With holiday shopping season coming up, Waterville unveils revamped downtown

Crooker Construction A rendering from Crooker Construction shows how Main Street in Waterville will look with two-way traffic.

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By Alexis Wells

For the last two years, Waterville residents and store owners have endured a $11.2 million downtown revitalization, with its construction noise, dust and barriers.

Alexis Wells

Downtown Waterville road construction

But with the holiday shopping season set to officially kick off on Black Friday, the city this week will unveil completed streetscaping and a new, two-way traffic pattern.

The downtown revitalization is a partnership between Colby College, the city of Waterville and the Maine Department of Transportation. The aim is to transform downtown Waterville with economic development, cultural programs and new public spaces. It includes improved walkways, lighting, landscaping and intersections.

"The broader revitalization initiative has been a very collaborative process involving the whole community — from city leaders and businesses to various community members and organizations, including Colby," said George Sopko, a spokesman for Colby College. "The college has a long history with Waterville, and that connection is still very important, which is why it's been critical for Colby to support Waterville's future."

Colby has invested roughly $100 million in the downtown, including the 100,000-square-foot Alfond Commons mixed-use building, buying and renovating several other buildings and opening the Lockwood Hotel.

Making improvements to the public realm, including addressing traffic flow and streetscape and enhancing connections to the Kennebec Riverfront to help foster long-term growth in the city, was an essential part of the broader revitalization initiative in reimagining Waterville, Sopko said.

For the first time since the late 1950s, traffic will flow two ways downtown. The two-way traffic pattern was set to take effect Nov. 17, according to City Manager Steve Daly. A ceremonial ribbon cutting will be held at Lockwood Hotel from 3-5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18.

The road to revitalization

In 2015, downtown businesses, community groups, Colby College and the city conducted a six-month-long planning process to identify short- and long-term investments that would improve downtown Waterville. This meeting developed into the Downtown Revitalization Strategy in 2016, highlighting the importance of traffic, pedestrian and other streetscape improvements to support the growth and development of downtown Waterville and make Main Street safer and more attractive for residents and visitors.

In 2018, Waterville received a $7.4 million BUILD award from the U.S. Department of Transportation to support the improvements. The Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development [BUILD] grant program supports select projects that improve the nation's transportation infrastructure. The prime contractor on this project is Crooker Construction, LLC of Topsham.

About $7.2 million was spent on traffic improvements, $1 million for Castonguay Square upgrades and $1 million for streetscape improvements. Construction on the Downtown Waterville Revitalization Project began in March 2021.

Business owners have mixed reviews

The downtown revitalization effort was intended to improve streets and sidewalks and make the city safer. But, as with any downtown revitalization project, it was not completed without complaints from some residents and downtown store owners.

"I think it is a good thing; it has helped revitalize a lot," said Ellen Richmond, owner of Children's Book Cellar. "It has killed the business, though, for three years. They were doing sewer and storm drainage for two years and then doing the roads. It has killed us. Hopefully, when two-way traffic starts, we will get more business."

Although some business owners have been upset about the disarray during a period that was already challenging with the pandemic, there is optimism that revitalization will bring more people to the area, especially with a new hotel downtown.

Alexis Wells

The Lockwood Hotel

The Lockwood Hotel is downtown Waterville's first hotel in years. The boutique hotel, with 53 guest rooms and a restaurant known as Front & Main, opened to guests in late August. During the height of the pandemic, the hotel housed students from Colby College.

The hotel's general manager knows what it is like operating with the road work as a factor and is eager to see what business will be like when the downtown project ends.

"The downtown road work construction and all of the private investment that has been going on downtown has been nothing but a net positive for the community and the downtown business kind of region we have here," said Jordan Rowan, general manager at the Lockwood Hotel. "Obviously, there have been some logistical challenges that come with improvement projects. However, we couldn't be more excited to see the end result and really excited next year to be operating not surrounded by construction and getting to enjoy the investments that have been made in our downtown community."

"While we can't speak to what might have changed pre-roadwork ... there are other big caveats that have happened in the last two years of COVID. We have been able to successfully launch a restaurant and hotel in the midst of the construction. We don't feel it has greatly impacted driving customers or bringing guests into the hotel."

Business owners and residents hope the completed project it will slow traffic down, make the streets more user-friendly, and encourage residents and visitors to take their time exploring the city's restaurants, retail businesses and arts offerings.

Holy Cannoli, at 70 Main St., is an authentic Italian bakery owned by Jason and January Furchak, who bought the bakery in late 2019, in the middle of construction, knowing full well that the downtown would be torn up for a couple of years.

"I think that the idea, and I believe that it is a good idea, is to slow down traffic in this corridor that is Main Street, make it more of a market feel," said Jason Furchak. "With the new Lockwood Hotel opening, some of the Colby collaborations with the new art studios and art centers in town were finding more people walking around the street carrying bags from one of the shops, having a coffee and cannoli here, or visiting the local restaurants. So we're finally seeing the rewards of changing this Main Street into more of a walking and shopping district."

There's hope that with the revitalization over and pandemic-related cancellations of holiday celebrations in the past, crowds will return for the popular Parade of Lights and Kringleville events.

Alexis Wells

Children's Book Cellar

"The construction downtown, particularly the road construction, has not been our friend," said Malcolm Porter, owner of Incense & Peppermints Candy, Gift & Ice Cream Shop, at 48 Main St. "It has reduced customers' parking, which results in a lot more drive-bys. However, with the project, I am guardedly optimistic that things will improve nicely, particularly with the new hotel across the street. I hope the local folks realize that the construction is over and they can come back down."

Art center adds to downtown

Another part of the revitalization project is the Paul J. Schupf Art Center, an $18 million project which has been several years in the making. It is set to open on Dec. 17.

Paul J. Schupf Art Center, which is a partnership between Colby College and Waterville Creates, is expected to be a hub for Waterville's visual and performing arts, arts education and film. The 32,000 square foot art center will serve as the headquarters of Waterville Creates and include the Colby College Museum of Art's Joan Dignam Schmaltz Gallery of Art.