Church Road Sidewalk
The process of considering a sidewalk on Church Road has been ongoing for several years, beginning with resident concerns about the safety of children (and adults) walking and biking on Church Rd. to access the Fairgrounds property and adjacent school property. Initial voter approval for the idea happened in 2017, with periodic funding requests approved at Town Meeting since then. Thanks to a Federal grant and Maine DOT support, the project is slated for an 80/20 match, with the Town paying the 20% share. Public involvement is ongoing and will continue to be a focus of the Design and Planning phase of the project. In addition to the recent and upcoming Public Hearings, this project is discussed multiple times per year during the annual Budget Process and Capital Planning meetings. We expect to consider a final project proposal in June of 2024.
| Major Project Phases and Milestones | Status | Date(s) |
Initial Voter Approval For Sidewalk Project Grant Application | Completed | June 13, 2017 |
| Sidewalk Project Grant Application | Completed | August 15, 2017 (initial) |
| Sidewalk Project Grant Approval | Completed | January 26, 2021 |
| Sidewalk Project Design and Planning | Ongoing | 2023-2024 |
| Sidewalk Project Voter Consideration (final plan and costs) | Tentative | June 2024 |
| Project Construction (if approved) | Tentative | Slated for 2024-2025 |
CHURCH ROAD SIDEWALK GRANT INFORMATION:
CHURCH ROAD SIDEWALK DESIGN AND PLANNING INFORMATION (newest on top):
- Church Rd. Sidewalk FINAL DRAFT Color Concept Plan (received April 22, 2024)
- Church Rd. Sidewalk REVISED Color Concept Plan (received February 13, 2024)
- Church Rd. Sidewalk 50% Design Plans (received February 8, 2024, subject to revision)
- Church Rd. Sidewalk Color Concept Plan (received September 27, 2023) and Public Comment Summary (received October 16, 2023) from the October 2nd Public Hearing - This is a color version of Plan Option 2 (below).
- Revised Church Rd. Sidewalk Plan - Option 1 (August 2, 2023) and Revised Church Rd. Sidewalk Plan - Option 2 (September 8, 2023) - These are revised plans that were developed following feedback at the public Hearing on May 8th, review by the Town's Road Committee, written public comment, a follow-up site visit by Town Staff and Gorrill-Palmer Engineers, consideration of other community needs, and discussion with a number of residents on Church Rd. Both options reflect a hybrid approach to the sidewalk but have slightly different alignments. Key considerations in developing these revised plans included:
- Maximizing sight lines and pedestrian safety at crosswalks
- Avoiding neighbor impacts where possible and keeping the project within the Town Right-of-Way
- Providing on-street parking to address needs on Main Street and Church Rd.
- Church Rd. Sidewalk Color Concept Plans from Public Hearing (received May 11, 2023) - These are updated color versions of the original concept plans (below).
- Proposed Church Road Sidewalk Public Hearing / Stakeholder Meeting Letter (May 1, 2023)
- Church Rd. Sidewalk Concept Plans - DRAFT ONLY (Updated mid-April, 2023) - These concept plans were developed as an essential starting point for discussing a complicated and important community project. The plans show residents who don't live on Church Rd. what the road looks like in detail, and shows everyone what a sidewalk could look like on both sides of the road. This is important because any other plan would have given the perception of a pre-determined outcome, and not having a plan would have resulted in an uninformed discussion. These plans are considered "10% plans" and show a basic project sketch over a detailed base map showing the road, homes,driveways, trees, and other essential features needed for all future project planning.
- Church Rd Sidewalk Alignment Pros and Cons (Updated March 30, 2023)
PUBLIC HEARING INFORMATION:
The Town of Readfield and engineering firm Gorrill-Palmer will hold a third and formal Public Hearing to discuss revised project plans (see "50% Design Plans" and "REVISED Color Plans" above) at 6:30pm on February 20, 2024. All members of the public are welcome and encouraged to attend. Link to the Public Hearing video can be found here.
The second Public Hearing was held to discuss revised project plans (see above) at 6:30pm on October 2, 2023. Link to the Public Hearing video can be found here, and minutes are available here.
The first Public Hearing was held at 6:00pm on May 8, 2023, where residents on Church Road were invited to give their comments and concerns along with other members of the public.
Additional public hearings will be held, and there will be more opportunities for public input from all residents. Any project proposal will need final voter approval, likely in June of 2024.
ABUTTER COMMENTS (not all comments or communications are listed):
- Letter from Readfield Union Meeting House (October 2, 2023)
- Memo from Bill Drake (revised May 4, 2023)
- Email from Readfield Corner Water Association (May 3, 2023)
- Letter from Virginia Parker (August 27, 2021)