EMMC buildings panel holds first meeting

BANGOR – A group of hospital, city and community representatives tapped to consider the fate of two State Street buildings previously pegged for demolition held its first meeting Wednesday at Eastern Maine Medical Center.

EMMC created the State Street Neighborhood Work Group after community members urged the hospital to rethink its decision to raze the Wing Estate building and Robinson house, according to a letter sent to committee members from Deborah Carey Johnson, EMMC president and chief executive officer.

EMMC officials wanted the first meeting to be closed to the public so members would feel comfortable to speak candidly. The group is expected to continue their closed meetings biweekly and finish its work in four meetings or fewer, according to Johnson’s letter.

Though the group’s first meeting was closed to others, EMMC spokeswoman Jill McDonald, a member of the group, provided a post-meeting update.

McDonald said that all 16 members attended and the overall tone of the session was “cooperative.”

McDonald said Johnson told members of the working group “that she would welcome candor” as they delve deeper into the matter. Johnson asked members to tap their respective constituencies for ideas to bring back to the group for consideration.

The fate of the Wing Estate and Robinson property came under public scrutiny after a Nov. 1 Bangor Daily News article quoted Helen McKinnon, vice president of support services for EMMC, regarding the hospital’s plans to demolish the two buildings and use some of the space for parking.

The Wing Estate, at 412 State St., is one of a few Gothic Revival-style houses remaining in the city and is nearly two centuries old. The Robinson house, located at 424 State St., dates back to the 1930s and sits on the property of the Howard House, believed to be the first frame house in Bangor and built in 1781.

Also during Wednesday’s meeting, Patrick Taber, construction project manager for EMMC, provided an overview of the two buildings. According to McDonald, it would cost nearly $1 million to restore the Wing Estate and about $400,000 to refurbish the Robinson house. The problem, however, is that EMMC cannot use money that otherwise would be spent on patient care to fix the structures. To that end, there was some initial discussion regarding possible grant programs that might be used.

Bangor’s Historic Preservation Commission voted on Nov. 8 to pursue listing the two properties as local historic landmarks. The commission was slated to meet Thursday but that meeting was rescheduled.

At the commission meeting, EMMC vowed to create a committee tasked to understand the challenges of the two properties, recommend solutions for the buildings that are endorsed by all parties, support the hospital in meeting its health care demands and present a long-term solution for the properties that would not create a financial burden to the current or future owners.

The State Street working group’s next meeting, tentatively set for the first week in January, might include tours of the two houses, McDonald said.

Johnson is chairwoman of the group, which includes EMMC representatives Taber, McKinley, McDonald and Joel Farley, facilities administrator; EMMC Citizens Advisory Council members Connie Kelsey and John Simpson; Bangor City Manager Ed Barrett, city Councilor Frank Farrington and Historic Preservation Commission Chairman Charles Boothby; neighborhood representatives Alan Boone and Eric Zelz; and community representatives Georgianna Ellis, Russ Harrington, Bob Kelly and Mike Pullen.