Town explores fund-raising effort for rest area

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — In an effort to raise money to assist with the cost of maintaining the rest area, the town of Houlton and the Southern Aroostook Development Corporation are turning to the private sector.
    A letter was circulated to many local businesses, asking if they would like to contribute to the “Friends of the Tourist Information and Rest Area.” Individuals can choose from one of three options — Benefactor ($1,000 and up), Welcoming Committee ($500-$999) or Friends Committee ($100-$499).
    Pledges can be made in a lump sum or part of an installment plan, with the stipulation that final payments be received by Dec. 31, 2013. The group hopes to raise $10,000 through this campaign and has set a deadline of Jan. 31 to receive pledges. Donations are tax exempt.
    As of Tuesday morning, the town has received one financial pledge and one verbal commitment, according to Lori Weston.
    “It’s pretty exciting because the letter has only been out there for about a week,” Weston said. “I’m pretty happy about that. Response has been very positive. A lot of people are commenting that it (the rest area) is something that they don’t want to see go away. It’s such an added asset to the community that any effort we can make to see if it’s a viable project for us is a good thing.”
    In the letter, it states the Tourist Information Center had more than 25,000 visitors last year and has seen that number increase steadily since 2008. In addition, 700,000 people passed through the Houlton border crossing in 2012 and many of those make use of the center or rest area.
    The town took over maintaining the rest area and Tourist Information Center from the state Department of Transportation in July 2011. The council was advised back in 2009 that MDOT was looking to turn ownership of the property over to the town, or risk having the state close the facility.
    Initially, the cost to maintain the property was estimated at about $8,000 per year. That figure turned out to be erroneous, as the actual cost to maintain ballooned to $62,500 in the 2012 municipal budget. This year, the town has allocated $52,000 to maintain the property.
    Houlton received the deed to the property, with the caveat that it must continue to maintain the facility as a rest area and information center as long as the Maine Bureau of Tourism remains on the site. Should the bureau close, or the town decides it no longer wants to maintain the property, the deed would return to the state.
    The town would then have first option to purchase the property for fair market value. In 2012 the property was assessed at $763,500.
    During this year’s budget talks, the town’s Board of Budget Review expressed a desire to see Houlton seek financial assistance from other communities, since the bureau promotes tourism throughout Aroostook County as well as the rest of the state. The bureau features brochures touting tourism attractions in Bar Harbor, Bangor and many other communities to the south of Aroostook County.
    A similar suggestion was made last year, but never implemented. At that time, Houlton Town Manager Eugene Conlogue said he would reach out to other communities to see if they would be willing to provide a small stipend to assist with the costs.