2026-09-14 - City Council

00:00allegiance and I would ask Chief

00:01Hathaway to come in and lead us

00:12to the republic for its one nation under

00:16God indivisible with liberty and justice

00:19for all.

00:24[clears throat]

00:26Okay, this is the portion of the meeting

00:29set aside for general public comment

00:31directly related to city business for

00:34matters that do not appear on this

00:36evening's agenda. If you are here for a

00:38specific agenda item that is under

00:41unfinished business or new business,

00:44please wait until we reach that item.

00:47Items under first reading and referral

00:50will be discussed when they return under

00:52unfinished business and we will hear

00:54public comment at that time. Public

00:57comment requires a person to state your

00:59name and whether you are a resident of

01:01Bangor. The city council has adopted a

01:04public comment policy that we will

01:06adhere to. Statements during public

01:09comment should respect the dignity and

01:11seriousness of the proceeding and

01:13individuals will be restricted to

01:15speaking once. Obscene, truly

01:18threatening or overly repetitive

01:20comments will be deemed out of order and

01:22will be interrupted and removed. Topics

01:25that are considered out of order also

01:27include matters that are in litigation,

01:30individual employees or employee groups

01:32discussing matters for which complaint

01:35or grievance procedures are in place,

01:38personal disputes between the speaker

01:40and another resident not gerine to city

01:42business, support for or opposition to

01:46any candidate for political office, and

01:49personnel complaints pertaining to

01:51individual city employees. There is a

01:54time limit of three minutes per speaker

01:56and the total time allowed for general

01:58public comment regarding city business

02:01will be limited to no more than one

02:03hour. The public comment period is for

02:06city council members to listen and not

02:08to respond or debate with persons. If

02:11you do not live in Bangor or own

02:13property in Bangor, please allow those

02:15who do to have the opportunity to speak

02:17first. If you'd like to offer comment on

02:20any item directly related to city

02:23business not appearing on the regular

02:26agenda, you may approach the podium.

02:28Individuals who have appropriately

02:30pre-registered to give public comment

02:32via remote means will be given the

02:35opportunity to participate remotely.

02:38Alternatively, counselors may be reached

02:40via email at counselorsbangormain.gov.

02:44A link to the adopted public comment

02:47policy can be found on the city's

02:49website. Now, if there's anyone here

02:51that's wish um hoping to discuss 103 um

02:56Main Avenue, uh we're going to ask that

02:59that be done under public comment.

03:02So, if you are here for that topic, you

03:05will be doing it under public comment.

03:08Is everybody good with that? Okay. Um

03:13so

03:15yeah right there we do have a

03:18proclamation this evening for u national

03:22recovery month council fish.

03:26>> Good evening everyone. This proclamation

03:29is that September is a national recovery

03:32month. Whereas national recovery month

03:35is a national observation held every

03:37September to educate Americans that

03:39behavioral health is an essential part

03:42of one's overall health and well-being.

03:44And substance use disorders are

03:46treatable health conditions for which

03:48people can and do recover. And whereas

03:50recovery month celebrates the gains made

03:53by those in recovery, these gains look

03:56in different differently for all

03:57recovery from compete completing a

04:00treatment program, returning to work,

04:03rebuilding relationships, or achieving

04:05personal goals. And whereas recovery is

04:08for everyone, every person, every

04:10family, every community, integrated

04:13care, a strong community, sense of

04:15purpose, and leadership contribute to

04:17effective treatments that sustain the

04:20recovery of individuals experience

04:23substance use disorders. And whereas

04:26supportive families, peer networks,

04:28recovery community organizations, health

04:31care providers, workplaces, schools,

04:34faith communities, public agencies, and

04:37electic leaders strengthen recovery. And

04:40whereas addiction and mental health

04:42challenges are affected individuals,

04:45families, workplaces, schools,

04:46communities across every region,

04:49background, and political affiliation.

04:51And whereas Ponobscot County is home to

04:54thousands of people in recovery from

04:56substance use disorders who are leading

04:58healthy, fulfilling lives and are

05:01considered assets to our community. And

05:03whereas the city affirms that the people

05:06affected by substance use disorders are

05:09our children, parents, family, friends,

05:11community members, and deserving of

05:13dignity, opportunity, and support. Now

05:17therefore, I, Carolyn Fish, on behalf of

05:20the mayor of the city of Bangor and on

05:22behalf of the city council, do hereby

05:24proclaim September as National Recovery

05:27Month in Bangor. Given this 14th day of

05:30September, 2026

05:33and I believe we have uh Mr. Robert Fick

05:35here from the who is the executive

05:37director of the Bangor Area Recovery

05:39Network known as Barn.

05:43Would you like to come up? Yeah.

05:55Sure.

06:07>> Well,

06:12uh, thank you so much, counselors, for

06:14recognizing what's a very important

06:16month to me and very many other people.

