City seeks support for sports fields

BANGOR – A proposal to provide needed space for soccer and other field sports is gaining momentum.

During a meeting of the City Council’s government operations committee Tuesday night, local officials and those interested in the project discussed a council order seeking to establish two working groups that would be charged with bringing to fruition a plan to construct a proposed multiuse fields complex.

The order, which will appear on the council’s Aug. 23 meeting agenda, also would establish a deadline for each group.

Though the proposal has the support of the council and members of the region’s growing soccer community, supporters have yet to determine how the $4.6 million project will be funded.

Bangor officials are hoping to develop regional support for the complex. To that end, the committees would have representation from several neighboring communities. In addition, representatives of some regional organizations, including those serving youth, will be tapped to participate.

On Tuesday, City Manager Edward Barrett and Councilor Gerry Palmer agreed that the city would be expected to participate in the project, though at what level is yet to be determined.

So far, the city has assigned staff to help advance the project and has identified a 40-acre parcel between Union Street and Bangor International Airport as a potential site.

A factor that will determine what other support the city might provide, Palmer noted, will be the outcome of a Nov. 2 referendum that, if passed, would severely curtail the city’s ability to raise tax dollars for city and school operations, projects and other activities.

“If it’s a choice between soccer and plowing the roads, I think it’s going to be plowing the roads,” Palmer said.

As things stand, demand for fields far outweighs availability.

Of the handful of soccer fields in the city, only one is regulation size, and the Bangor school system has 14 teams, not including youth league and club teams, project proponents said earlier.

The Bangor Soccer Club has proposed a complex comprising eight new multiuse athletic fields, two of them featuring artificial turf. The fields would be used for such sports as soccer, field hockey, softball and lacrosse.

In addition to fields, the club’s plans call for lighting, a concessions area and restroom facilities. Nearby walking trails might also be part of the scheme.

Club representatives Rod Towne and Kevin Frazier, both of whom attended Tuesday’s meeting, have said the complex would be an economic engine for the area, drawing tournaments that would benefit local restaurants, hotels and businesses.

The order headed to the council would establish:

. The subcommittee on needs assessment, which will pull together information on the need for the complex, project demand, look at existing facilities and usage and develop regional support, and develop estimates for operating and maintenance costs. Its deadline would be Oct. 23.

. The subcommittee on funding and implementation, which would develop a plan outlining potential funding sources, evaluate the potential for building the complex in phases or using upgraded existing facilities, analyze potential economic impact and recommend a fund-raising strategy to allow the complex to be built. Its deadline would be Dec. 31.