Future of Zoidis lot nearing resolution> Bangor council to determine fate of

BANGOR — With some luck, the flap over the vacant Zoidis lot at 24-28 Central St. should be resolved during the City Council meeting at 7:30 p.m. tonight at City Hall — maybe buried along with Bangor Hydro-Electric equipment in the middle of the street.

For a couple of months now, city officials have been grappling with a request from Bangor Hydro to put a switch gear, two transformers and two other pieces of equipment on the rear part of the 30-foot-by-60-foot, city-owned lot.

The request probably would have passed with little question, but business owners in the area begged the city to save the little hole-in-the-wall park they’ve helped decorate and come to enjoy.

Hemmed in by buildings on three sides, the lot was never designated a park, but a nice picnic table and some benches among the greenery provided a pleasant spot for lunch and just enjoying the summertime.

The matter came to a head two weeks ago, when it seemed certain that one side would go home from the council meeting totally unhappy.

But then City Engineer Jim Ring proposed a compromise that would put just the switch gear in one corner of the lot, with the rest of the equipment buried beneath the street.

Ring said the switch gear, which feeds power among several different circuits, “needs to be accessed most quickly” when there is an electrical problem.

In a separate measure Monday, the council will take up a request by Bangor Hydro to install an underground electrical vault and ductline in the Central Street right-of-way. If it is approved, the company hopes to do the street work and install the equipment this fall.

Also on Monday, the council will vote on a Land Development Code amendment regulating temporary sales of food and merchandise on undeveloped lots. The measure was previously approved 3-2 by the planning board.

Recommended by the community and economic development committee, the amendment would reduce the time temporary vendors could operate from five months to 90 days a year, and limit sales to items such as fruits, vegetables, Christmas trees and fish.

Those who wanted to stay in business longer could go through the regular site development process, according to Planning Officer John Lord.

City officials say that some year-round businesspeople have complained that the current situation creates unfair competition because temporary vendors pay neither property taxes nor fair-market rent.