By Wayne E. Rivet

Staff Writer

Justin McIver is always looking for ways to “show what Bridgton is all about.”

He helped organize and deliver the popular Music on Main concert series, taking one of his vacant lots and turning it into a social hub.

When he recently purchased property along Main Street — which houses Ricky’s Diner and the new location of the Greater Bridgton Lakes Region Chamber of Commerce — McIver saw blank wall space as potential canvases capturing Bridgton’s past and present.

The local developer held somewhat of a “reveal” at Tuesday night’s Bridgton Board of Selectmen’s meeting (April 26), displaying two possible mural designs for the site and seeking feedback from town officials.

One recaptures a piece of Bridgton’s history — the Narrow Gauge, being admired by two youngsters, which would appear on the Ricky Diner’s wall along Depot Street — where the railroad once pulled up and unloaded raw materials during Bridgton’s developmental year and later passengers looking to spend their time in this quaint little community.

The second promotes Bridgton’s treasured natural resources and a destination point for those looking to enjoy the great outdoors. This mural will be seen as travelers approach the Pondicherry Square traffic lights and preparing their turn onto Main Street. It will be a colorful scene adjacent to the parking lot, which will serve McIver’s latest construction project — The Gateway, a commercial building that will house a brewery/restaurant, along with other retail spaces and apartments.

McIver feels the murals tell “who we are” and “what we are all about as a community.”

“We want it to be a collaboration. I love Bridgton. I want it (the murals) to be something everybody does together. I want it to unify,” McIver said.

Mike Davis of the Bridgton Historical Society spoke on the importance of rail service, which arrived in 1883, to Bridgton development. He read a short poem written to celebrate the railroad’s arrival, which will be included as part of the mural (placed on the building’s existing doorway).

“It’s short…it shows the spirit of the time…It’s a lovely slogan,” said Davis, adding that the poem remains relevant today when looking at how Bridgton has grown. “These buildings don’t belong to just us, they belong to our forefathers and our descendants. We need to remember what has gone before and preserve it, along with the spirit left behind.”

McIver feels the train mural could become a popular photo-op spot since “kids love trains.” Town officials might consider eliminating an existing parking space there to thus allow room for photographs and “not block” the mural.

Ursula Flaherty liked the proposed train mural, but wondered if more “people could be integrated” into the scene. Currently, the mural includes an engineer waving to two boys.

McIver said siding would be removed and an aluminum board be installed to mount the murals.

A colorful nature scene, being developed by the town’s Arts & Cultural Committee, is now slated for the outside wall at Bridgton Books. The committee will fund the project through a grant, and utilize the talents of Lake Region High School students who will be “doing a lion’s share of painting” along with community members. The hope is the mural will be completed in June.

In other meeting notes:

Use of the official Bridgton logoon a banner that could be attached to the 270-foot construction fencing barrier surrounding The Gateway project in Pondicherry Square is another way Justin McIver sees as a way to promote local non-profit groups.

“It’s a high visibility site when people come into town,” McIver noted. “They can look at the banner and see what we have to offer and what is going on.”

A bigger question surfaced as to local businesses being able to use the town logo, which is trademarked.

Selectman Bear Zaidman pointed out that the logo was paid for by taxpayers to help market the town, and if someone wants to use it — but it must be in good taste — they should be allowed. 

McIver said use by businesses to promote Bridgton would result in “consistency” in the brand.

Town Manager Robert Peabody suggested that use of the trademarked logo be brought to the Select Board for approval. Decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis, Peabody said.

Art Walks, presented by the town’s Art & Culture Committee, will bring artists and performers to town locations on the second Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. starting in May.

The goal is to offer artists places to sell their work, either in front of local businesses or on some designated town-owned properties (such as adjacent to the Bridgton Community Center and the pocket park located adjacent to the Bridgton Memorial School site). A map is being developed to identify these spots.

The Committee has spoken to Bridgton Farmers’ Market officials regarding spaces since the two events will overlap.

Selectman Zaidman suggested the committee brief Police Chief Phil Jones on proposed locations regarding crowd control and safety.

The Harvest Festivalslated for September will have an old-time feel to it, but the new event stumbled on a current-time issue — insurance coverage.

Organizers Pam Ward and Mike Davis informed the Select Board that to offer a donated bouncy house or even three-legged races, liability insurance coverage could cost $1,000. 

One way to offset that expense is for the event to fall under Bridgton’s insurance umbrella as a town event.

The Select Board liked the idea of a fall festival, but felt organizers need to develop a firmer plan before the town could move on the insurance coverage.

“Come to us with specifics. We want to support this. We need a plan for the town manager to review. We need a plan for the parking lot. Bring it to us in May so we can give you approval,” Select Board chairwoman Carmen Lone said. “It would be great, but we need a plan so we can approve it.”