October 20, 2025 Bangor City Council Meeting Summaries

Disclaimer: The views I express here are my own and should NOT be construed as speaking for the City of Bangor or the City Council of Bangor.

Finance Committee

You can read the agenda for this meeting by clicking here.

1. BGR Jace Controller Replacement Bid

• The committee reviewed a bid for a controller replacement at the airport.
• The current controller is obsolete.
• Three bids were received. The lowest bidder, Technology International, was disqualified for submitting incomplete documentation.
• The committee approved awarding the bid to the second-lowest bidder, AAA Energy, with whom the city has a strong relationship.
• The budget for the project was $50,000, and the approved award amount is $46,592.
• Staff will follow up to see if the disqualified bidder was contacted regarding their incomplete submission.

2. WIC Program Funding

• The committee discussed a resolve to accept and appropriate funding for the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program.
• This funding represents Year 5 of a five-year grant cycle.
• The initial resolve was for $832,331. However, the committee was informed that additional pass-through funds from the state for WIC food (approximately $2.1 million) have also been allocated.
• The committee voted to amend the motion to include these additional funds.
• The final resolve, which will go to the City Council, will be for a total amount of $3,045,785, combining both the program operating funds and the WIC food pass-through funds.

Business and Economic Development Committee

You can read the agenda for this meeting by clicking here.

The main agenda item was an update on economic development projects, presented by our Economic Development Officer.

Key updates from the presentation included:

• Central Kitchen: The Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Central Kitchen has been released and is set to close on October 29th. A bid meeting was held for the project. The city is simultaneously working to design a sustainable operations model for the facility. This includes researching best practices from existing incubators like Fork Food Lab. In response to questions, staff noted that while the city will maintain oversight, an external organization will likely be brought in to manage daily operations. “Cold banking,” originally planned for a later phase, is a revenue generator that staff hopes to include in the initial construction if the budget allows.
• Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) 58: The city has been promoting the FTZ as a tool to mitigate tariffs. The Economic Development Officer (EDO) recently attended the national FTZ conference, gaining knowledge and building a national network. A local Bangor business is currently being guided through the application process to become a user, and another is in line. The EDO noted the significant benefits, citing one business that invested $100,000 to become compliant and is saving $300,000. The current tariff climate has made the FTZ an “extremely helpful” tool.
• Innovation Center: The center is now at full occupancy. The newest tenant is Reform Composites, a spin-off from the Composite Center that manufactures advanced materials. They moved in on October 1st and have already secured a contract with a significant international business. The EDO works from the center once a week to support the businesses.
• Husson University Partnership: The City of Bangor facilitated a partnership between Husson University and the Aruban government. An MOU was finalized that will allow Aruban scholars to receive free tuition at Husson. The partnership also includes an exchange program for American students to study in Aruba.
• 110 Hildreth: The purchase and sale agreement for 110 Hildreth has been executed. The building is being sold for $2.1 million, a price that was negotiated up from an original offer of around $1.2 million.
• Airport Collaboration: The department continues to work closely with the BGR International Airport team. The economic development team and regional leaders recently supported discussions for the airport’s terminal expansion project.
• Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Outreach: A DBE outreach event was held at the Innovation Center to help smaller businesses learn about and engage with city and airport RFPs.
• Bangor United: The city helped the Chispa organization launch a “celebration of community connection” event at the library. The event was highly successful, drawing 700 people and featuring food, education, performances, and small businesses.
• Future Plans: Upcoming work includes revisiting the plan for the Maine Enterprise Business Park to prepare lots for sale and creating plans for Tax Increment Finance (TIF) requests. Smith also noted that her department continuously meets with new businesses looking to locate in Bangor.

Following the presentation, the committee voted to enter an executive session to discuss the “disposition of real property”. After returning from the session, the committee passed a motion to “approve the definition of real property for economic development,” which will advance to the full council.

Infrastructure Committee

Click here to see the meeting agenda for this meeting.

Summary of Discussions

1. Snow Plowing Update Steve Smith, Interim Director of Public Works, provided an update on the city’s snow plowing plan for the upcoming winter.

