Discover Downtown Westbrook Vice President Phil Spiller, left, holds an older, faded banner, while Public Services Operations Manager Arty Ledoux shows one of the new banners that will be installed on Main Street this spring. Chance Viles / American Journal
WESTBROOK — The Public Services Department and Discover Downtown Westbrook are working on a new wave of banners to go up this spring along Main Street and William Clarke Drive.
New street banners, although a small change, bring new energy to downtown and promote a positive public image, which further draws in more businesses, according Arty Ledoux, operations manager for Public Services, and Phil Spiller, vice president of the downtown group.
“It all plays into that economic development and overall image of downtown, and some of our older banners were getting tired,” Ledoux said.
Banners, some American themed with eagles and U.S. flags and some depicting the city’s arts scene, for example, have lined Main Street and William Clarke Drive for the past 10 years or so. Ledoux and Spiller, with their new banners, are working on a plan to change them out based on the seasons.
“It all takes planning and timing, coordination. It takes Public Services about three weeks to decorate the whole city,” Ledoux said. “When it comes to Christmas banners, we put them up before Thanksgiving even, because we have to account for the weather, so we are tackling the planning early.”
This new crop of banners, many of which feature images of Westbrook, promotes specific aspects of downtown. A banner that says “Dine” with photos of people eating, for instance, will be installed on Main Street near restaurants. Banners promoting paddling on the Presumpscot River will be hung in spots where the river is visible.
“There is a purpose behind everything. We look at existing signs because a banner is no good if it is drowned out,” Spiller said..
“This is a part of community image, it’s what communities do, and it really adds a quaint, village-y look to our downtown,” Ledoux said.
The new set of banners cost under $3,000, with funding coming from the Cornelia Warren Community Association and Discover Downtown Westbrook.
“From an economic development standpoint, it’s straightforward,” Economic Development Coordinator Dan Stevenson said. “When you have welcoming signs and things that are new and clean, it supports our downtown. It supports people coming here and supporting our business community. People notice that stuff. I notice it traveling. It’s important.”
The banner partnership between Discover Downtown Westbrook and Public Services is also new. Until now, Public Services spearheaded the banner installation.
“They streamlined the process and keep me in the loop so I know what is going on,” Ledoux said.
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