WESTBROOK – It’s almost sensory overload driving through downtown Westbrook. There are orange cones and brightly vested construction crews constantly moving down Main Street during daylight hours. There’s some work going on near the rotary at the end of Main Street. In between, there are new businesses, demolitions and a sense of optimism.

“I know some people are struggling, but it [the downtown] is decidedly slanted toward the good news,” said Bill Baker, Westbrook’s assistant city administrator of business and community relations. “There’s a really healthy, strong, diverse mix either down there or coming that way.”

The examples are numerous.

Gunjan ‘Gary” Patel, co-manager at Friendly Discount, has bought the vacant gas station across the street at 925 Main St., formerly LeClerc’s, in June. He plans on renovating the property, turning it into a working gas station and convenience store to be called Friendly Quick Mart.

Beth Bernard, business manager for Friendly Discount and the new Friendly Quick Mart, said Patel decided to buy the property after customers kept suggesting he purchase the garage across the street and sell gas so they could buy everything they needed right there.

“Gary has been looking at the landmark across the street empty for two-plus years and decided it was time to give his customers what they wanted. Friendly Quick Mart will not be Friendly Discount’s competition, but will complement them and have the same great low prices,” said Bernard in a letter.

The Friendly Quick Mart plans to open by Sept. 1.

Another new business, a photography studio, has opened on Main Street next door to the Kidz Closet.

Jennifer Moore, owner of Moore Photography, said the studio has been open at 820 Main St., since June 1, but wanted to wait until after a short vacation to hold a grand-opening event.

The studio used to be in Standish, but Moore and her husband and co-owner, Michael, wanted to be closer to Portland. Since the move, Moore said she’s seen a boost in business.

Moore said her studio covers everything from weddings and baby portraits to business and engagement photo shoots.

The public is invited to the grand opening on July 28 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Refreshments will be served and the Moores will offer a tour of the studio and a chance to win an in-studio session that includes a “You Own it CD” of all the images from that session.

There are more changes coming. The old Main Rubber building at the very end of downtown is slated for demolition sometime this summer. Another dilapidated building, the apartment house at 689 Main St., which has remained vacant since a fire destroyed the home last June, was demolished on Tuesday by building owner Dwayne St. Ours.

The City Council had deemed the building dangerous during its July 1 meeting and even began the process to raze the building on behalf of the town, if the owner didn’t take action. According to Natalie Burns, the city’s lawyer, Westbrook would have been able to recoup the cost of tearing down the building through legal channels.

Besides the demolition, Baker said there were a number of vacant buildings that had been purchased recently and some other ventures brewing behind closed doors.

“There is a lot of activity going on in the background. There are many people talking to me and working in confidence,” said Baker.

Even with all the utility construction digging up Main Street, businesses in the area said customers are still coming through their doors.

Mike Wowk, owner of The Daily Grind coffee shop right off Main Street, said he has felt the impact of the construction work, but it has also paid off.

“It was slower than usual on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, but it picked up again on Thursday and Friday,” said Wowk last week. “I have to assume it hurt me. A lot of people are on vacation, too, though.”

He said he has also received some business from the construction crew buying coffee at his place while they work.

Brandon Schmidgall, general manager for Portland Pie’s Westbrook location, said he has seen minimal impact from the traffic congestion along Main Street, while River’s Edge Deli owner Steve Lampron said he hasn’t seen any effect on his business.

Eric Dudley, city engineer, said part of the reason the deli, Mr. Bagel, Subway and other breakfast and luncheon eateries on that end of Main Street may not have felt the impact is because the city has a deal in place with Unitil, the company doing the construction, to work after 2 p.m. in that area to minimize disruption.

Dudley said the construction work taking place along Main Street right now is actually work being done below the surface on utility lines that run underneath the roadway. Unitil is replacing all cast iron gas lines as part of a larger project that runs through many towns in Maine.

Most of the work on the roads and utility lines is supposed to be done at night, to lessen the impact to residents, but night work is more expensive for the company because they must run large lights so workers can see what they are doing. Employees also get more pay for night work.

Jerre Bryant, city administrator, said the construction has caused some pains for those traveling, but the projects must be completed to maintain the level of service provided by Unitil.

“Certainly it’s [the construction] very disruptive and I have received some complaints. We are trying to minimize the impact and get the project in and out as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, it is construction season,” Bryant said. “It is disruptive, but you can’t say no to replacing them.

Dudley said the city has tried different tactics to keep road construction from interfering too much in the day-to-day activities during the warmer months.

“We’ve successfully been able to do work on side streets in the wintertime. We can get away with managing it much more easily and it can have less negative impacts,” Dudley said.

Dudley said the work on Main Street should near completion by the end of July, but that doesn’t mean it’s the last of construction work in the downtown area. There are more utility upgrades headed for Central, Mechanic and Valentine streets. New sidewalks are going to be installed on Eisenhower Drive and Saco Street.

Next year will bring even more construction work and congestion on Main Street. Not only is the Bridge Street bridge being replaced and moved down a block to where the Edwards Block loop is now, a new pedestrian bridge is planned using the tresses of the old Bridge Street bridge, and new sidewalks and roadwork will overwhelm the intersections.

Main Street in Westbrook, in this photo looking west, is quiet early Wednesday morning, just before the morning commute.The building at 689 Main St. was torn down on Tuesday, more than a year after a fire left the apartment in charred ruins and nearly a month after the Westbrook City Council voted that the structure was dangerous and needed to come down.Jennifer Moore says a grand-opening celebration for Moore Photography, at 820 Main St. in Westbrook, is scheduled for July 28.