• Parking Ban: The city is reverting to its “old ways” of handling winter parking. After a trial last year where a citywide parking ban was called for each individual snow event, the city will return to its previous system.
• New/Old System: Once the first citywide snow ban is called for the season, on-street parking will be banned at night for the entire remainder of the winter for all areas outside the downtown district. This allows crews to return for cleanup on subsequent nights without a new ban being called.
• Enforcement: Cars parked on the street in violation of the ban would be ticketed and towed. Councilors questioned how enforcement would be handled by the Police Department on non-storm nights, noting that in the past, towing did not typically occur unless there was a storm.
• Public Notification: The city will post the change on its website. Councilors were asked to use their own connections, such as Facebook pages, to spread the word. The department will also provide sound bites to TV channels and consider using public service announcements.
• Downtown Sidewalks: Public Works will continue its policy of plowing all downtown sidewalks, including those in front of businesses. Smith noted this is faster and more efficient than skipping certain ones. However, if businesses want a “nice bare sidewalk” immediately after a storm, they will be responsible for it themselves, as crews may not return for cleanup for 3-4 hours.
• Staffing & Retention: Public Works expects to be at full staff by November 1st, but about one-third of the crew (15 people) will be new hires with no plowing experience, requiring significant training. Staff retention is a major issue due to wages. The city struggles to compete, offering $20/hour for CDL-licensed plow drivers when other companies offer $23-$24/hour for less strenuous driving jobs.
• CDL Training Program: The city’s internal CDL training program has trained 32 people, but only 15 remain with the city. The training for one person costs three months of wages and benefits, in addition to the equivalent of a $5,000 course. A councilor suggested an incentive program, such as a bonus, for employees who complete the training and stay for a set period.

2. Discontinuation of a Portion of Gilman Road The City Engineer requested authorization to discontinue a portion of Gilman Road.

• Background: A solar project is located at the end of the road. The developer originally asked for an easement, but the committee had suggested simply discontinuing the end of the road, which the engineer agreed was a better solution for both the city and the property owner.
• Process: The engineer asked for the item to be referred to the full council for a first reading. The process will also require a public meeting and certified letters to all abutters.
• Plowing: The engineer will work with the landowner to create a “hammerhead” turnaround for snowplows.
• Action: The committee agreed to send the request to the full council.

3. Discontinuation of a Portion of Pushaw Road The City Engineer presented a new request to discontinue a portion of Pushaw Road.

• Background: A developer is building a tiny home park at the end of the road and asked the city to discontinue the very end of the right-of-way, which extends onto his property. The engineer called it a “legitimate ask”.
• Plowing: As with Gilman Road, the engineer will work with the landowner to create a hammerhead for plows.
• Action: The committee made a motion and a second to refer the request to the full council for a first reading.

4. Valley Avenue Speed Study Update The City Engineer provided an update on a speed study on Valley Avenue.

• New Data: A previous study’s results were deemed inaccurate. After moving the radar unit, a new study found the 85th percentile speed to be 42 MPH in a 25 MPH zone. Out of almost 10,000 cars, 6,342 had enforceable violations.
• Safety: The road has seen two fatal single-car accidents in the past five years, indicating speed is a persistent issue.
• Proposed Solution: The engineer proposed testing “speed cushions”. These devices are designed with gaps that allow wide-axle first-responder vehicles to pass through unaffected, while normal passenger cars must slow down.
• Plan: The cushions would be installed temporarily as a test. If successful, permanent structures could be built. The engineer has funds for such projects in FY26.
• Action: The committee gave its approval for the engineer to proceed with developing a formal design and price.

5. Unattended Crosswalks Policy Update The City Engineer gave an overview of the city’s 2016 policy on unattended crosswalks, following up on a past request.

• Policy: The city follows a policy based on Maine DOT standards to determine where crosswalks should be installed.
• Criteria: A crosswalk cannot be placed without a “safe refuge” (like a sidewalk) on both sides. The city also evaluates sight distance , vehicle traffic, and pedestrian counts (e.g., needing 20+ pedestrians in a peak hour).
• Resident Requests: Residents can request a study from City Engineering. If the request is denied, the resident can appeal the decision to the City Council.
• Forest & State St. Example: The flashing beacon at Forest and State was discussed. The engineer explained it was installed after DOT required the “unwarranted” traffic signal at that intersection to be removed. A councilor who lives in the area commented that the removal of the light was an “improvement”.
• Pedestrian Education: A councilor suggested public service announcements to remind pedestrians that they must wait and ensure cars have seen them after pushing the button and before entering the crosswalk. The engineer agreed it was a good idea.