Wiscasset selectmen met Monday evening at Main Street Pier, and visited the Recreational Pier, to look at structural problems identified by Town Manager John O’Connell and the Waterfront Committee.

At Main Street Pier, also known as the Creamery Pier, there were numerous small holes in the boards, some rotting railings and pilings, and boards that are rough and uneven and have caused some falls, O’Connell said. He recently recommended a full structural analysis of the pier.

O’Connell said the cost to repair the  more visible issues would likely be in the neighborhood of $100,000, and more could be uncovered after a detailed examination by a marine structure specialist.

Some of the issues at Main Street Pier are not physical, but policy ones. Some selectmen thought it would be good to have the sheds moved to the edges,  rather than being in the middle of the pier, to give visitors more room in the center to walk.

The group then moved to the Recreational Pier, where tops of some pilings were rotting and there were issues with railings and decking material. Some recent work was visible, including on some piling-tops. O’Connell said the town is not certain what it will do about the Recreational Pier, but said either work would have to be done or the public would have to be restricted from certain areas. He was also concerned about the asphalt crumbling near the boat ramp.

Selectmen discussed funding options, including taking from the capital account or bonding.