Can Houlton revitalize its downtown shopping area?

  HOULTON, Maine — How can Houlton revitalize its downtown area?
That was the topic of discussion Tuesday morning as members of the Maine Downtown Center (MDC) were in the Shiretown to welcome Houlton to its group as one of the newest “Downtown Network Community” members.
    Following an hour-long presentation of the program, by Roxanne Eflin, senior program director for MDC, the group took a tour of Houlton’s downtown area to gather data and take photographs. In about four to six weeks, the group will return to present its findings to the town. A handful of town officials and business owners attended Tuesday’s meeting.
According to Houlton Community Development Director Wade Hanson, there was no cost for the town to join the MDC as a “Downtown Network Community.” Should the town decide to advance to a “Main Street Maine Community,” a paid staff member would need to be hired.
“This is the first step if we wanted to become certified as a Main Street Maine Community,” Hanson said. “Becoming a member provides far more research material for us. We always encourage more and more development and are looking for ways to keep the historic character that has highlighted our area.”
Houlton Town Manager Doug Hazlet said joining the MDC presented a unique opportunity for the town.
“They [MDC] set the standards for what we have to meet to be a Maine Downtown Community,” Hazlett said. “They will coach us through that process. Once you become a Maine Downtown Community, you are better positioned for grants that may be available or technical assistance.”
The MDC was launched in 2009 as a sister-program to Main Street Maine under the umbrella of the Maine Development Foundation. Both program’s goals are to revitalize downtowns in the state at varying levels of commitment. Only a handful of communities are accepted into the program each year and must pass a strict screening process.
Other municipalities that have joined the MDC as a network community include Madawaska, Presque Isle, Millinocket, Dover-Foxcroft, Machias, Bucksport, Augusta, Farmington, Lisbon, Brunswick and Damariscotta. The 2011 Main Street Maine communities include Skowhegan, Waterville, Belfast, Gardiner, Rockland, Bath, Saco, Biddeford and Sanford.
The advantages of becoming a member of the MDC are increased accessibility to information such as grant money, strategies for luring customers to the downtown and what the town can do to encourage new business development.
“We love to work with communities with great authentic sense of place,” Eflin said. “We know that our downtowns define us. It is a very important part of our heritage and sets us apart from a lot of other states.”
Eflin said communities should embrace their past, particularly when it comes to the architecture of its buildings.
“Getting people downtown is critical,” she said.
Members of the MDC group suggested that, based on surveys taken in other communities, shoppers would rather see higher-end merchandise in downtown stores as opposed to more “bargain-quality” items.
The group also praised Houlton for its Community Market, held downtown on Saturdays from May 28 to Oct. 8 and suggested the market should continue indoors during the winter months.
Hazlett said the challenges for Houlton were keeping those businesses currently located downtown, while drawing new ones to the area. Five years ago, the town hired a consultant to perform a downtown study and the town has followed many of those recommendations already.
One of the advantages of Houlton’s downtown, Hazlett said, is that it does not have a major state road cutting through the heart of it. Unfortunately, Market Square is located a good distance away from the Interstate, so drawing tourists into the heart of a town can pose a challenge.
“The single biggest issue we have is the building stock,” Hazlett said. “If the buildings are not brought back or encourage private business to bring the buildings back, they are going to continue to be an economic drag.”
He added the infrastructure downtown was already in great shape and the town’s Tax Increment Finance program has been a big asset for re-development.