KINGFIELD — An agreement definining state and town responsibilities in a proposed $5 million sidewalk reconstruction project will go before voters at the annual Town Meeting June 7.

A Maine Department of Transportation official answered questions Thursday evening at the final public hearing on the Route 27 project attended by about 20 residents, who viewed rough maps with an aerial view of the proposal.

The project is intended to align with the town’s 2011 Village Enhancement Plan that calls for improving the walkable nature of the village area.

The town would pay an estimated 3 percent of the total project, or about $147,000 of an overall estimated $5,070,000.

David Guernsey, chairman of the town road reconstruction committee, said Thursday that the town’s share of the project has already been raised in previous years and is available in reserve.

“It’s not only in the budget, it’s already in the bank. We’ve saved it over the years,” he said.

The project has not gotten final approval yet from the town and state and final costs won’t be known until after the design is finalized.

In the sharing agreement set to go before the voters, the town would pay 20 percent, or an estimated $100,000, of the cost of new sidewalks while the state and federal government paid $500,000. The state and federal government would pay 100 percent, or an estimated $4.5 million, of the highway rehabilitation portion of the project. Finally, the town would pay the total cost of modified parking and esplanades, or about $47,000.

Darryl Belz, a state project engineer, said the town would be responsible for snow removal on the sidewalks and his department would be responsible for construction maintenance of the sidewalks.

Guernsey said the town estimates it will cost $8,000 annually to maintain the sidewalks.

The project would run along the downtown area of Kingfield along Route 27.

The current proposal calls for sidewalk through the downtown running north to Kings Ridge, or about 2.25 miles, to have 11-feet travel lanes and five-feet shoulders. It would be the same dimensions as those along the recently reconstructed Lord’s Bridge.

The south section of the sidewalk running from High Street to the Western Maine Pharmacy is planned to be two feet narrower.

From the center of town north to Narrow Gauge Park, there will be a five-foot-wide sidewalk.

The town also proposed building two diagonal parking spaces. One would be from Longfellows to the a building that formally housed a movie rental store. The second one is planned in front of Annie’s and CSM Realty.

There will be granite curbing throughout the downtown and retention of the watering trough at the Depot Street intersection, according to the proposal.

The scope of the work may be modified in the process. Belz said, for example, they are not sure what they want to do in front of Herbert Grand Hotel, which does not have a sidewalk in front of it.

Kaitlin Schroeder — 861-9252 | kschroeder@centralmaine.com |

Copy the Story Link