Lewiston Landing on agenda for Monday's village work session

By Joshua Maloni

Managing Editor

The Village of Lewiston Board of Trustees will go through Lewiston Landing rehabilitation bids at the Feb. 4 work session.

Renovations will include shoring up the breakwall, installing floating docks – which are better suited for future rising tides – removing the pavers and creating new walkways with railings.

Funding will come from the state and federal government as part of reimbursement and insurance claims related to 2017 flooding.

At the Jan. 22 monthly meeting, Village of Lewiston Engineer Michael Marino said, “We received six bids for the project, so there was a lot of interest in it.”

He added, “It will definitely be a significant face-lift down there” on Water Street.

Mayor Anne Welch said, “It was nice down there before, but this should be better.”

The work session begins at 6 p.m. in the Red Brick Municipal Building, 145 N. Fourth St.

Marino said that, if a bid is awarded Monday, construction “should start pretty quick” – hopefully with “substantial completion by June 1.”

With a delay in the Lewiston Landing opening this year, Welch said dock slipholders would be given an extra month – until May 1 – to send in a deposit.

Marino added, “We had 12 fingers before, we now have 14 fingers – and they’re not all the same size anymore. They may want to see that, and they might have a preference if they have a smaller boat, to have one of the smaller fingers; and somebody who’s got a larger boat take one of the larger fingers.”

Welch said the clerk’s office would notify slipholders of the new dock size options.

Those who are on a Lewiston Landing dock slip waiting list will be contacted regarding the two additional fingers. About 100 people have expressed interest in a spot.

Trustees also are considering changing the dock slip prices to reflect boat sizes.

“I think, maybe, now is the time to take a look at, if we’re going to be doing different size slips, whether or not it’s fair if you got someone who’s got a 25- or 30-footer, and someone who’s got an 18-footer paying the same price,” Trustee Vic Eydt said. “Maybe we take a look at some different fee structures.”

“We don’t charge by the foot? We just charge by the slip?” Trustee Dan Gibson asked, and was told this is the case.

The existing dock price is $1,200 for village residents, and $1,500 for the general public.

“We’ll work with people, and we’ll figure it all out,” Welch said.

Rite-Aid Reversal

A public hearing on Lewiston Plaza also is scheduled for Monday’s work session. The Village Board will discuss changing the entry and exit points on the Center Street side of the Rite-Aid lot.

“Years ago, they were reversed – the entrance was the exit, the exit was the entrance – and they switched them,” Welch said. “Since then, the Stone House has a wall that extends out to the end of the property, right next to the sidewalk, and then the cars have to come out and just ease out onto that sidewalk, because you can’t really see.

“I was thinking it would be better if we put (the exit) on the other (side). Have an exit over there where you can see better. As far as pulling in, you’ll be able to see going across the sidewalk coming into the plaza.”

“Absolutely,” Gibson said.

Lewiston Police Department Chief Frank Previte agreed. Of the existing entrance and exit setup, he said, “I can tell you that that is a nightmare – it’s an accident waiting to happen right now.”

“The visibility there is just horrible,” he added.

Deputy Mayor Claudia Marasco said, “Most drivers, when you are on the sidewalk, and getting ready (to pull out), they’ll look around the brick wall. Most of the drivers will rarely see you as a walker, because they never look to the right. They’re looking left, because they know they have to get ready to move out into that traffic. They don’t focus on the right.”

She noted residents asked her to make a switch when she was campaigning for office last year.

Welch said, “I think it needs to be done.”