06:19Um, I just feel honored to represent the

06:23uh thousands of people in Bangor in the

06:25greater Bangor area who get up every day

06:28and they choose to do something

06:29different with their lives, move towards

06:31wellness, become more productive, uh,

06:34better members of our communities and

06:36our society. Um, and if you want to see

06:38what transformative change looks like

06:40for a person, uh, you can come and join

06:43us September 26th, the Bangor waterfront

06:46for recovery pulooa. We'll have live

06:48music, food, fun, and games for the kids

06:50and the family. Um, so come and see what

06:53that looks like. Thank you.

07:04Thank you. Okay, Madam Clerk.

07:14No.

07:18You ready?

07:20>> All right.

07:21Is there anyone wanting to speak? Public

07:24comment is open.

07:27>> Hi, my name is Katie Co. I reside in

07:30Bangor and I'm a homeowner homeowner in

07:32Bangor. I wanted to let you guys know

07:34that on Saturday I was able to ride the

07:36trolley on its route in Orino and it was

07:38absolute delight. The driver was kind,

07:40informative, enthusiastic, and I'm so

07:43happy about the new bus driver contract

07:45that gave our drivers more full-time

07:46positions and wage increases. Thank you

07:49for being part of BAX and investing in

07:50such a great service for our community.

07:52It was really fantastic. Um, I also want

07:55to thank you for the proclamation of

07:56September as National Recovery Month.

07:58I'd like to note that folks in all

08:00stages of recovery deserve to be treated

08:02with dignity and respect. Um, every day

08:06we're alive is a gift. And for some

08:08folks, staying alive another day is

08:11enough. It's a battle unto itself. And

08:14someday their lives may change as they

08:16embrace recovery. But no matter what,

08:18they're people. And please treat them as

08:21you would like to be treated. Thank you.

08:24>> Thank you.

08:30>> Mike Furl, Bangor resident, long time. I

08:33just want to discuss something that

08:35major Dion Portland mayor did. Now

08:37Bangor is around 30,000 people.

08:40Portland's around 60,000, twice the size

08:42of Bangor. And the mayor, this is taken

08:45out of an article, the addicts have

08:47taken us hostage. That's from the

08:50Portland city mayor. Portland has

08:51reached a point where compassion without

08:53accountability is no longer working. We

08:56need more accountability. Period.

08:59Maine's largest city is dealing

09:00primarily with an addiction crisis, not

09:03simply a housing or homeless crisis.

09:06It's drug addiction, not homelessness.

09:10It's time to say no. They've had enough

09:12in Portland. Now, I know Bangor likes to

09:14do whatever Portland's doing, and they

09:16use that as an example. Well, the mayor

09:19has pointed out exactly what's going on

09:21in Portland, and we need to look at that

09:23seriously. Focus on public safety.

09:26Substance abuse and deterioration

09:28conditions in parts of the city are

09:30unacceptable. We have to tell the

09:33addiction population we are not here to

09:35enable them anymore. That's a comment

09:38that he made. Comments mark a notable

09:40shift in tone from the city that has

09:42spent years emphasizing harm reduction,

09:45homelessness services, low barrier

09:48approaches to addiction. policies have

09:50gone too far, particular as residents

09:52and downtown businesses continue dealing

09:54with open drug use, discarded needles,

09:57theft, property, crime, and other

09:59disorders.

10:04Mayor Dion suggests that Portland's

10:06attempt at compassion have in some cases

10:09cross into enabling behavior. Bangor,

10:14you're on notice.

10:16Advocates for the creation of a security

10:19regional treatment facilities have given

10:21judges another option when dealing with

10:23repeated offenses suffering from severe

10:26substance use disorder. I would

10:29recommend we take a look at Dorothy

10:30Dicks. There's plenty of room there.

10:33That would be the place that we need to

10:35really take a look at. If everybody is

10:37seriously concerned about drug

10:39addiction, Dorothy Dixs is a place that

10:42people need to go. And through the

10:44legislative process, this has got to

10:46happen. Okay? You know, we're Bangor

10:49citizens are running out of compassion.

10:51We need things that work. Okay?

10:54Providing homes does not work. Treatment

10:58is is the real uh process that we need

11:01to be doing. And Dorothy Dixs is the

11:03place we need to start. And he goes on

11:05and on and on. None of this is very

11:06good. So, if we're going to use Portland

11:09as our model, then we should probably

11:12talk to the mayor down there and say,

11:14"Hey, what is or isn't working because

11:16there's a lot of stuff we're doing is

11:18not working." So, compassion is to get

11:21the people the help, the mental health

11:23that they need cuz drug addiction is the

11:27primary problem. If you look at

11:28everything else, that is it. That's the

11:31number one thing. And what does it

11:32cause? Well, it causes homeless.

11:34Homelessness, another thing. Thank you

11:36very much. Thank you.

11:45>> Good evening. My name is Teresa Fallon.

11:47I'm a resident of Bangor. I'm also a

11:49mother, an adult case manager, a

11:51student, and a person in recovery.

11:54Two things can be true at the same time.

11:56We can acknowledge that Bangor has a

11:57problem

12:00right now without dehumanizing the

12:01people experiencing it. I have genuine

12:04concerns right now um including public

12:06drug use, discarded needles, sanitation,

12:08and how it affects a community.

