Council OKs lease for new welcome sign

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — A new sign welcoming motorists off Interstate 95 took another step toward fruition Monday evening when the Houlton Town Council entered into a 20-year lease agreement for the property where the sign will be located.
    Town Manager Doug Hazlett said the issue of installing a sign on the North Road has been in the works for longer than he has served as town manager.
    “The issue was there was nothing when you come off the Interstate that points (people) downtown,” Hazlett said. “We were never able to place the sign because it was in the right of way of the Interstate exits.”
    To get around the right of way issues, Dunn Furniture offered to lease a 10-foot by 20-foot parcel of land to the town for erecting the sign. The lease will cost the town $1,800 a year. Once installed, the sign will become property of the town and the lease will preclude Dunn Furniture from expanding its buildings or parking lot into that area, Hazlett said.
    The Southern Aroostook Development Corporation (SADC) has been working on erecting a 20-foot-tall sign welcoming people to Houlton for a couple of years now.
    “For years there has been a desire to have a sign directing people to Houlton’s downtown area as they get off the Interstate,” said SADC Executive Director Jon McLaughlin. “Town officials, merchants, tourism officials, and event sponsors have struggled with the fact there is little signage at the Interstate telling visitors to town where our downtown is located.”
    In November, the town and Maine Department of Transportation reached an agreement to allow the sign to be positioned facing the Interstate off-ramp. MDOT typically does not allow electronic signs to be visible from I-95. An exception was made for Houlton’s sign on the basis that no commercial messages are displayed and that only town officials are allowed to post messages.
    A contest was then held to allow members of the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce and Houlton High School to come up with a motto for the sign. “Welcome to Houlton Maine, worth a visit … worth a lifetime” was the phrase that was chosen.
    The sign is being created by Sign Services in Stetson and will stand 20 feet tall with an 11-foot by 12-foot cabinet and internally illuminated graphics. McLaughlin said the 4-foot high by 12-foot wide full color message center would be radio controlled to change the display reflecting town events. The sign will be located on the Dunn Furniture Company property facing the northbound I-95, Exit 302. McLaughlin estimates the cost of the project at $42,000, the bulk of which has been collected through fundraising.
    Once the sign is erected, it will be turned over to the town. Town officials will be the only individuals who have the ability to post messages on the electronic portion of the sign. Hazlett said he planned to come back to the council once the sign was erected to discuss permitted use for the electronic billboard.
    “This is not there to advertise sales,” Hazlett said. “It is there for town sponsored events or functions.”
    The lease will not begin until ground is broken for the sign. Hazlett said he anticipates that to happen this spring.
    “Something to designate downtown Houlton has been talked about way back when Peggy Daigle was here,” councilor John Fitzpatrick said. “It’s taken a long time, but it’s well needed.”
    In other agenda items, the council:
    • Approved an anonymous gift of $550 to be used for the youth art programs and downstairs lounge items at the Gentle Memorial Building.
    • Accepted a bid from Machias Savings Bank for a Tax Anticipation Note not to exceed $1,750,000 at an interest rate of 1.15 percent.
    The next regular council meeting is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 13, at 6:30 p.m.