Bangor officials review regional open space plan

BANGOR – With development pressures continuing to mount, officials in Bangor are among those in the region who have been thinking about how best to meet the public’s need for open space.

In Bangor, the need for space for outdoor recreation became apparent during the 2005 comprehensive plan update, City Manager Edward Barrett said Tuesday during a meeting with the City Council’s transportation and infrastructure committee.

While Barrett noted that Bangor has taken some steps to that end, including trail planning, other issues need to be addressed, namely:

. What areas in Bangor should be set aside as open space?

. What kinds of open space would best meet the needs of the lower density residential developments outside the city’s sewer service boundary?

. What additional public park space is needed and for what purposes?

. How can Bangor best ensure appropriate open space is provided in new residential subdivisions?

The Bangor Land Trust, headed by Lucy Quimby, has been instrumental in initiating the talks leading up to the proposal to form the Central Penobscot River Valley Open Space Conservation planning process, designed to guide future regional development while protecting important regional natural resources, Barrett said.

During a meeting with members of the City Council’s transportation and infrastructure committee, Barrett unveiled plans for the regional effort, which would involve Bangor and as many as a dozen other area communities.

The Penobscot Valley Council of Governments would administer the program and serve as its fiscal agent.

The project’s goals will be to develop a conservation and park creation plan for the region that is both broadly supported and representative of local goals and to create a so-called “greenprint” model.

Greenprinting is a computer-based technique that the national Trust for Public Lands uses to identify appropriate areas for public and private open space. It is based on geographical systems, or GIS, technology and can be localized to meet the needs of individual communities.

Barrett said that a steering committee, composed of two representatives from each participating community would be formed to provide overall guidance and direction for the project, including adopting a project budget, authorizing expenditures and the scope of work, approving agreements for services and monitoring overall progress.

Though regional leaders in the effort hope to obtain grants to cover the cost of the open space planning effort, participating municipalities would be asked to contribute 50 cents per capita for the work, which for Bangor amounts to about $15,700.

Area communities have been asked to consider signing a memorandum of understanding to that end by Dec. 1. Bangor officials will be asked to consider signing the agreement and to provide up to $30,000 in state revenue sharing dollars toward the effort. Of that total, $16,000 would cover Bangor’s per capita fee for joining the effort and $14,000 would be set aside to pay for planning expertise specific to Bangor.