By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
HOULTON — What can town leaders do to help foster economic development in the Shiretown?
That was the question of the day Sept. 30 as town officials and members of the public gathered at the town office for an economic development workshop. Only four of the seven members of the town council — Sue Tortello, John White, Dan Peabody and Phil Cloney — attended the workshop, along with about 10 members of the community.
“We certainly encourage audience participation, because it’s the community who will be the ones that drive this (economic development),” Tortello said. “There seems like there is a lot of energy for certain things.”
Tortello said a perfect example of one way the town could foster development was to support projects like an agriculture co-op.
“We have a willing party that wants to do this, so that’s half your work right there,” she said. “How can we as a town help them in any way? Are there certain things we can do to make it easier?”
Lori Weston, Houlton’s economic development director, said she has met with those in the group several times and has been impressed with the energy and eagerness they have to get an agricultural co-op off the ground.
Jon McLaughlin, executive director for the Southern Aroostook Development Corporation, gave a brief overview of several key points that were developed from a 2004 study on the topic. At that time, several areas were identified as priority projects the town should pursue.
Included in those projects was the creation of a $10 million freezer/warehouse distribution center at the Houlton International Airport. That project never came to fruition, however, because no business would sign a contract agreeing to use the facility.
“Investors were found that were willing to build the facility, but they wanted contracts signed by people who were going to use it,” he explained. “At that time, none of those companies were willing to sign a contract.”
McLaughlin said the project could be revisited given the increased interest in organic farming in the area.
“Niche agriculture is becoming more and more of an interest, so a freezer operation could be a possibility,” he said.
Finding ways to entice more individuals to open a business in Houlton’s historic downtown area has also been a struggle. According to Weston, even the most qualified individuals have difficulty securing bank loans to open a new business.
It was suggested that having an eatery downtown that was open for lunch, especially on the weekends, was something that could draw more people to the area.
Chris Anderson stated a lot of the reasons why stores are not open on the weekends in downtown Houlton is economics.
“We can’t force people to stay open if they feel they will lose money,” he said.
It was suggested that the council be presented with an inventory of empty buildings in the area so that any potential businesses that may contact the town could be given that list for development purposes.
