WATERVILLE — City councilors and the public will have a chance Tuesday night to ask questions of Colby College President David Greene about the college’s investments downtown and its partnering with the city, businesses and Main Street organizations to help rejuvenate downtown, increase businesses and living spaces downtown and help boost the economy.
The council meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the council chambers at The Center downtown.
City Manager Michael Roy said Monday that he attended meetings over several months with Greene and others, including representatives of Waterville Main Street, Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce, Waterville Creates! and others to help identify what the downtown needs.
“There were a number of priorities, the most important of which is bringing additional people into the downtown,” Roy said. “I think secondly is addressing the threat posed by some big, vacant buildings in the downtown. I think that’s what Colby has been so helpful with — being able to address two key problems with proposing some housing in downtown and proposing some renovation of some of the most derelict buildings.”
Colby recently bought three vacant buildings downtown, and Greene has said it plans to buy more. One or more may have to be razed if they are not structurally sound enough to renovate, according to Greene.
Roy said Greene will not only discuss his plans and partnership with the city and others, but also field questions about the effort from councilors and the public.
“We see this as being an important opportunity for members of the public to hear some of the specifics and to ask questions, because many of us have been privy to a lot of what Colby is proposing,” Roy said. “So I think this is an important time for the public to be able to ask questions.”
In other matters Tuesday, the council will consider selling a small parcel of land on Elm Terrace to abutter Virginia Stanley for $1,000. The city-owned piece of property has no value to the city, according to Roy.
Also, councilors will consider awarding a $15,770 contract to Gerald MacKenzie Contractors Inc. of Sidney, including a contingency of $1,577, to complete supplemental paving projects in various areas of the city, around trenches and other disturbed areas. The MacKenzie bid was the lowest bid of two submitted to the city. The other was from Wellman Paving Inc., of Winterport, which bid $27,777 for the project.
The council will consider approving a food license to Lafrenieres LLC at 174 College Ave., as well as a secondhand license for Retail Therapy Boutique at 11 KMD Plaza.
Amy Calder — 861-9247
Twitter: @AmyCalder17
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