Kevin Vining described the improvements to be done in three sections.
By Samantha C. DePoy
Staff Writer

FARMINGTON – The head of a local firm in charge of a massive road revamping project assured downtown business owners that the construction would not reroute customers elsewhere.

Kevin Vining of E.L.Vining and Sons Inc. spoke at a morning meeting of the Farmington Downtown Business and Professionals Association on Tuesday.

The Farmington-based firm was the winning bidder for the $2.97 million project that will widen and smooth out a section of routes 4 and 27 starting at the World War 1 Memorial Arch and extending north 2.05 miles to where the two major highways diverge.

“Being local, we were very happy to get the bid,” Vining said, adding that there was just a quarter of a percent difference from the nearest bid.

He said the project will be done in three phases to help traffic flow through the area. All of the work to be done, including paving, will be completed before workers move on to the next chunk.

The first phase runs from the arch to where Maine Dowel used to be and should be completed by July 4. The second section runs from the old dowel building to where Partridge Road intersects routes 4 and 27 and is expected to be wrapped up by the end of August. The third stage, which should be completed by November, will repair the rest of the road.

A crew may be back next spring to put on a final coat of hot top and do some landscaping work.

Subcontractors will be brought in to work on parts of the project, including the paving and fencing. Vining said they will bring more business to the town. On any given day, he expects between 30 and 40 people working on the project and, at its height, up to 75 on the crew.

The project includes 1.2 miles of sidewalk on the left side of the road heading out of town and going from the arch to the old hospital and from the jail to Jack’s Trading Post.

While the road is currently between 22 to 24 feet, it will be widened to 40 feet, including two eight-foot shoulders, which will provide space for cyclists.

Mike Blanchet, president of the downtown business group, said that while in the short term, the project may mean headaches for local people, in the long run, it’s going to be a real benefit.

With room for bikers and walkers, perhaps more people will come into town more often from the outlying areas, he added.

“I think we feel better,” Blanchet said after Vining’s presentation. “They’re really trying to work with the downtown.”

Another suggestion has been made that during Moonlight Madness, always on a Friday, construction could be held off to make it easier for people to get into town for the festivities in July.

Downtown business owners also discussed the impending move of Dunkin’ Donuts into the old Don’s AG building.

Tom Hildreth, owner of Java Joe’s, the coffee shop that would most likely feel the heat because of the doughnut shop’s move downtown, said he was concerned about the move impacting businesses like his own.

He suggested the town look into rezoning the area so no national chains could move in. Currently, the zoning prohibits fast food, which is considered any eatery with a drive-through. Dunkin’ Donuts doesn’t plan to have one.

Town Manager Dick Davis encouraged Hildreth to speak with the town’s code enforcement officer and said he was in favor of the idea, simply for aesthetic reasons.

Christine Krauss of SugarWood Gallery expressed concern as well saying the group needs to be more concerned about what businesses are coming in downtown. She pointed out that money spent at stores selling local products stays in the community, but with national chains, it goes out of state.

sdepoy@sunjournal.com

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