12:10Compassion doesn't mean that those

12:11things aren't happening. Accountability

12:13and dehumanization are not the same

12:15thing. Intentionally instigating people

12:18who are already experiencing a crisis,

12:21filming their reactions, and then using

12:23those reactions to reinforce negative

12:25stereotypes does absolutely nothing to

12:27solve the underlying problems.

12:31I think we need to consider what

12:32responsibility comes with having a large

12:34platform. When community members speak

12:36up and they are turned into content

12:38designed to provoke outrage that does

12:41not result in accountability, it creates

12:42more division. [clears throat] When your

12:44content creates an environment where

12:46public humiliation and bullying are

12:47encouraged, we need to ask ourselves,

12:50what really is the purpose of this? Are

12:52we really informing the community and

12:53working toward a solution, or are we

12:55simply giving people someone to hate?

12:58When the public labels people as

13:00junkies, unworthy, or the problem, we

13:02are talking about people as if they

13:04cannot be rehabilitated.

13:06I believe in compassionate

13:07accountability.

13:09What are we providing people with to

13:11promote rehabilitation or healing here?

13:13Is substance use treatment easily

13:15accessible? If someone has nowhere to

13:17sleep, where are they supposed to go?

13:19How long does it take to access mental

13:21health services here, such as medication

13:23management? If we want different

13:25outcomes, we need to create realistic

13:27pathways to different outcomes. We need

13:29to find the gaps in services, treatment,

13:31mental health care, recovery support,

13:33and find out ways to actually close

13:35those gaps. Bangor does deserve clean

13:38spaces just as much as the people

13:39struggling in our city deserve dignity.

13:42Those things are not mutually exclusive.

13:45Labels can follow a person through their

13:47entire life, making it near impossible

13:49to thrive in a community that wants

13:50turned their backs on them. I want to

13:52ask you concerned citizens of Bangor, do

13:55we really want these people to have a

13:56safe space for change or do you simply

13:58want them to disappear?

14:00>> Thank you.

14:02>> Thank you.

14:10>> You go. I'll go. I'll just stand behind.

14:16>> My name is Susette Fur. I'm a resident

14:17of Bangor. My opinions are my own and

14:20not those of any committee I may be a

14:22member of. I would [snorts] like to talk

14:24about the definition of a service

14:26center. Bangor is designated by the

14:28state of Maine as the primary a primary

14:30service center. This means the city is

14:33vital to the economic and social

14:34well-being of rural and suburban areas

14:37providing access to hospitals, schools,

14:40shopping, recreation, and other

14:41amenities. It is a regional hub for

14:44essential services. Please note there's

14:46no mention of providing drugs. It also

14:49does not mention that ordinances and

14:52laws do not need to be enforced and a

14:54lawless society is allowed in a service

14:56center. When people buy a home in Bangor

14:59or purchased one years ago, they did not

15:01sign a contract to pay taxes to a city

15:04in which laws and ordinances are not

15:06enforced. Many homeowners will be paying

15:08their property taxes tomorrow. 11.38%

15:13of those taxes paid goes to the police.

15:16Taxes are paid with the expectation that

15:18local ordinances and state laws will be

15:21enforced by the police to maintain law

15:23and order in this city. The methodology

15:26for identifying regional service centers

15:28was adopted in 2002. The 2023 update to

15:33the list of service centers followed the

15:35method and the 2023 service center

15:37report to the legislature recommends

15:40updates to this methodology. There are

15:42secondary service centers in our area

15:45and Ponobscot County. Second secondary

15:48service centers include Milaninoet Orino

15:51and Brewer. Why is Bangor expected to

15:54shoulder the burden of an increasing

15:55drug HIV heepsi and homeless problem and

15:58the surrounding towns? secondary service

16:01centers not taking responsibility for

16:03their own and enforcing their ordinances

16:05and laws. If the legislature passed

16:08guidelines that the homeless have a

16:10separate set of laws, why is Bangor the

16:12only community following this? I would

16:14also like to mention that during a

16:16committee meeting regarding Yelen Pines,

16:18councelor Dean asked Michael Matt from

16:20Bangor Housing what they would do about

16:22Yelen Pines if Bangor did not give them

16:24the property tax deal with the tiff and

16:26the 75% tax back plan. Mr. Mr. Matt said

16:30they would go to another town. When Jen

16:32Gunderman at the um earlier workshop

16:35today was asked what would happen if

16:37Bangor did not accept the 300,000 for

16:39project hope for main housing, what

16:41would main housing do? Jen Gunderman

16:44said Maine housing would go to another

16:46town. The council should let these

16:49projects go to another secondary service

16:51center. Bangor is full and can no longer

16:53handle the number of homeless and

16:56substance abuse users. We have the

16:58highest cases of HIV in the state and

17:00the most cases of hepsi north of West

17:02Virginia. We cannot handle what we

17:04already have. Obviously, our police

17:06department and public health is

17:08spiraling out of control. Until we stop

17:10the spread and get a handle on our

17:12public health department, we need to

17:13stop all these projects and give another

17:15[clears throat] secondary service center

17:17this opportunity. Thank you.

