A parking layout for the state’s $5 million downtown project in Wiscasset moved closer to finalization at a meeting of the Advisory Committee and Maine Department of Transportation officials Monday night.

Ernie Martin, MDOT project manager, said 46 spaces would be removed including all of the Main Street parking between Middle and Water streets. MDOT hopes to add 94 new parking spaces, 28 on Railroad Avenue and another 36 more with the construction of a parking lot at the north end of the road. MDOT proposes razing the former Haggett Garage to make a 30-space parking lot.

The plan includes a temporary loading zone on the north side of Main Street.  Two advisory members, Susan Robson and Steve Christiansen, will meet with Police Chief Jeffrey Lange to review the town’s parking ordinance.

Martin suggested holding a public informational meeting on the parking plan sometime this spring.

Committee member Seaver Leslie was first on the agenda. He wanted to make a brief presentation. Selectman David Cherry, acting as chairman, asked for a show of hands to allowing Leslie to speak. None were raised. Afterwards, Leslie told the Wiscasset Newspaper he’d asked Town Manager Marion Anderson to be put on the agenda. Anderson was absent from the meeting.

During the discussion, Leslie told Martin many people in the community were still expressing reservations about eliminating Main Street parking. He said Maine’s Sensible Transportation Act requires MDOT to try all options. “Many people in town are not happy about the way this project is moving forward,” he said. He urged Martin to consider doing the downtown project incrementally. “What doesn’t work can then be eliminated and we can try something else,” Leslie added.

Martin likened the project to a large puzzle. “We’re trying to put the pieces together in a way that will work best for the community,” he said.

In a handout, Leslie argued for “incremental implementation.” The handout suggests the state begin with some of the less disruptive initiatives including reconstruction of Railroad Avenue, providing new and better signage and constructing the sidewalk bump-outs at the Middle and Water Street intersections.

“Our downtown business community is doing very well now. We should be doing everything we can to see this continues,” he said in an interview.

The Wiscasset Historic Preservation Commission has been invited to attend the committee’s March 27 meeting.

The commission’s chairman, John Reinhardt, said it would take the invitation up when it meets later this week. “We’re certainly willing to attend but we’re going to have a free speech meeting. We can tell you what we think will work and what won’t work.”

Reinhardt said the people who visit his bed and breakfast frequently tell him and his wife they come to Wiscasset because of the uniqueness of its downtown and village.