BRUNSWICK (WGME) — People in Brunswick are concerned that the heart and soul of Maine Street is being changed, one tree at a time.
Construction on the Brunswick downtown redevelopment project is underway.
This also includes the renewal of the sidewalks, which the city says is necessary.
“The sidewalks had not been replaced in decades, and the condition of the sidewalks really needed replacing,” said Sally Castello, Brunswick’s economic development director.
As Brunswick officials admit, it is a necessary project with consequences that have caught the attention of people like Gary Lawless.
He is angry about the number of trees being removed for the project.
He and his wife have owned Gulf of Maine Books for 45 years and say the trees help make Maine Street feel like a community.
“Basically, it looks more like a Walmart parking lot to us than a friendly, welcoming downtown,” Lawless said. “You know these trees. They could have saved trees, but that would have cost extra money and caused some engineering problems. So to save time and money, they decided to cut them all down.”
According to Brunswick’s economic development director, many of the recently cut trees were already in poor condition. Costello stressed that the trees will be replaced.
“There were a few very old trees where we had to make really difficult decisions, but ultimately we had to do that to make sure we could build the walkways as planned to meet ADA regulations,” Costello said.
Some Brunswick residents say they are happy about the change and hope it will make the sidewalks safer and more accessible.
“I enjoy walking downtown and the old brick sidewalks became a challenge for me,” said Brunswick resident Bob Beaumont. “I’m 84 years old and sometimes I trip over those old bricks, so I’m happy about the new sidewalk.”
People like Lawless hope for the best.
“You know, I don’t want to imagine a world without trees,” Lawless said.
The west side of the sidewalk on Brunswick’s Maine Street is currently a construction site. The east side is scheduled to be renovated next year.