17:20>> Thank you.

17:26>> Good evening. My name is Scott Partardy

17:28and I am a man in long-term recovery.

17:30Um, I've been fortunate enough to not to

17:32have a have a drink or a drug in almost

17:3517 years. And and this is I think this

17:38is an appropriate thing for tonight and

17:40um for years I have stood here at this

17:43microphone talking to this council and

17:45recently to the homeless committee about

17:47a reality that we can no longer dance

17:49around. The root of our homeless crisis

17:52is the unchecked drug epidemic. Period.

17:56Recently, Mayor Mark Dion of Portland,

17:58Maine's largest city, said something

18:00that hit the nail on the head, speaking

18:02about the city's crisis on the streets.

18:04He said, "I maintain that many

18:06individuals who are out there on the

18:07streets now because of their addictive

18:09behavior or their illness have

18:11surrendered, not intentionally, their

18:14ability to make a decision in their best

18:16interest. If you're willing to sleep on

18:18a sidewalk, that [clears throat] that is

18:20not in your best interest, and we need

18:22to intervene."

18:24I I am relieved to hear a leader in our

18:26state finally say what I've been saying

18:29for a long time. Mayor Dion

18:31[clears throat] is right. When addictive

18:32addiction takes hold of a human being,

18:34it strips away the capacity to make

18:36clear, safe decisions, leaving people to

18:39deteriorate on a freezing sidewalk under

18:42the guise of choice. That isn't

18:44compassion. It's abandonment.

18:46I speak to you not from a place of

18:48theory but from the front lines every

18:50single day. Through my work with Fresh

18:53Start and after spending 12 years and I

18:55still go into the jail every single week

18:57doing service work. I see the human toll

19:00up close. I talk to these individuals. I

19:03see what addiction does to their minds,

19:05to their bodies, to their souls, and to

19:08their lives. And more than anything, I

19:10see the need for decisive, structured

19:13intervention, not enabling silence. What

19:17baffles me, what breaks my heart is how

19:19this body can look at the exact same

19:21streets, the exact same tragedy

19:23unfolding right outside these doors

19:25doors and choose to ignore what each and

19:28every one of you sees with your own

19:29eyes. We keep applying surface level

19:33band-aids to a deep festering wound.

19:36We cannot keep waiting for Portland or

19:38anyone else to lead while Bangor

19:40suffers. It's time for big fundamental

19:43changes in how we handle addict active

19:45addiction and public shelter which means

19:48living on the streets in our city. We

19:50need clear boundaries, strong

19:52intervention pipelines, real pathways to

19:55recovery that get people off the streets

19:58and into accountability and care. It's

20:01time for Bangor to step up, face the

20:03truth, and definitely do this. You know,

20:05I I when I'm in jail doing Alcoholics

20:09Anonymous meetings, and I'll I can say

20:11what I can let my own identity out here

20:15here. You know, I hear I hear people

20:18tell me that they were rescued, not

20:20arrested.

20:22And I can't get any one of you to come

20:23into the jail and and sit with me. And I

20:26I've asked the sheriff to let me have

20:28some of you come in. So if you want to

20:30do it, come into the jail.

20:34>> Thank you.

20:44>> Wow, some great ideas. Um, my name is

20:48Phil Henry. I'm a business owner in

20:49Bangalore. Good evening. I ask this

20:51council to put operational stability,

20:53economic development, and measurable

20:55public return at the center of its

20:56decisions. I understand the citiz city

20:59solicitor has recently uh put in his res

21:02resignation. Finance leadership resigned

21:05in August. The assistant city manager

21:07leaves in November. Uh these transitions

21:10require a public continuity plan and

21:12auditable controls. In March, the city

21:15said that the 25 audit was still in

21:18progress and staffing shortages and

21:20other challenges affected prior

21:22timelines. uh fiscal year 2024

21:25management letter identified material

21:27control issues in reconciliations and

21:29financial statement prep. This is not an

21:31accusation of theft or misconduct, but

21:33it does require an audit completion date

21:36and public corrective action dashboard

21:38in 2027. Uh includes 584,000 economic

21:42development fund, a 1 million

21:44development capital schedule, and a $5

21:46million downtown TIF program. City

21:49materials document business out

21:51outreach, innovation center occupancy,

21:53property work, housing development

21:55activity, but there is absolutely no

21:57public scorecard that shows any verified

22:00results. Businesses retained or

22:03attracted jobs, private capital, new

22:05taxable value, incremental taxes, tiff

22:08agreement results, activities and

22:11forecasts are not outcomes. Uh tonight's

22:14Project Hope memo offers $126,000 for

22:17one year, 63,000 annually for two with

22:20an equal match. Before allocating these

22:22limited funds, we are just asking for a

22:24baseline, a report, full cost per

22:27client, quarterly results similar to

22:29what a private company would have to do

22:31before getting funds allocated. Obtain

22:33independent review, set a continuation

22:36decision. provider uh collection tallies

22:39are not an independent city-wide study

22:41in terms of needle uh uh pickups.

