March 28, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

EMMC to lease up to 350 city parking spaces> Hospital to build garage

BANGOR — Eastern Maine Medical Center will be a major parking tenant in several downtown lots during the coming year. The community and economic development committee on Wednesday approved a plan to lease up to 350 parking spaces while EMMC is constructing a parking garage next to the hospital on State Street.

The lease could bring in as much as $120,000 over the 12-month period.

“From a financial point of view,” City Manager Edward Barrett said with a little humor, “it would be a very welcome infusion into our beloved parking fund.”

The plan calls for leasing EMMC 80 spaces a month in the waterfront lot, which is not used during the winter; and up to 270 spaces distributed among the Pickering Square Parking Garage, the Exchange Street lot, and the Kenduskeag Plaza West lot.

A shuttle bus will transport workers from the lots to EMMC.

The fee will be $19 a month per space in the waterfront lot, and $33 for each space in the other lots — $33 being a weighted average for the garage and lot fees, with a 10 percent discount for purchasing permits in volume.

Councilor Gerry Palmer Jr. said he was concerned about the impact on downtown businesses of so many parking spaces being taken up, but Sally Burgess of the community and economic development department said the retailers she had spoken with were enthusiastic about the prospect of more potential shoppers being downtown.

Parke Clemons, general manager for Republic Parking System, which manages the garage and city lots, explained that there are 386 available permit spaces downtown, so the system can absorb the 270 the hospital anticipates needing.

Rodney McKay, director of community and economic development, said that 270 would be the most EMMC would need in the lots and the garage, and the hospital would plan to lease fewer spaces in the coming months if its needs were less.

The committee also gave a positive recommendation to proposals for using acres in the City Forest as wetlands mitigation for two projects.

McKay explained that the Department of Environmental Protection has a formula providing that for every acre of wetlands developed, 8 other acres must be set aside and preserved forever.

The city has about 200 city-owned acres that can be used for mitigation in the forest near Stillwater Avenue.

The two projects needing land for mitigation are:

Acadia Hospital, which eventually plans to expand near its site on Stillwater Avenue. The land to be affected would be 1.73 acres, so a total of 13.84 acres needs to be preserved.

Bangor East Little League, which is expanding its fields on Forest Avenue. It is affecting 0.88 acres, so will need 7.04 acres preserved.

Together, the preserved wetlands would total 20.88 acres.

In other business, the committee heard about plans for an Oct. 24 Oktoberfest event, to be sponsored downtown by the New Moon Cafe.

The event would offer up to five beer tents operated by microbreweries, crafters selling their wares, food vendors, bands and an evening street dance.

Paul Noonan, owner of New Moon Cafe, said that the intent would be to have a family atmosphere during the day, and the street dance for adults at night.

Possible sites to be used include Norumbega Park, West Market Square, Hannibal Hamlin Park, Pickering Square and Broad Street.

Councilors said they would like to have more specifics as plans come together, but thought it could be a positive thing for the downtown. They encouraged Noonan to work with local police in the planning.


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