WATERVILLE — Traffic will be reversed Monday on Appleton Street and three properties in the area will be without water as workers disconnect the old water pipe leading to the former Hains building at 173 Main St.
The work is being done as part of downtown revitalization efforts involving<URL destination=”http://preprod.centralmaine.com/2017/04/24/work-launched-to-prepare-site-for-25-million-colby-student-residential-complex/”> renovation of the Hains building.
</URL>The Kennebec Water District is requiring that the former water entrance be disconnected, according to Paul Ureneck, director of commercial real estate for Elm City LLC, an affiliate of Colby College.
Ureneck, who is overseeing Colby’s nearly $50 million downtown revitalization projects, said the disconnection work will be done as quickly as possible and is anticipated to take no longer than one day. Summit Natural Gas is expected to install gas service across Appleton Street to 173 Main St. at the same time.
Normally, Appleton is a one-way street with traffic going only from Front Street to Main Street; but because of the work Monday, traffic on Appleton Street will be one way in the opposite direction, from the drive-thru exit of TD Bank to Front Street. No traffic will be allowed from Front to Main on Appleton, according to Ureneck.
Ureneck sent notices about the work and water shutdown to the three buildings to be without water — Northern New England Telephone, located on Appleton; St. Joseph Maronite Catholic Church, at the corner of Appleton and Front; and Temple Front Associates, a professional office building located on Front but with access from Appleton.
Those notices, which were both mailed and hand-delivered, recommend that before the shutdown, people in the buildings should store water in clean storage containers, such as milk and juice jugs, for drinking and cooking purposes and the containers should be refrigerated. Water for washing or bathing may be stored temporarily in bathtubs, it says.
“It is always a safe practice to shut off the power to any electric hot water heater because of the potential for the tank to drain.” the notices said. “Also, if you have an active fire service, you should contact the local fire department, your sprinkler company and your insurance carrier.”
When the water is turned back on, people might notice air in faucets, which is normal and usually lasts for only minutes, according to the notice: “You may also experience some cloudy or rusty water due to de-watering and re-filling the main. This too should return to normal by allowing your cold water faucet, preferably your outside hose connection, to run for a short while.”
Ureneck said in a phone interview Friday that flaggers will be posted in two places Monday to help facilitate traffic movement — at the exit of the TD Bank drive-thru on Appleton and at the intersection of Appleton and Front streets. A police cruiser will be parked off Front Street to notify motorists that they cannot turn left onto Appleton from Front Street, he said.
Amy Calder — 861-9247
Twitter: @AmyCalder17
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