22:45Residents report discarded needles in

22:48shared spaces. The city should publish

22:50independently rec reconciled

22:52location-based data on reports, response

22:54times, repeat locations, cleanup costs,

22:57annual trends. Council must account for

22:59the full public costs including burdens

23:02on residents, businesses, public crews.

23:04The state reported 24 confirmed fatal

23:07overdoses while we're handing uh thou

23:10hundreds of thousands of needles

23:12occurring in Bangor through July. That

23:14requires urgency and evidence about what

23:16works. At public meetings and in

23:18messages, Bangor residents have said to

23:20me that they walk in Brewer because they

23:22don't feel safe here. Others say they

23:24are considering considering selling all

23:26their properties or moving to raise

23:28their families and start elsewhere

23:29because they feel unsafe and they don't

23:32feel that change is is occurring and

23:33they don't feel the council is listening

23:35to their please. These are individual

23:37accounts, not a survey, but they warn of

23:39declining confidence, safety, resident

23:41retention. This is not an argument to

23:43abandon people in crisis. We've had

23:45great ideas that have come to the

23:47podium. It's an argument to help them.

23:49But thank you.

23:51>> Thank you.

23:57Good evening. My name is James

23:59Gallagher, a Bangor resident and

24:01downtown business owner. Saturday was a

24:03great day for downtown. Main Street was

24:06packed, businesses were busy, and it was

24:08nice to feel that energy again. To the

24:11counselors who came down, it was really

24:12nice seeing your faces. Seriously, we

24:15need more of that. Even if you're only

24:17downtown for a few minutes, it matters

24:19to every business that is there every

24:22day. Come in, say hi, see what's going

24:24on. Sometimes showing up makes the

24:27difference. I know you can't be

24:28everywhere, but grand openings, charity,

24:31and community events, those are the

24:33opportunities for you to show up and be

24:35a part of our community, the community

24:37you represent. Saturday gave us a spark,

24:40and we need to make sure that flame

24:41stays lit. Let's build on it because

24:44Saturday showed us we can. Thank you.

24:47>> Thank you.

24:52>> Um Jackie Smallwood. I'm a resident. I'd

24:54like my comments um tonight about Banire

24:56to be part of tonight's record. Banire,

24:59the Bangor uh airport civic development

25:02corporation is a nonprofit that this

25:04council itself created back in 1979 to

25:07develop land around Bangor International

25:09Airport for industrial manufacturing and

25:12business uses. Under its own bylaws, it

25:15has broad power to buy, lease, manage,

25:17develop, sell, and mortgage real

25:19property. Today it manages the Bangor

25:21Innovation Center at 40 Johnson Street,

25:24a business incubator that is operated

25:26since 1979.

25:28Its day-to-day operations are run by are

25:31run by Bea Hernandez Smith, the city's

25:34economic development officer. Under its

25:36bylaws, Banire's board of directors, has

25:39up to 11 voting seats, needing eight

25:41votes for a quorum. Banire's board is

25:44filled automatically by whoever holds

25:45specific city titles and is then joined

25:47by a broader membership from the private

25:49public sector not to exceed 25.

25:53Baner's most recent available IRS

25:55filings show just under $1 million in

25:58total assets. The last time a full

26:0012person board was reported was fiscal

26:03year 2023, but the 2022 and 2022 2023

26:07filings were identical rosters

26:09unchanged, suggesting suggesting that it

26:12may have been um functioning even may

26:15not have been functioning even then. A

26:172024 filing exists, but the board roster

26:19has never been made public. This summer,

26:21the city moved to reactivate Banire.

26:24Select city officials met on July 1st

26:27and August 5th at Johnson Street.

26:29Counselors Beck, Leonard, Dean Haw,

26:32Director Anne Craig, and airport

26:34director Jose Cidra participated. I

26:37cannot confirm who attended the August

26:39meeting because minutes have not been

26:41posted and there is no video coverage

26:43archived in the city's typical

26:45locations. A meeting scheduled for

26:47September 2nd was set to finalize

26:49proposed bylaw amendments, which ones

26:52nobody knows. They were set to vote to

26:55change the board membership from 11 down

26:57to 8 and change the quorum from 8 down

26:59to five. They were to grant Baner's

27:02executive manager independent spending

27:04authority of $25,000.

27:06Five people all tied to city titles with

27:09no independent VO voice from the public

27:11sector. We're set to finalize these

27:14changes after only two meetings. I thank

27:16the city manager for count for

27:18cancelling that meeting. Ban Air may be

27:20its own nonprofit on paper, but it was

27:22created by this council and federal law

27:25requires nonprofits like it to operate

27:27for the public's benefit, not its own

27:29convenience. The separate corporate

27:31structure doesn't erase its obligation

27:33to the citizens it was built to serve.

