Voters say ‘fix roads’ Light turnout, clear choice

By Elna Seabrooks
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — With a decisive two to one victory clinching the vote, Houlton is preparing to fix its roads and sidewalks thanks to a million dollar loan through the Maine Bond Bank. Town Manager Doug Hazlett says the town will start accepting bids from contractors in early May and work should begin in late May or early June.
      “We will put together a plan to get the most for that money,” says Hazlett about the assessment to rate roads and sidewalks on public safety, condition and use. An advisory group, Roads 2000, will work with the town manager and the council on the plan. The town’s public works department will prepare the roads for the paving which has to be contracted out since Houlton does not own the expensive heavy duty machinery used to pave roads.
    Town Clerk and Registrar of Voters, Cathy O’Leary, reported that the total vote in last Tuesday’s election was 322 ballots cast out of a potential pool of 4,294 total registered voters. Of those, 231 voted for the bond and 91 voted against it. O’Leary said she wasn’t surprised at the low turnout by looking at past records, especially for an off-year election not taking place in June or November.
    Town Council Chairman, Paul Cleary, said: “It’s disappointing that more people didn’t come out and vote because 8 percent of the voters made the decision  for the whole town. It would have been nice to have more people decide such an important issue.” However, he did add that he was happy that it had passed and asserted “it would be a good thing for the town.”
    Cleary said the council and town manager have worked well together over the last couple of years to put Houlton in a more positive light and he complimented Hazlett on “doing a great job.” As for critics of the bond issue, he said “people are smart enough to realize when you put down facts, issue for issue, the bond is a good thing and the critics only used fear tactics.” He cited the Tax Increment Financing district that encourages economic development through tax credits as an example of progress, saying it’s one of the one of best in Maine and added that “Houlton is open for business.”