Preferred arena sites detailed Consultants favor Bass Park, Oak Street for Bangor project

BANGOR – Bass Park South emerged Wednesday as the top contender so far in the city’s search for a home for a proposed arena to replace the aging Bangor Auditorium.

A parcel on Oak Street was the runner-up, based on an analysis by consultants from HOK Sport + Venue + Event, the Kansas City, Mo., firm tapped five years ago to develop preliminary designs for the arena and evaluate possible locations.

Those two locations were among five in Bangor that were studied and ranked as part of an update commissioned by the city.

The Bass Park South site encompasses the city-owned land on the Hampden side of Dutton Street. The parcel houses an Irving Blue Canoe gasoline station and the China Harbor Restaurant as well as the new parking lot Penn National Gaming Inc. recently built. Penn National is leasing the lot from the city while its $131 million gaming and hotel complex is being built on Main Street across from Bass Park.

“Together, the two facilities would create a rather dramatic gateway” into Bangor, HOK’s David Greusel said Wednesday night during a workshop for city councilors at City Hall.

Factors working in that site’s favor include ample space for parking, several access points and “excellent” access from Interstate 395, he said. Drawbacks include the need to acquire and raze the gas station and restaurant, actions city officials hope to avoid.

Councilor Frank Farrington noted that it appeared the Bass Park South option “is rising to the top,” though he did not like the notion of dislocating two businesses. He asked that other Bass Park options be explored to see if there was a way to avoid that.

Greusel said he would not recommend trying to build around the two businesses because it went against current thinking in development circles. He also said that given the projected cost, which in the last five years has gone from an estimated $60 million to at least $90 million, it didn’t make sense to locate the new arena “behind a gas station. It’s as simple as that.”

Dennis Marble, executive director of the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter, was concerned that building an arena that is too handy to the interstate would not do much to support downtown businesses.

“My only fear is that people from away are going to drop off of the interstate, [attend an event] and that’s it, away they go,” he said.

City Manager Edward Barrett said that is one main reason why the councilors earlier expressed a preference for a downtown location.

“Those still remain valid considerations,” Barrett said. He added, however, that “our downtown is doing pretty well, almost to the point where I wish we could have a bigger downtown.”

The Oak Street land under consideration now houses the Bangor CareerCenter as well as a brake shop and bakery, all of which would have to be acquired and demolished.

That location, Greusel said, has good visibility from the Penobscot Bridge and the Penobscot River and is close to such amenities as restaurants and retail shops. It also has good pedestrian access from downtown.

While handy to the Pickering Square parking garage, Greusel noted that the garage is not designed for mass exits, such as those that would occur after a concert or sporting event. Other existing nearby parking is scattered.

The three other contenders, in order of ranking, were:

. Bass Park North, located on the in-town side of Dutton Street where Paul Bunyan Park and the city’s skate park now are located.

Though the advantages of that site were similar to Bass Park South, some think it might be difficult from a cultural viewpoint to tinker with the Paul Bunyan statue, a longtime landmark.

. Exchange Street, near the site of the new state courthouse. One of the sites considered in 2002, the site would require the acquisition and demolition of several commercial buildings, and it has limited daytime parking.

. Main Street Central, a location between Shaw’s Supermarket and the city’s Central Fire Station. Directly across the street from the Bangor Waterfront, the parcel now contains several residential and commercial structures, including Gold Star Cleaners and Dunkin’ Donuts.

The latter two locations were deemed the least desirable due to a range of restrictions, including difficult access and disruption.

When the original arena location study was conducted in 2002, nine parcels were identified as viable candidates for the new complex. The locations included Bass Park, the Bangor Waterfront and downtown. The general preference then was for a downtown site.

Much has changed since the original study was done. Sites once considered viable no longer are available, and some space earlier thought to be off-limits has opened up.

Given that, the firm was hired earlier this year to update its original study.

With the follow-up study now nearing completion, HOK’s experts were back in Bangor this week to get some feedback on the latest list of possible locations.

Greusel will repeat his presentation for the broader community at noon today at City Hall.

Greusel will use the comments from this week’s visit to complete his firm’s recommendations before issuing a final report to city officials. Barrett said last fall that the city was looking to begin designing the arena by about 2010.