Residents of Livermore Terrace in Livermore Falls detailed their concerns to selectmen Tuesday over speeding vehicles, inadequate pedestrian signing, non-ADA compliant sidewalks among others on Depot Street/Route 17, which is a state road. Donna M. Perry/Sun Journal

LIVERMORE FALLS — Residents of Livermore Terrace at 27 Depot St., raised concerns Tuesday about speeding vehicles, lack of pedestrian signage, motorists not yielding to people in crosswalks and enforcement of the 25 mph speed limit in the downtown area.

Jenna Rivera, a resident of the housing complex, said there are 25 senior citizens and disabled residents, 16 who have vehicles, that live there. Most walk, she said, but those who have vehicles lack parking spaces. There are three assigned spots that were assigned not based on disability, but who got their application in first and two first come, first serve handicap spots, she said.

Livermore Terrace is owned by Avesta Housing headquartered in Portland. Rivera said when Avesta redid the building recently the majority of parking spots were eliminated.

Rivera, who is an amputee below the knee and wears a prosthetic, said there is a lack of pedestrian signage on the road in the downtown area between railroad crossings where four crosswalks are located. Depot Street, which is Route 17, is a state road. There are medical providers on the opposite side of the road and residents have to cross the street to get to them, she said.

The sidewalks are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and are inadequately visible for “speeding” vehicles going by, she added.

Rivera said she is worried about parking come Nov. 15, when no vehicles can be parked on the roads for plowing and sanding purposes. The town restriction lasts until the following April 15. Rivera said Avesta is in the process of developing a solution but most likely it will be on the opposite side of the road, she said.

Rivera also said lowering the speed limit in the downtown area from 25 to 15 mph could help. She referred to an Androscoggin Valley Council of Government’s downtown traffic study done in 2005 for Livermore Falls. A possible solution was to reduce the speed limit in that area to 15 mph but it was noted the Maine Department of Transportation would most likely not approve it because Route 17 is an arterial highway.

There is a two-hour parking limit on Depot Street set by the town, but with limited parking afforded to residents, they are currently parking on the street, Rivera said.

An 82-year-old man who lived at the complex died from injuries received in 2014 after he was struck by a vehicle crossing Depot Street in a crosswalk. The driver told police she didn’t see him. Her license was suspended for three years.

The state plans to reconstruct the road and is expected to make the sidewalks ADA compliant in 2023, Bill Nichols, foreman of the Livermore Falls Public Works Department, said. He has been in contact with a representative of the MDOT. The sidewalks are not required to be made compliant until there is a major road construction project, he said. Flashing beacons for the crosswalk could be added then. It will be up to the town to maintain them.

The beacons cost between $12,000 and $13,000 each, he said, and would need to be removed if added before construction.

The town does have a speed radar trailer that indicates motorists speed but there is really no good place to put it in that area, he said. It needs to be chained to something, he said.

A couple of selectmen said it is difficult at times to see sometimes on that stretch of road, especially when the sun is in motorists’ eyes.

“I am just asking for support from the town, Police Department and MDOT,” Rivera said.

She said she’s looking for police to enforce the speed limit and make sure motorists are yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks.

Representatives of Avesta and MDOT were not immediately available Wednesday for comment.