27:36I'm asking the city to make Baner's old

27:38bylaws, old and newly proposed public

27:42before any meeting is rescheduled and to

27:44commit to recruiting the independent

27:46members those bylaws already call for

27:48before this board proceeds further.

27:51Thank you.

27:52>> Thank you.

28:02>> Good evening. My name is Katherine

28:04Divine. I live in I'm a resident of the

28:06city of Bangor and I have two points to

28:09make tonight. One,

28:12accountability does not exclude

28:14compassion and two, if you continue in

28:17the direction that you're going, you're

28:18not listening to the people of the of

28:20Bangor.

28:22I myself went lived in a residential

28:26disciplehip program for addicts for a

28:29year and a half.

28:31They did not allow us to do

28:34have any substances on campus. There was

28:37accountability. We were expected to get

28:38jobs. I would not be standing here today

28:40if it were not for that program. We also

28:43have many people who have been through

28:45that program that would attest that

28:47going to jail saved their lives. It may

28:50not see compa seem compassionate to put

28:53people in jail when they are struggling

28:55with addiction in public spaces, but it

28:58is the one of the more compassionate

29:00things you can do is to get them off the

29:02streets and away from those drugs for a

29:04certain period of time.

29:07Travis Kerry from Portland was a heroin

29:10addict for 15 years until he spent a

29:13significant amount of time in jail. and

29:16now he is sober and leading his own

29:18flock and in a good place in life.

29:23Giving these people a hand out, as I've

29:25said before, is not compassion. It only

29:28allows them to continue what they're

29:29doing under the safety of town resources

29:32and taxes.

29:34My second point being that it's not

29:37you're not listening to us if you

29:39continue down this path. Several people

29:42have stood in front of you and given

29:44that you their concerns and given you

29:46the facts, statistics, personal

29:49experiences and yet for how many years

29:52now h have we been um has the council

29:56been displaying this behavior.

29:59In 2023, a similar thing happened in

30:02Augusta where 600 people came and

30:05testified against a specific bill and

30:07yet the city passed uh the t goodness

30:10gracious the state passed it.

30:13We can't continue with this. You guys

30:14are not here to represent your own

30:17personal opinions. You are here to

30:18represent this city of Bangor.

30:22And we are here and we are saying we do

30:24not want our taxpayer dollars going to

30:26these projects anymore.

30:28I would go for something suggested here

30:30tonight. Funding Dorothy Dicks,

30:33providing more beds, putting people in

30:35there. If you don't like the idea of

30:36people going to jail, then maybe

30:38continuing

30:40to fund things like Dorothy Dicks or

30:42other hospital settings

30:46rather than just another addiction home.

30:49Thank you.

30:50>> Thank you.

30:58Good evening. Uh my name is Melissa

31:00Pelzawitz. I live in Bangor. Um before I

31:05didn't prepare my remarks. I just came

31:06and I feel compelled to speak. Um before

31:09I speak what I want to speak, um I have

31:12lived in Bangor since 2024 and I have

31:15never once felt unsafe in this

31:17community. Um I have never once seen

31:20needles lying around. So, I understand

31:24there are people saying that's that's

31:25that is their experience, but it's not

31:27something that I've experienced in the

31:28two years I've lived here. Um, I am an

31:31attorney. If you look me up, you will

31:33see that I received the Kenneth Arcl

31:38score in the state of Maine. Um, we've

31:41heard people tonight talk about forced

31:44um

31:46in forced um sorry forced um being

31:51forced into Dorothia Dicks or forced

31:53into recovery. And um we've tried that

31:56as a country. We've done that to

31:59intellectually disabled. We've done that

32:02to

32:04um gay. We've done that in to a lot of

32:08different people. And it's not

32:10constitutional.

32:11You cannot force somebody for a illness,

32:17force somebody um into a recovery

32:21facility. So to even suggest that, we've

32:24heard suggestions tonight. It's just not

32:25legal. Um it's also not appropriate.

32:29It's also doesn't make sense to jail

32:31these people. Um again, this is an

32:34illness. you don't put people who have

32:37diabetes in jail so that they don't eat

32:40donuts. Um, so that was I sorry I didn't

32:45prepare prepare remarks so they're

32:46probably not very good but um hearing

32:49all of this comment I thought it was

32:50important that we remember that people

32:52have rights and there are laws and

32:54individual freedoms guaranteed in the

32:56constitution. Thank you.

32:59>> Thank you.

33:04Hi everybody. My name is Beth Hagerty

33:07and I'm a a longtime resident of Bangor.

33:09And just a point of clarification, um it

33:12is true that we can't force somebody to

33:14go and get treatment. I believe that um

33:16Mayor Dion had recommended that as an

33:19alternative to jail. So it would give

33:21judges the opportunity to send somebody

33:24to treatment versus jail time or as

33:28treatment in lie of bail. So, I think

33:30that's what people are advocating for.

