BELGRADE — Large, colorful renderings of a newly reconstructed Main Street in Belgrade Lakes village both with and without brick sidewalks and new sidewalk lights and without a few trees were handed around an audience of about 30 people Tuesday.

Ernie Martin, project manager for the state Department of Transportation, brought the renderings to a meeting of the Board of Selectpersons to illustrate the difference between what the state would provide and enhancements that the nonprofit Friends of Belgrade Lakes Village are hoping to fund.

A van crosses a bridge over Mill Stream as it heads north out of Belgrade Lakes village on Route 27 in this 2014 file photo. Staff file photo by Joe Phelan

While the asphalt pavement showed bright yellow and white lines, it was obvious that the brick sidewalks and pedestrian lights made a more welcoming corridor.

About a dozen members of the Friends group questioned Martin about the choices available for the streetlight designs as well as the asphalt, concrete and brick options for the sidewalk.

The group working with the town on the enhancements is looking to raise about $400,000 to fund improvements to accompany the state road reconstruction, which is scheduled for 2018.

The priciest item under consideration is 36 street lights at an estimated $10,600 each, which would be about 80 to 90 feet apart from one another on the west side of Main Street, also known as Route 27.

Martin said that price for the LED pedestrian series lights was on the higher end and that other options were available, ranging in cost from $7,000 to $20,000 each.

The Friends also will pay maintenance and service charges, including electrical costs, for the lights under an agreement with the town.

Liz Fontaine, one of the Friends members, turned to the audience and said, “The sales rep met with us and gave us some options. I want everybody to know we did not choose this light fixture.”

A draft of a contract shows a cost of about $10,400 for building 500 feet of sidewalks with granite curbing between St. Helena Catholic Church and Union Church. Martin said the town is responsible for maintaining the sidewalks.

An estimated $45,000 would go to increase road widths to allow legal parking spaces in the village area.

The state plan calls for four crosswalks, Martin said — at Union Church, Maine Lakes Resource Center, the Village Inn and the post office.

He said it appears that nine or more trees would have to be removed, and the state will replant 12. Martin said the mature trees are reaching the end of their life expectancy. One of the trees recently lost a large limb.

The road reconstruction project runs through the heart of the village, and concerns have been raised about its effect on village businesses, which rely heavily on tourist trade in the summer.

Martin ended the hourlong question-and-answer session by saying he was waiting for the final agreement between the town and the Friends group to be signed so he could have a decision on the sidewalk and light styles within a month since the project was at the preliminary design report stage.

Ernest Rice, selectman chairman, said the agreement had yet to be approved by the town’s attorney.

“The biggest thing for me is to try and get this squared away for a clear direction moving forward,” Martin said.

He said he anticipated bringing samples of sidewalk materials and the type of lights selected to a final public hearing, which would be held in July or August. The project then would be advertised in November 2017 for construction to be done the next year.

The state has estimated the project will cost about $2 million, although Martin said some costs have increased since that estimate.

Betty Adams — 621-5631

badams@centralmaine.com

Twitter: @betadams

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