HOULTON, Maine — Members of the public gave their opinion Monday evening regarding a proposed sale of the Visitor Information Center.
As part of two town council meetings held on Monday Dec. 14, the Houlton Town Council heard several remarks, broadcast over the video-conferencing app “Zoom” as to whether or not the town should sell the Visitor Information Center, located on Ludlow Road in Houlton.
That center serves as a rest area for travelers coming to and from Canada and is also viewed as a gathering place for people to walk.
Jane Torres, the executive director of the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Aroostook County Tourism Board, stated that while she was not necessarily opposed to selling the property itself, she wanted to stress the benefits of what the center brings to the town’s businesses.
“They are instrumental in bringing people downtown,” said Torres of the visitor’s center’s volunteers. “Those people are passionate about tourism, they send people all over the County, and once they’re gone, it’s going to be really hard to get them back.”
The town of Houlton officially took “ownership” of the center nine years ago after the Maine Department of Transportation announced it planned to close the building in order to save money.
Currently, the town owns the property through a Governor’s Deed from the state, meaning that in order to sell the property, it would have to purchase the land from the state then flip it to the buyer.
The town has been approached by two parties that are interested in purchasing the Visitor Center, according to Town Manager Marian Anderson. The state has set the sale price at $290,000. All proceeds from the sale are paid to the state, with the town receiving no money from the sale.
Costs to maintain the center often run upwards to around $40,000 per year, though the town has received financial assistance from several institutions such as the Maine Office of Tourism to prevent taxpayer dollars from being used.
At the present time the town receives $2,285 from the Aroostook County budget; $30,000 from the Maine Office of Tourism (paid monthly at $2,500 per month); and $10,000 from the Maine DOT.
“The town applies annually for these funds,” Anderson said. “There is no guarantee that the facility will continue to be funded. No other Aroostook towns contribute to the visitor center.”
The funds provided do not cover the deferred maintenance on the building, she added. The town’s Public Works Department plows and salts the road and parking area.
Anderson added at the present time, the facility is in “dire need” of upgraded electrical work as four to five lights on the property are not functional. It also needs new blown-in insulation over the dormers as ice builds up and creates water issues; needs new paint; all the picnic tables need repair; and the facility needs a new water softener system.
Tony Cameron, CEO of the Maine Tourism Association, was in attendance via Zoom on Monday’s meeting to voice his support for the center.
“Tourism is really the heart and soul of Maine, and that visitor center is the only state visitor center in Aroostook County,” said Cameron. “When people go into visitor centers, they spend more money and they stay there longer, and to be able to have people at a location near the Canadian border, a major highway and major route, certainly gives us a lot of opportunity to engage visitors, to interact with them, and to really show them a lot of what Maine has to offer.”
Carl Lord, a Houlton resident, also spoke in favor of keeping the visitor center.
“It would be a hard decision,” said Lord. “But at this particular point, I really wouldn’t be for anything, but a tourist information booth.”
In addition to public comments made at Monday’s meeting, several written comments were also submitted to the town office and to individual council members. The town will continue to compile all comments submitted and return to the issue at a later date.
Staff Writer Joseph Cyr contributed to this article.
