset to fix a problem,” he said.

Also Monday, members continued mulling a letter that Averill said will go to property owners in the historic overlay district. Blagden wants it simpler and friendlier.

Donovan said if she were a property owner getting the letter as it now reads, she would “kind of panic.” It should not describe the 2015 ordinance in detail, members said. They discussed possibly sending either the ordinance, or a link to it, with the letter.

The commission meets next at 5 p.m. June 2 at the municipal building.