letter to the editor

Disheartening letter

Thu, 02/22/2018 - 7:00am

Dear Editor:

A letter (“A bribe is a bribe”) posted online in the Wiscasset Newspaper website, written by a Boothbay resident in favor of MDOT’s poorly designed Route 1/Wiscasset project, was quite disheartening. The destruction of our historic downtown and subsequent loss of downtown businesses will notaffect Boothbay property taxes. Once our businesses shutter, Wiscasset residents will all be paying dearly for an insignificant reduction in a Boothbay commute time. How easy it is to propose a sacrifice when that person doesn’t stand to lose anything! Our fight with MDOT, and apparently now the governor, is a fight worth fighting for folks that love Wiscasset and pay Wiscasset property taxes.

The traffic problem on Route 1 is a three-month, daytime problem. Even with the proposed changes to downtown Wiscasset, traffic will still clog up because of downtown speed limits, a two-lane bridge over the Sheepscot, and the inevitable seasonal tourist traffic. Why not propose a seasonal and sensible solution that will save Maine taxpayers over $5 million as well as the future of our downtown businesses? We just need MDOT to come back to the table.

Leslie Roberts

Wiscasset