Wheels in motion for waterworks plan

BANGOR – Proposals to redevelop Bangor’s historic waterworks buildings have come and gone like the tides that feed the Penobscot River. But, this time, city and federal officials believe they have hit upon a project that actually will get done.

The current proposal is to turn the brick buildings on the river’s edge into a museum or aquarium or offices for conservation groups. Most of the work would be done by the U.S. military.

“This may be the best and last chance to do something with it,” said Lee Umphrey, intergovernmental affairs coordinator for the city of Bangor. “This could be the thing that works.”

He said city councilors have supported the project although no formal vote has been taken. What gives this project such a high chance of success, Umphrey said, is that the most expensive item – labor – will be provided to the city for free. He said it was too early to know how much the city would spend on materials for the project. However, donations from corporate sponsors would be sought to cover this, too.

The effort is headed up by Coastal America, a federal entity that brings together local, state and federal government agencies, as well as private groups, to tackle projects that are too big to be done by one entity.

The waterworks project fits this criterion because the city has tried for years to work with private developers to revamp the long unused facilities, which date from 1875. It’s usually the costs – estimated to be between $3 million and $4.5 million – that have doomed past efforts.

“It sounds like a wonderful opportunity,” said Virginia Tippie, the director of Coastal America, which was founded by former President George Bush in 1992.

“We’re all for removing dams and restoring waterfronts,” she added.

Since the federal government will be doing most of the work, the buildings cannot be renovated for commercial use, but must be dedicated to a public use, preferably one that has an educational and environmental bent that focuses on the city’s riverine history.

Tippie said ideas discussed so far include: a museum that would showcase artifacts from the Penobscot Expedition, the worst U.S. naval defeat except for Pearl Harbor, the remnants of which still rest on the river’s bottom between Bangor and Winterport; a museum dedicated to salmon or logging; a satellite of the New England Aquarium in Boston; and offices for conservation groups. These uses are not mutually exclusive.

The Bangor project has been endorsed by the group’s board of directors, Tippie said. That means it is eligible for funding, but that decision won’t be made for another year.

However, work could begin as early as this summer. That’s because a key player in Coastal America is the U.S. military, which always is looking for training opportunities.

The Navy has expressed interest in removing the remainder of the dam that spans the river at the waterworks site. That work could begin soon.

Other small projects that could begin soon include repairing the chimneys and replacing the buildings’ aged slate roofs with ones that don’t leak. Removal of pigeon poop that is inches deep could be done as part of a bio-terrorism cleanup exercise.

Once some of the smaller projects are done, major renovation work could begin, probably in 2003. This would include demolition of the filter house, the long, skinny building closest to the river, and renovation of the remaining structures. The work could be completed in 2004.

Once it becomes time to undertake some of the larger renovation efforts, Coastal America would turn to its corporate partners for financial support. There currently are 12 corporate partners in Maine, including Bangor-Hydro Electric Co., Cianbro Corp. and Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline LLC. Partners contribute funds and then pick and choose which projects they would like the money to go to, Tippie said.

The Bangor project would be on the list for funding for fiscal year 2003.