Temporary Bridges Update #24

Down Time in Downtown

I hope everyone has been enjoying Festival on the Green this week and that you had an opportunity to take part in St. Stephen’s Peasant Market this past weekend. Don’t forget the Lion’s Club Auction on the Village Green coming up next Wednesday, July 19.

I have lots of information to share on the plans we are putting in place to make sure you can get downtown during the upcoming installation of temporary bridges on Main Street and Merchants Row. Those plans include the “Main Street Express,” an ACTR shuttle bus service designed to bring you into central downtown from two town-owned parking lots; a volunteer-staffed downtown information booth; a special downtown evening event scheduled for early August; and improved signs and maps to direct you and our many summer visitors around town. The Better Middlebury Partnership and St. Stephen’s are taking the lead in much of this activity. I’ll summarize all of this in my Monday update once I’ve confirmed some details on Thursday and Friday.

New FairPoint Conduit for Battell Block Will Limit Parking and Travel on Merchants Row on Monday, July 17. In the meantime, I wanted to let you know that FairPoint has advised me that they will be installing a new conduit to serve the Battell Block on Monday, July 17. This will be an all-day operation similar to Nicholson’s drilling of test pits on Merchants Row during June and will involve saw-cutting the roadway and hammering out concrete under the roadway to expose the current conduit. The work will require FairPoint’s contractor to restrict parking on the lower section of Merchants Rows and to limit vehicle traffic to one travel lane on the Village Green side of Merchants Row. Flaggers will control traffic flow. Work will get underway at about 7:30 AM on Monday. Depending on timing and weather, it may be necessary to complete asphalting the roadway on Tuesday.

St. Stephen’s Moving Sunday Morning Services to the Methodist Church. During the temporary bridge construction period, St. Stephen’s will hold its Sunday Holy Communion Service at the Methodist Church on July 23, July 30, and August 6 at 9:15 AM. The 7 PM evening service will be held as usual at St. Stephen's.

Please keep your comments and questions coming. Send me an email at jgish@townofmiddlebury.org and I’ll try to cover it in my next update.