BELFAST - City officials got a first look at plans for a grant-funded overhaul of the roads and sidewalks in small portion of the downtown.

The area, which includes Cross Street, portions of Federal, Spring and MIller Streets and the north entrance to Belfast Common was the subject on Tuesday of a presentation by Sebago Technics, a South Portland-based engineering firm hired by the city to reconsider the area in light of a $500,000 Downtown Revitalization grant the city received in 2012.

The preliminary plans presented to the Council by representatives of Sebago Technics would make changes to the traffic flow and landscaping on Cross Street in an effort to direct pedestrian traffic toward a redesigned entrance to Belfast Common.

Drawings showed new landscaping at the intersection of Main and Cross Streets with a small plaza at the corner of Cross and Federal Streets. The landscaping would be designed to draw attention to a revamped pedestrian friendly corridor to Belfast Common, the city park between Miller and Pearl Streets.

Cross Street would maintain two-way traffic between Main Street and a municipal parking lot to allow vehicle access from the lot and from Pendleton Lane and the Penobscot McCrum cold storage building. South of the parking lot, the already narrow street would be compressed into a more pedestrian-friendly southbound single lane.

Where the street meets Belfast Common, the Sebago representatives suggested building a small plaza. Today there is an access road. The improved entrance could include an overlook and seating. It could be made more eye-catching from a distance, they said, with a sculpture, possibly one that moved in the wind.

Councilors balked slightly at the wind sculpture, but otherwise accepted the plans as a starting point. Estimated construction costs, including paving, signs, drainage, landscaping and other aspects of the plan totaled slightly over $600,000.

RSU 20 School Board

The Council discussed what to do about a vacant seat on the Regional School Unit 20 board of directors. Voters on Tuesday elected Caitlin Hills and Charles Grey to fill two seats of outgoing members, Dean Anderson and Dorothy Odell. However, a late resignation by Belfast director Charles Poirier left an additional vacancy.

According to Councilor Mike Hurley, the third candidate on the Nov. 5 ballot, Christopher Hyk, declined to be considered for the seat. The Council took no action to appoint a final member to the board.

In other business, the Council:

• Made the following committee appointments: William Ryan (Airport Advisory Committee); Dan Miller (Harbor Advisory Committee); Larry Theye (Parks and Recreation Commission — the Council tabled a decision on a second vacant seat for which two applied; Margot Carpenter (Planning Board alternate — alternate Wayne Corey was promoted to regular member of the board). The city did not received applications for vacancies on the Board of Assessment Review and the Cemetery Board of Trustees.

• Amended the contract rezoning agreement with Front Street Shipyard to allow changes to the layout of a pair of relief walkways intended to divert pedestrian traffic from the Belfast Harbor Walk away from the Shipyard’s travel lifts during operations. According to City Planner Wayne Marshall, the changes were called for by Maine Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration officials who raised safety concerns during a site visit in September. The new plan replaces stone dust paths with asphalt walkways. A grand opening event for the Harbor Walk is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 9 at 10 a.m. starting at the Belfast Boathouse and traveling north to the Armistice footbridge.

• Awarded grants to 14 small businesses for facade upgrades and other purchases. The amounts ranged from $3,300 to $15,000 and were funded through a $150,000 Micro-Enterprise Assistance grant from the state Office of Community and Economic Development. According to Economic Development Director Thomas Kittredge, there were eight applicants for facade improvements and 21 for a second category that included everything from building repairs and equipment purchases to funding for inventory and marketing.

• Approved a request by the Belfast Historical Society to place a plaque on City Hall designating the building as a Civil War memorial.

Ethan Andrews can be reached at news@penbaypilot.com