City Looks to Promote Along Highways, Railroad Tracks

Haverhill City Councilor Joseph J. Bevilacqua.

David S. Van Dam, chief of staff to Haverhill Mayor James J. Fiorentini.

Haverhill city councilors set in motion a plan to draw both tourists and businesses with rail and highway users traveling through the city.

The council, by consensus, approved a motion by City Councilor Joseph J. Bevilacqua to send letters inviting “organizations involved in culture and tourism” to discuss “opportunities to work together to promote hospitality industry, tourism and visitors to the city.”  Bevilacqua, who proposed using at least one signboard along the Amtrak Downeaster route between Haverhilll and Portland to promote activities and increase rider awareness, said it would have “a very strong economic well-being for our community.”

“The opportunity exists for us to promote it in front of the thousands of riders that come from Portland, through Haverhill on their way to Boston. And, equally important, are the riders that are coming back from Boston on their way to Portland. Haverhill was selected by the Train Riders Association and Amtrak as a mid-point. Let’s take advantage of that mid-point and let people know what Haverhill has to offer,” Bevilacqua said.

City Councilor William J. Macek.

Councilor William J. Macek also suggested using an electronic billboard along Interstate 495, for which the city retained time allocations when it was previously approved. Chief of Staff David S. Van Dam told councilors that board time is currently used to promote the city and, among other things, local restaurants.

“We do have five hours a month which is a lot, actually, because it moves every 10 seconds on the digital board. We’ve been promoting the restaurants. We are promoting the city in numerous ways. We currently are using it, and I did speak to Councilor LePage about using it, for other events and, certainly, we can do that,” Van Dam said.

In other action, councilors unanimously approved a negotiated 10 percent “across the board” cut in rates charged by the city’s two taxi vendors. The agreement between Mayor James J. Fiorentini and the companies came in response to senior citizens’ complaints over “the high cost of taking a taxicab in Haverhill.” It also received favorable recommendation from the council’s Administration and Finance Committee.