33:32We're certainly not saying that we

33:33should go out and just pick people up

33:35off the street and force them against

33:36their will to do something they're not

33:37comfortable with. But, um, that's one

33:39point of clarification. I also think

33:41it's important that I've lived here for

33:46I hate to admit how long uh 20 more than

33:4925 years and I really really love this

33:52city. And I think we can go back and

33:53forth. Some people see needles, some

33:55people do not. Some people s feel safe,

33:57some people do not. That is all a matter

33:59of personal experience. But we have

34:01problems. At least we can agree that we

34:04have problems that need to be addressed.

34:06The fingerpointing, the I I experienced

34:08this. I did not experience this. I think

34:11we need to put that aside. We're all in

34:13this together. We all love this city.

34:15How could we fix the problems that face

34:17us? Thank you so much.

34:20>> Thank you.

34:34Good evening, council members. Um, my

34:36name is Brian Calfman. I'm a physician

34:39in this town. I have been practicing in

34:41Maine for about 20 years. I've been in

34:43Bangor for about three years. I have

34:46been on the faculty of the University of

34:48New England College of Osteopathic

34:49Medicine for about 20 years. Uh, I have

34:53been

34:54past president of the main osteopathic

34:56association and on the board of

34:58directors for them for over 12 years.

35:01More importantly than any of that, um I

35:04presently have been doing pain

35:06management treatment and addiction

35:09medicine treatment for about the last 20

35:12years. In that time, I've seen a lot of

35:15patients struggle with both of these

35:17problems. Both are chronic problems. we

35:20have a crisis of both chronic pain and

35:24substance use disorder. Um there was an

35:27interesting study done a long time ago.

35:29They took rats and of course it's rats

35:32um and they

35:35gave these rats choices of getting um

35:38different drugs or getting food. If the

35:42rats were living alone,

35:45they chose the drugs. If the rats were

35:48with other rats, they chose the food.

35:51What does this tell us? It tells us that

35:54an important part of substance use

35:57disorder treatment and really even

35:59mental health, whatever, is community.

36:02So, yeah, we have a problem. We need to

36:04treat it like a community. These are

36:07parts of our community that we need to

36:08help. There's lots of ways to do it, but

36:11making folks with these issues feel

36:14included is one of them. making them

36:17part of the community, not putting them

36:19outside the community. And number two,

36:22another risk factor for substance use

36:24disorder is not having adequate access

36:28to pain management.

36:31We at Northeast Pain Management have

36:33been taking care of hundreds and

36:37thousands of patients for many years now

36:39in the Bangor and beyond area. We are

36:42trying to expand because there's such a

36:45need. My wait time is [clears throat]

36:48about 6 months to see me. If you

36:51tomorrow have a really bad pain issue,

36:54you can't see me till 2027.

36:57I'd like to see you next week or

36:59tomorrow. So, I would like the council

37:03to consider

37:05um their stance on the sale of the

37:11building at the address on Main Street

37:14to Northeast Pain Management, both for

37:18PCHC

37:19in terms of providing access to primary

37:23care and making sure they survive as an

37:25entity, but also that we can take care

37:28of all the people that want to see us.

37:31Thank you.

37:33>> Thank you.

37:42>> Hello. Good afternoon. My name is Eric

37:44Weise. I'm president, part owner of

37:46Northeast Pain Management in Bangor,

37:48Maine. I know everyone's well aware of

37:51some of the serious implications that

37:52jeopardizing the deal at 103 Mainav

37:54would have, and I don't want to take

37:56this time to rehash that. I want to use

37:58this to ensure that the council and the

38:00public at large are aware of where

38:02certain entities stand on this issue.

38:05The major medical associations of Maine,

38:07the main medical association and the

38:09main osteopathic association have sent a

38:11formal letter to the council urging them

38:13to reconsider their decision. So have

38:16many local business leaders and

38:17businesses.

38:19So have state representatives and

38:20lawmakers and most importantly many of

38:23the citizens of Bangor have. At this

38:26point, it appears that only a handful of

38:28council members appear to be in favor of

38:30the council's decision, and that's not

38:32how a city council is meant to operate.

38:34There are also unanswered questions,

38:36such as why they wouldn't be able to

38:39utilize properties they already own at

38:4050 Cleveland Street and 120 Venture Way

38:43to achieve the same goals at a fraction

38:45of the cost. The city also doesn't

38:48appear to have given any written notice

38:49within the 30 days that it says is

38:51required on the deed. I hope we will

38:54receive real answers and explanations to

38:56this matter. Thank you.

38:59>> Thank you.

39:10>> Can we go to the remote?

39:15>> Oops. Hold on.

39:17>> One more.

