BREWER – City councilors took steps Tuesday night to make sure the community’s waterfront redevelopment master plan doesn’t languish on a shelf. And in an unrelated matter, they adopted measures aimed at dealing with traffic problems, specifically the noisy braking systems used by some truckers on North and South Main streets.

The redevelopment plan for Penobscot Landing, as Brewer’s waterfront is now known, was the result of a group effort that involved residents, elected officials, and members of the local business community, among others.

Adopted by the council in November, the plan spells out proposed placements for waterfront attractions and features, as well as a timeline, cost estimates and likely funding sources. The council also has commissioned a waterfront marketing plan that is expected to be completed soon.

What the project, the city’s largest investment in itself to date, lacked until now was a vehicle for making sure the master plan is carried out. That’s where the Penobscot Landing Commission comes in.

During their meeting, councilors voted to establish the commission, an entity that will focus its energy on bringing the community’s waterfront redevelopment plan to fruition.

Given its existing workload, current city staff can’t give its exclusive attention to implementation of the plan, economic development director Drew Sachs said during a presentation for the council. The commission, identified as a top priority by the team of consultants who helped draft the master plan, will provide the needed focus on the effort, helping maintain the momentum needed to keep it moving forward, Sachs said.

Initially, the waterfront authority will be staffed by a full-time director, though additional staff might be brought on as needed, Sachs said. Some tasks the commission will take on include seeking and administering grants, operating and scheduling public venues, and overseeing volunteer committees.

Among the commission’s features will be an ability to act autonomously on a range of riverfront issues, access to public funding sources, and authority to negotiate with contractors, property owners and others to implement project directives. Sachs made it clear, however, that the ultimate authority will rest with the council.

The commission initially would be funded by the city, though the goal is to have the organization become self-sufficient, Sachs said. Startup costs have not yet been estimated.

Despite some uneasiness among some of the councilors, who said that being asked to support an entity that is still a concept required a “leap of faith,” councilors voted 3-1 to approve the commission’s basic framework, with the fine points to be hammered out once a director has been hired.

Councilor Larry Doughty cast the sole vote of opposition. “I’m concerned about too much power [being given to] three people,” he said, referring to the number of staff the commission ideally would have. He also said he was worried that the project might increase the already heavy burden on existing city employees. “It doesn’t sit well with me,” he said, though he acknowledged he had no suggestions for improving the proposal.

The city’s decision to address Main Street traffic issues was prompted by a petition submitted last month by residents objecting to such hazards as speeding, tailgating, and truckers’ use of so-called Jake brakes.

The area has been the focus of stepped-up police patrols, which is helping to resolve the first two issues, according to Police Chief Steve Barker.

To mitigate the noise from the brakes, he proposed a two-part strategy that was unanimously approved by the council. Signs reading “No Engine Brakes Please” will be posted on major routes into the city, and letter will be sent informing trucking firms of the excessive noise from engine brakes and asking their drivers not to use them in Brewer.

As part of his research, Barker contacted five other communities to learn how they dealt with the matter and concluded that seeking voluntary compliance, the approach used by most of the communities contacted, appears to work.