Redesigned Sweden Street plan presented

CARIBOU – The one-way traffic pattern in the Sweden Street area, which causes some motorists to travel in circles before finding their destination, seemed to be the most often cited complaint during Wednesday’s public hearing regarding a plan to revitalize the city’s former business hub.

“The lynchpin [to redevelopment] is a traffic pattern that is so much better than what we’ve got,” Caribou Mayor Phil Bennett said during the hearing.

In an effort to make Caribou “unique,” City Councilor David Corriveau proposed enclosing the Sweden Street section in glass panels to allow shoppers the ability to walk from one shop to another without going outside.

A skywalk could connect the shopping area to a parking garage constructed nearby, Corriveau said.

During the Wednesday session, city-retained engineers presented a plan that would include planting trees, improving sidewalks and installing period lighting. Better signs would be installed to aid motorists navigating the area, according to the plan.

Once the hub of business and activity in Caribou, the Sweden Street area became a economic ghost town as a result of the Loring Air Force Base closing and the opening of a shopping mall in neighboring Presque Isle, which lured away the shopping district’s anchor store.

Local officials, however, have started to plan for the rejuvenation of the avenue that once was the city’s major street of commerce.

“The plan cannot be all things to all people,” said Mary Walton, the city’s director of community development.

But implementation of a plan can create a more functional downtown and result in more consumer traffic, Walton said.

Sweden Street consists of several independent storefronts and a mall-type structure at one end. Traffic is routed in one-way directions. At times, travelers unfamiliar with the area have difficulty navigating the traffic pattern.

Earlier this year, the revitalization committee received a $10,000 planning grant to hire Langille Aroostook Engineering of Presque Isle and Wright-Pierce of Topsham to devise a plan.

Next month, the city intends to apply for a $400,000 grant from the Maine Department of Economic and Community Development to implement the plan.

In coming up with a revamping strategy, the committee proposed a historical theme for the street. The name “Lyndon Square” was proposed, which incorporates the city’s first name in the 1800s.

But some residents said that any changes would be in vain unless improvements were made to the traffic pattern.

“I don’t care how beautiful you make it, it’ll be ugly because of that [traffic],” said Paul Soucier, a business owner on Sweden Street.

Blake Willette, a young boy, suggested that the “tunnel,” or canopy, over the mall be taken down and a skateboard park be constructed. Engineer Janet Packard told the youngster that such a facility had been part of earlier plans that were made when the mall was constructed.

Other speakers suggested closing off roads leading to Sweden Street, making the area open to pedestrian traffic only.

Sheila Fitzgerald, a local resident, supported that concept, adding that promoting little shops along the street would draw consumers to the downtown.

The revitalization committee is scheduled to meet today to consider the comments. A final plan will be presented to the City Council later this month or early in January before the grant application is filed by Jan. 19.