By Lisa Williams Ackley
Staff Writer

Thanks to the hard work of Ken Murphy, Nelle Ely, Anne Overman, Mody Botros and several others, Bridgton residents have the opportunity to vote for their favorite sign that will welcome visitors to our community, on November 8.

Sign designs prepared by artists Steve Oliver and Sue Lastra are among the three new designs that will be offered as choices.

“We just want people to be able to vote on one design we presented last year and a couple of new ones,” Murphy told the Bridgton Board of Selectmen Oct. 11.

The signs will be placed along Route 302 near the Naples and Fryeburg town lines, as well as on Route 117.

“The main thing is you’re selling Bridgton, and the first thing you see coming into Bridgton is your sign.”

“The simpler (the sign), the better, to me,” said Selectman Woody Woodward, after viewing the three sign options.

“It’s all up to you guys — what you want to do with it,” Murphy told the five selectmen Tuesday night. “I’ll leave it up to you.”

Selectmen Chairman Arthur Triglione Sr. said he would also, at some point, like to see what a larger gateway sign would look like and to find out what the cost would be.

“I’d like to have that option,” Triglione said.

However, right now, voters will be asked to choose one of the three designs unveiled in a presentation to the selectmen and the public Tuesday evening.

Discussion next centered on whether or not the signs will or won’t get the message across as to what Bridgton is.

“We don’t have a brand yet — what we want them (out-of-towners) to know about us,” Woodward said. “I think we’ve got to determine what our town is and what we want other people to know about us — I think we’ve got to finalize that, before we choose a sign.”

Yet, others present disagreed with Selectman Woodward.

Responding to a suggestion by Selectman Paul Hoyt to also include the original sign design that was erected in the downtown area, Chairman Triglione said,

“I think it’s time for a change — I’m looking for a new sign to spruce us up a little bit.”