The Hutchins gift

His generosity to the Bangor region generally has come quietly, but this time businessman Christopher Hutchins properly has stepped into the limelight to lead the redevelopment of the city’s waterfront. The gift of an amphitheater from the Hutchins family is important and appreciated for many reasons, most importantly because it is an expression of faith in the community.

From the beginning, plans to redevelop the old rail yards have been ambitious. The latest proposals include two hotels, conference centers, a marketing center, entertainment district, the amphitheater and residential development. City officials have been pragmatic about the project, looking at what has worked elsewhere, discussing options and carefully assembling public support. But beyond the planning stage, there has remained an uncertainty – where and how would Bangor begin the major investments needed to create this vibrant place?

Mr. Hutchins provided the answer Monday, when he told city councilors that his family was willing to donate the $2.5 million to $3 million needed to build an amphitheater along the Penobscot River, a centerpiece of the waterfront development. And he’d like to see it started soon, perhaps as early as this fall, with construction finished by the following summer in time for the Penobscot Theatre Company’s annual Shakespeare Festival. The boost this gives the entire development project is enormous.

This gift also is a matter of prestige. If the Shakespeare Festival is to expand its following outside Maine, if concerts here are to attract summer tourists, if the city is to be more than a place visitors pass through on their way somewhere else, Bangor needs an attractive and active outdoor cultural core to its downtown. An amphitheater would offer that, giving thousands of people annually the chance to experience the performing arts in a beautiful setting.

It is fitting that the first major step in the waterfront development concerns a public space, a spot open to city residents and anyone else who enjoys the outdoors and the growing list of cultural activities presented here. The Hutchins family deserves the gratitude of Bangor.