It’s not just another ‘big box’ city issue

I wanted to comment at a recent hearing about the proposed development on Stillwater Avenue bordering the Penjajawoc Stream. I was told that “they” are not interested in what I have to say because I do not live in Bangor. I’d like to address several concerns here.

I want to be heard. I want to make a difference. I buy groceries in Bangor. I buy books in Bangor. I go to the theatre, to doctors, to hospitals in Bangor. I eat in restaurants in Bangor. Most every good and service I get, I get from Bangor. While I live across the river, Bangor is as much my home, my community, as is Orrington.

With the cottages I have, I respond to guests from across America and across the ocean. They want to explore and shop in a charming Maine town. They seek a town reflecting the area’s history. They want to take home Maine products, Maine art and artistry; Maine memories. They vehemently do not want a strip or a mall.

There is a sign as you enter the Maine Turnpike: “Maine: The Way Life Should Be.” This implies that Maine is unique, that it has a spirit all its own and opportunities – a sense of community unlike any other state – any other place.

After years of destruction of “worthless old buildings,” Bangor is anxious to regain its identity. It is recreating itself with an infusion of energy … with eyes to values that will set it apart from the New Jerseys of the United States: Repetitive strips without distinction. It wants to be pride-full where there was poor planning. It brings vitality where there was apathy. It has viability for a community clinging to values envied elsewhere: safe neighborhoods; quality education; and friendly (and even charming) shopping and eating opportunities (and parking tickets sensitive to visitors to downtown).

There is easy access to natural beauty at every turn. A culturally accessible, pleasing mix where great minds, good jobs and green spaces can grow symbiotically.

Home Quarters came and went. Wal-Mart is here and wants to create a greater behemoth, impinging on families, neighborhoods, safety – with little regard for the space it will irreversibly destroy; the piece of this area of Maine it will poison. Enormous gouges and tarred swaths in an area that can no longer breathe (other than breaking money to out of state conglomerates). Duplicating local businesses already rooted in the area.

My partner is a long-haul trucker. When the Bangor Wal-Mart was being stocked for its opening, he delivered a load to it. He was told by the manager, “If we don’t put at least 10 stores out of business, we’re not doing our job.”

I value the 10 stores. Local merchants who easily satisfy my consumer needs – and I’m sure the needs of every resident and visitor. They live here, they offer services, knowledge and a familiar face, and a collective conscience of the city’s health. They have a vested interest in tomorrow and are interwoven in the fabric of the community.

This is not just about another “big box.” It is about much bigger issues including where we call home. If “they” refuse to listen to “their people” – the desecration will continue. “The Way Life Should Be” will be ignored in the name of greed and Bangor will be just another strip in the anonymous mall of the United States.

Linda Haagen, owner of Loon Hollow Exceptional Cottages, lives in Orrington.