Bangor Daily News BUCKSPORT - Town councilors have adopted a downtown revitalization plan that will guide improvements along Main Street as part of the town's effort to attract people to the area. The idea behind the plan is to make the downtown area more pedestrian-friendly and to add amenities that will encourage them to come to Main Street, according to Councilor Lisa Whitney, chair of the town economic development committee. "The bottom line is to get people to take that left-hand turn at the end of the bridge and to come downtown," Whitney said. The town has been working to restore the downtown as a center of culture and commerce and has had some success in implementing a downtown plan starting in 1998 that has improved the downtown area with additions such as the waterfront walkway. "We're attempting to enhance the downtown area in a way that will entice folks to come into town and spend time here," said David Milan, the town's economic development director. "The previous downtown plan was successful and has done that. This plan just builds on the success of the previous plan. Hopefully, it will get us to that next plateau." The cornerstone of the new plan is the redevelopment of the Braun property located at the entrance to Main Street right at the end of the Verona-Bucksport bridge. The property now includes a vacant commercial building. Adjacent to that is a residential building that is owned separately. The town already has plans to use part of the site for a combined sewer overflow system and the plan calls for the site to be developed to include a multipurpose commercial building designed to match the architecture of the town building. The plan, parts of which are already being developed, also would create 40 public parking spaces behind the two buildings and erect a ship sculpture near the existing fishermen's wharf. The sculpture, which could feature a fountain, will be visible from the bridge and would create an attraction for motorists, according to Whitney. Councilors on Thursday authorized the town manager to have a environmental study done on the Braun building in anticipation of the town's purchase. Town Manager Roger Raymond explained that, since the plans call for the existing building to be torn down, it is important for the council to understand what, if any, environmental risks exist at the building. The study would identify what hazardous materials, such as asbestos, are present in the building and give the town an idea of how much it would cost to remove them. Mayor Jeff Robinson raised one concern about the plan that focused on parking. One of the improvements suggested was reducing or eliminating on-street parking in order to provide wider sidewalk areas. Robinson wondered whether eliminating parking was a good idea and expressed concern that it might discourage people from coming into town. "In my experience, people like to park right at the front door," he said. Whitney explained that the widening sidewalks and eliminating on-street parking were both tied to other recommendations in the plan that would develop alternative parking areas off Main Street. The plan includes 20 broad strategies and 83 specific actions the town can take to enhance the downtown area. They include increasing signage throughout downtown to direct motorists and pedestrians to parking areas and points of interest, adding plantings and landscaping and developing a marketing plan for the downtown area.