Focus on Locus

There is no question the Bangor Police Department needs a new home. Much of its current location on Court Street is off- limits due to concrete falling from the ceiling as the building precariously tilts toward the Kenduskeag Stream. Because it can’t use the building’s full four floors, conference rooms and the former deputy chief’s office have been converted to work spaces and filled with desks. One architect deemed the building unsalvageable.

With that assessment, the question becomes where should the new station go. There are currently four options before the city council, which will ultimately decide where the department is housed. In deciding which one to pursue, the council should keep some things in mind. First, the police station should be downtown in a visible location. This not only gives the police an important presence but also keeps the station easily accessible to the public. The new location must also be large enough to accommodate growth in the department and should be built in a place that is structurally sound.

One option is to build a new station next to the existing one on Court Street. This has the advantage of keeping the police near the courts, jail and district attorney’s office. It has the disadvantage of being tucked away on a little-traveled side street on the same troublesome soils that have done in the existing building. The city was ready to spend $6.5 million on Court Street when a site evaluation found problems with the underlying soils that would have required major modifications to the plans and would have raised the tab to $8.6 million. The police department, in consultation with an architect, made major changes to their plans to rein in costs. The problem, however, was that an entire floor would have to be chopped off the building, again putting the station in cramped quarters, and the street frontage would have shrunk considerably. Although this location is still on the table, there are better options.

One is a location that city officials decline to disclose but is said to be very close to downtown Bangor. That space is privately owned but is available for purchase. Without knowing more, it is hard to assess this option, but if it puts the station in an easily accessible location close to the courts, it is certainly worthy of further consideration.

Perhaps the best option is a city- owned vacant plot at the corner of Washington and Exchange streets. The snag is that part of the land is in the 100-year flood plain and all of it is in the 500-year flood plain. The city is currently researching whether putting a municipal building in a flood plain will put future federal funds in jeopardy. If the answer is no, the site should certainly get further scrutiny.

The final option is the old Armory building on Main Street. Being on the other side of I-395, this is too far from the city center. It may also be the most expensive option since the city’s parks and recreation department would have to be moved.

Wherever it goes, the police department, which has been on Court Street for 60 years, needs a new home. To do so, it will also need approval from Bangor voters of a bond issue to finance construction. Choosing the best location will improve the chances of the bond’s passage.