Skowhegan and Somerset County (Portland, Bangor: theater, high school, tax)

[Revi]

Hi, I live in Skowhegan and wanted to see what people think about this area, what people want to discuss and breaking news.

Skowhegan has a great farmer's market, an agricultural fair and a vibrant downtown revival going on.

It's a shire town for Somerset County and has all the services for the county.

It has a scenic gorge with the Kennebec running through it. A lot of land is preserved by the oldest land trust in the state, Somerset Woods.

The paper mill dominates the economic landscape, and shoe shops still employ many.

It's a place a lot of people pass through, but that has a lot to offer.

What do you think?

[ribbets]

Personally I prefer Skowhegan to Bangor or Waterville for shopping. Some great stores Tractor Supply,Campbells Agway to name a couple.
Great job renovating the theater and I can afford those prices
New county jail and the future business planned for the old jail,will only add to it.. We've kayaked from the public landing on Rte2 to Fairfield with a number of friends and it was a good paddle, but just one way.I hope the use of the Kennebec is expanded.
We recently had some business at Registry of Deeds and that lady was the most effcient and helpful person I met in Goverment in quite a while
The High school always has, and hopefully always will, be a leader in academics and sports for this area.

[lrfox]

I like Skowhegan. I dated a girl from there for a while so I became familiar with the town. I love the downtown area (and that pub- drawing a blank on the name- right on the river). It's a pretty town and I don't understand too much of the negativity I've heard about it. It is the junction of 201 and 2 so of course lots of people will pass through, but those who stop and take a look will like it.

My mother (much to my surprise) recognized it almost instantly while watching Empire Falls on TV.

[mainebrokerman]

i know a few folks from skowhegan, its a nice town, the traffic flow is challenging at times (at the light on 201 cominginto town), then you have to go around the old main str. to go north.
i like the ride on 150 to guilford, and also up 201 to jackman

[forest beekeeper]

That is a crazy downtown section with the one-way streets, but with an older set of buildings I see no other way to make it work.

I go to Skowhegan for the livestock auction, the only livestock auction serving many counties of Maine.

[droobie]

I work in several parts of Skowhegan pretty often. I like it there, friends of mine live there as well. It's a nice little town that has some city-ish perks too.

The only downside is that most of the place shuts down early, but aside from that, I like it.

[Revi]

I wish Skowhegan was a little more pedestrian-friendly, but the downtown seems to be reviving anyway.

[droobie]

Originally Posted by Revi

I wish Skowhegan was a little more pedestrian-friendly, but the downtown seems to be reviving anyway.

They put funds out there so downtown businesses would re-face their building, etc. if memory serves. Several companies have done it.

I agree about the downtown area though. There has been a plan on the board for a while to put in a bypass so that Route traffic didn't have to go through the town. It comes up now and again but never seen anything firm come of it.

With that said, I consider it a pleasure to work in that area.

[Revi]

Yes, if we could divert the traffic even a couple of streets up from downtown it would be great. The way the traffic goes now is crazy.

Still, there are a couple of new businesses downtown like the Peace Tree and the Bankery that are worth visiting. Check out the treats they bake at the Bankery and the cool clothing at the Peace Tree.

[lrfox]

Typically, if you divert traffic AWAY from a town center it becomes deserted. I fear that would be the case in Skowhegan as so much of the traffic through there on 2 and 201 is just passing through. The best bet is to dress up businesses that make those passersby want to stop. Elevated crosswalks (that double as speed tables), bike lanes, etc can slow traffic enough to make it friendly for pedestrians. Reduce traffic to one lane and use the other for either an expanded sidewalk or even better parking for the cars that need to stop there (maybe even vertical spots like Farmington has instead of the parallel spots that are there now). Furthermore, slowed traffic has more time to admire the storefronts and architecture and entice them to stop. Unfortunately, despite a nice setup and good architecture, there's very little to make someone want to stop there. Dressing up that small pedestrian bridge to the other side of the river would be a nice (but expensive) touch too.

You can reduce lanes because slow moving traffic through a town center is normal and not a bad thing (especially for pedestrians). It would really be OK in Skowhegan because the downtown isn't a large enough area to really ruin commutes by slowing traffic a bit more.

Other things that would make downtown Skowhegan more appealing would be better Signage. I can't even begin to describe how well a well-placed, well-designed sign can attract people. This applies to both the town itself and individual businesses. Skowhegan should put up some nice, bright banners in town, and some larger, well designed wooden signs that welcome people to "historic downtown skowhegan." Possibly even signs listing "attractions" in town (could be a park, building, restaurant, etc). Not those large highway "attractions" signs, but a nice, carved wooden one (like they have in Portland directing traffic). A nice riverside park or pathway would be a good touch as well. I always felt Skowhegan could do a much better job of flaunting its finest assets (the river is one of them). Flaunting what you've got is how cities and towns thrive and attract people.

Advertising the downtown area for businesses and maybe even some tax breaks for businesses that open there is a good idea. If there is parking (which can be added to), the spot is prime considering that it's located on 2 busy routes where plenty of traffic comes through.