State supports signs for Deerfield businesses
Published: Friday, February 01, 2008
The Massachusetts Highway Department recently said that it will install four 2-by 3-foot signs with 40 characters on them, Town Administrator Bernard Kubiak said.
Signs on either side of Route 116, where it meets Sugarloaf Street and on either side of Routes 5 and 10, where it meets Elm Street, could help alert motorists coming and going from Yankee Candle's flagship store on Route 116, which is a short distance from the South Deerfield village and from several tourists attractions farther north along Routes 5 and 10.
The selectmen are to review what could go on the blue and white signs -- perhaps something like ''S. Deerfield Center Restaurants, Shops, Wi-Fi'' -- on Wednesday, at their next meeting, Kubiak said.
''It was a really good example of your legislature really helping you,'' said Max Hartshorne, the owner of GoNOMAD Cafe.
Hartshorne and the owners of other area tourist attractions -- like Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory and Gardens, Historic Deerfield, Old Deerfield Craft Fairs, Richardson's Candy Kitchen, Red Roof Inn and others -- recently met with a representative of Rep. Stephen Kulik's office where the issues of signs was brought up.
''We mentioned our concern about the signs, bang, they got somebody to do the signs,'' Hartshorne said.
According to Hartshorne, Deerfield business owners started talking about new signs a couple of years ago.
''Rep. Kulik has had a strong working relationship with Mass. Highway and they were glad to be of assistance on this,'' said Paul Dunphy, of Kulik's office. ''We hope that it will prove beneficial to all the businesses and the other services in the downtown area.''
The town government is picking up the manufacturing cost of the signs, which will be about $1,000, using $295 left to the town from the now disbanded business association, and the rest from a streetscape account, Kubiak said.
The state is waiving the signs' $250 installation fee, Kubiak said.
The town hires a private contractor to have the signs manufactured, Dunphy said.
Kubiak said that the signs' installation is dependent on the Massachusetts Highway Department's workload and priority list. Hartshorne is hoping that the signs will be installed sometime within the next few months, and that they will be a boon for business.
Another development of the Jan. 15 meeting is a new Web site highlighting Deerfield businesses, called
Hartshorne has developed the site and is enlisting businesses to subscribe to it at a cost of $200 a year.
The subscription costs will help pay for the marketing of the site, for instance, by paying for links on other Web sites, Hartshorne said.
With the increased use of the Web for distance traveling, tourist marketing has to involve the Web, said Hartshorne, who owns GoNomad.com a travel planning Web site.
The site includes mini-sites for the Deerfield businesses on it, including information and photographs. Call him at 413-665-5070.