By MECHELE COOPER
Staff Writer Friday, March 16, 2007

The fence is part of the final phase of the rail trail on the south end of town along U.S. Route 201.

"When they finally build it, a lot of people will be saying 'What the hell is that,' " Councilor Tony Masciadri said Thursday. "It's going to have a big-city major-highway kind of look. It'll be ugly."

Masciadri said he had no idea the Maine Department of Transportation planned to build the wall out of concrete and chain link.

A wood and granite fence would have had less of an impact on the historic district, he said.

It also would complement the Chaudiere-Kennebec International Corridor turnaround across the street with its red brick walkway, granite curbstones and dark green railings, he said.

For the past two weeks, crews have been building a drainage system and retaining wall. Normal traffic resumed Thursday. Earlier in the week, traffic was restricted to a single lane between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.

When Gerald Mahoney, president of Row House -- the city's historic preservation group -- found out about the 700-foot wall, he asked for an artist's conception or computer-generated illustration of what it would look like.

Walter "Andy" Hendrickson, who serves on the Friends of the Kennebec River Rail Trail board of directors, brought the illustration, supplied by DOT, to a community forum Row House held in January.

"I think it's fair to say everybody was surprised when they saw the image that was presented," Mahoney said. "It was believed what was going to be there would be unobtrusive and compatible with the historic district."

Peggy Duval, the state Department of Transportation's project manager, said plans for the fence in the final phase were presented at a public meeting in September 2005.

"We presented it at the meeting and met with all impacted property owners," Duval said Thursday. "Some property owners requested to speak with us individually, and we did. We discussed the wall and what we were going to be doing to enhance it."

She said the concrete wall system chosen resembles cut granite. The color -- a darker gray -- was ordered to look more like granite.

As for the black chain-link fence, she said that style has been used throughout the other two phases. She said the black vinyl tends to blend in better.

"The wall is needed because when it comes from the top of the hill to the road, there's quite a difference in height," Duval said. The wall maintains a grade that meets an American with Disabilities Act requirement, she said.

Initially, the trail was to be built up along the rail line, but the City Council voted to change the alignment so it would come down over the hill.

Masciadri said residents living above the rail line were opposed to the trail so close to their homes.

Meanwhile, Duval said the economic climate increased the final cost of the project from $2.4 million to $2.9 million.

Construction is expected to be completed the first part of September.

Mechele Cooper -- 623-3811, Ext. 408

mcooper@centralmaine.com