Auditorium ideas merit discussion

One week from now, much of the Eastern Maine high school basketball world again will turn its attention to the Bangor Auditorium.

Tournament time will be here, and talk will fill the halls about which teams and players are best now, and about more than five decades of tournament memories in the building on the corner of Buck and Main streets.

Every fan has a favorite moment. The five-overtime Eastern Maine Class B final between Dexter and Rockland. Tim Scott and the Magic Minute. The Baron of Van Buren, Matt Rossignol. Mike Thurston. Jonesport-Beals. Cindy Blodgett. Bill Burney. Joe Campbell. The list goes on.

But along with the reminiscing in the hallways should come some serious discussion among fans – i.e. taxpayers – about the future, particularly the future of the auditorium itself, as will be the case at City Hall in the near future.

According to an article in last Saturday’s paper, city officials will schedule workshop meetings soon to address issues surrounding a proposed replacement for the aging auditorium.

In one sense it will mark a return to square one, with basic questions forming the foundation for the discussions.

Should there be a new auditorium and convention center? Where should it be located? Who should pay for it?

A 2003 study by HOK Associates pegged the cost of a 7,500-seat arena and an adjacent convention center at $40 million, a cost that certainly is higher four years later.

The assumption has been in recent years that the city’s revenues from the Hollywood Slots racino would cover that cost, with a target date for design work of 2010 and construction to follow a couple of years later.

Whether additional money will be needed remains to be seen, but that certainly will be part of the coming conversation about the next steps in the auditorium process.

Sports venues often are seen as a politically incorrect luxury for tax dollars when compared with other vital items that strain a municipality’s budget.

Fortunately for the Greater Bangor athletic community, Stephen King’s benevolence has provided the city a state-of-the-art swimming facility (Pancoe Pool) and a baseball stadium that not only is a field of dreams for youngsters throughout the state, but has a global presence thanks to its role as host site of the Senior League World Series each August.

While no economic impact studies have been done on those facilities, at the least they help complete the fabric of a well-rounded community, to be sure.

A modern auditorium and convention center can provide even more than that, serving as yet another economic development tool for the city and the entire region.

There’s no question a new facility is needed, but certainly legitimate questions remain.

And the coming months will provide the public a chance to share their feelings on the matter, feelings at least a couple of councilors feel haven’t been expressed sufficiently yet.

I clearly don’t have all the answers to making a new auditorium happen. If I did I’d be a highly compensated consultant. All I seek is for the dialogue to intensify, and for everyone with an idea to be heard.

That seems to be the city’s goal, too, and at this stage, at least, that is a good thing.

Ernie Clark may be reached at 990-8045, 1-800-310-8600 or eclark@bangordailynews.net