By Amanda Estes
Staff Writer
    Would renaming U.S. Rte. One in Scarborough add to the character of the town or just create unnecessary headaches?
    Town Manager Ron Owens believes renaming the major arterial that bisects the town would change the road’s identity as a major highway. He said renaming Rte. One would “give some definition to the main road (and) “connect the roadway more to the town.” U.S. Rte. One, he said, makes people think of a major highway, but renaming the road could change its character to be more of a main street in the community.
    Last Wednesday, Owens presented the council with a list of names that he narrowed down from suggestions offered by various people. Possible names include Coastal Road, Maine Boulevard, Main Street, Marshview Boulevard, Old Post Road, Post Road, Portland Road and Scarborough Boulevard.
    With Scarborough’s New England style architectural design standards and plans to move commercial development closer to the roadway, Owens said renaming Rte. One would help create the “village type feel” that the town is striving for.   
    Owens has been floating around the concept of renaming Rte. One since he was hired for the town manager position in 2001. He said he brought up the idea in his first set of speeches to the town’s civic clubs and has mentioned it periodically over the years. While there has been some interest, he said the idea hasn’t gained much momentum. With the town celebrating its 350th anniversary next year, Owens thought the time was right to really pursue the idea.
    During the summer, he said he would be exploring ways to get public feedback.
    If the idea moves forward, residents and businesses would of course have to change their addresses to whatever the new name would be. He said that process would probably take a year. The other cost of the project would be putting up new street signs, he said.
    Bob Nadeau, president of the Scarborough Community Chamber, said although he couldn’t speak on behalf of the chamber, he is personally interested in pursuing the concept.
    “It’s an idea worth exploring that’s for sure,” he said last Friday. He said he was interested in bringing a sense of history to the town.
    Old Post Road and Post Road both have historical significance. Rodney Laughton, historian for the Scarborough Historical Society, said today’s U.S. Rte. One was originally a north south highway built to carry mail. 
    According to the United States Postal Service (USPS) Web site, in 1673, New York Governor Francis Lovelace established a monthly postal service between New York and Boston. Although the service was short lived, the route became known as the Old Boston Post Road.
    After being appointed Joint Postmaster General in 1753, Benjamin Franklin inspected the post offices throughout the colonies and set to work improving the routes. According to the USPS Web site, “for the first time, post riders carried mail at night between Philadelphia and New York, with the travel time shortened by at least half.”
    When Britain dismissed Franklin from the position in 1774, there were post roads in operation from Florida to Maine and from New York to Canada.
    If the renaming project moves forward, the town council must approve the final name. Last Wednesday, the council expressed interest in Post Road because of its historical significance.
    Councilor Patrick O’Reilly, who owns the Pride Motel and Cottages on Route One, said renaming the road might provide a benefit to local businesses.
    “Has anyone ever tried Googling Rte. One?” he asked, referring to the popular search engine. He said people looking for online maps for locations on Rte. One have to look up Blue Star Memorial Highway to find the correct address.
       According to an essay by Richard Weingroff on the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration Web site, Blue Star Memorial Highways were first dedicated to the servicemen and women who served in World War II.
    The program started in New Jersey in 1944 when the New Jersey State Council of Garden Clubs planted 8,000 dogwood trees and beautified a section of highway as a tribute to the servicemen and women. The Blue Star comes from the service flag used during World War II. 
    Weingroff essay explains that in 1945, the National Council of Garden Clubs began to adopt the program across the nation and it was later expanded to honor all men and women who had served, were serving or would serve in the Armed Forces.