39:19Jeff Fory. I'm a resident of Bangor. Uh

39:21this concerns uh or proposed order

39:24number 26-274

39:27about the uh potential purchase of the

39:29property at 103 Main Avenue. Um I just

39:32found out about this and just for

39:34purposes of ventilating this issue in a

39:37proper public forum and making sure that

39:39the public has all the information it

39:41needs. I think the public record is

39:44rather slim and that's putting it

39:45charitably. So, I have three questions

39:48that I hope would be part of the

39:49deliberations and also would be uh put

39:52into the public record so the public can

39:54be more informed on this issue and make

39:57appropriate comment. First, uh I'm going

40:00off the 2024 financial statement of the

40:03city of Bangor, which is the most recent

40:05financial statement. The largest portion

40:07of the city's net position is investment

40:10in capital assets. Uh and the financial

40:13statement lists in note C 89 million in

40:16buildings and improvements. And these

40:18assets of course are not available to

40:20service the city's debt. Uh the public

40:23record doesn't really disclose why the

40:25city is interested in the purchase of

40:27this property.

40:29Uh and it seems rather odd given that

40:32this purchase would add to the carrying

40:34cost of the city and add to its uh net

40:36capital position which it doesn't at

40:38least on the public record as it stands

40:40doesn't seem appropriate.

40:43Also, this purchase is proposed through

40:45a bond issuance and it's unclear.

40:48There's a wholesale delegation to the

40:50financial director to issue a bond uh

40:53determine the interest rates and so

40:54forth, but none of that's been

40:56disclosed.

40:57This is of course significant because

40:59the city's rating with standards and

41:01poor is only double A. Um so depending

41:05on the time frame of the debt and the

41:07interest uh this could be potential

41:09burden on of course uh the taxpayers uh

41:13the proposed order actually even states

41:16uh that there's a good likelihood on

41:19page two that the city shall levy a tax

41:22in the amount sufficient to pay annual

41:24principle and interest on such bonds.

41:26And given of course the escalating tax

41:28rates in the city which I'm sure every

41:31resident knows about. Uh this of course

41:33is a is a concern for the public

41:35taxpayer and that their their tax bill

41:37may be going up because of this and u on

41:40what basis we're unsure why it is that

41:42it's such an urgent need to purchase

41:44this property. And then lastly uh the

41:47public the public record that we have is

41:49there's a quick claim deed from 2009. It

41:51looks like the city's intending to

41:54exercise its right of first refusal,

41:57but nothing in the public record,

41:58assuming that is true, discloses whether

42:02there was any costbenefit analysis done

42:04by the finance department or any part of

42:06the city to to determine whether that

42:09benefit from the city purchasing that

42:10property would outweigh the benefit of

42:13having another property owner there. and

42:15and we're hearing about uh of course

42:18medical services that would likely be in

42:20there and be a great benefit to the

42:21city. So I'm asking for more information

42:23on this and to delay your decision until

42:25we have it.

42:28>> Thank you.

42:42Okay.

42:51>> Hello. Can you hear me?

42:53>> You can.

42:55>> All right. Great. Uh, thank you for

42:56giving me the opportunity to speak

42:57tonight. It's uh, Richard Ward, Bangor

43:00City resident. I'm here tonight to

43:02address a matter of critical

43:04transparency regarding public trust,

43:05municipal funding, and the integrity of

43:07our local elections. According to

43:09official city records, the Bangor City

43:10Council previously authorized

43:12substantial taxpayerbacked American

43:14Rescue Plan Act funding to the

43:15Brewerbased nonprofit organization Food

43:17Medicine. This included a $75,000

43:20investment approved in August of 2023

43:22for community gardens, followed by an

43:24additional $261,000

43:26awarded in September 2023 to fund a

43:29workforce navigator position. While

43:31these programs are framed as public

43:32services, the reality is that the

43:34municipal funds are going to an

43:35organization actively engaging in

43:37aggressive local political operations.

43:39Just last year, in November of 2025,

43:41Food Medicine ran a highly coordinated

43:43campaign operation that successfully

43:44swept three progressive candidates into

43:46office on this Berry Council. Among the

43:48specific candidates they endorsed,

43:51funded in campaign form was Angela

43:53Walker. Let us be entirely clear about

43:55who this organization pushed into local

43:56government. In 2002, Walker and her

43:58brother brutally assaulted and murdered

44:00a tourist named Derek Rogers, leaving

44:01him severely beaten and suffocated to

44:03death in sand down his throat. Walker

44:06ultimately

44:31Oh, yes. Can you hear me?

44:33>> Yes.

44:35>> Okay, great. Um, I'm not sure if am I

44:37cutting over that last speaker's time?

44:38It seemed like he was cut off.

44:42>> Am I free to speak?

44:44>> You have your time. Yes. Three minutes.

44:46>> Okay. Um, well, I would like to uh to um

44:49appeal to the city council. This person,

44:50this is George Lance um from Bangor. I'd

44:54like to appeal to this um city to please

44:56stop violating people's free speech and

44:58let us have our time. Um some of us, you

45:00know, work all week to pay our taxes and

45:02we do have our freedom of speech here

45:04and and if you don't like what someone

45:05says, if they're criticizing one of your

45:08council members, that's allowed. That's

45:10free speech. That's what it's here for.

45:12Um what I'm calling to talk about today

45:14unfortunately had to get sidetracked

45:15with the defense of um you know free

45:17speech. Um but I'm calling about I'm

45:20asking your city council to put together

45:22a declaration um that I think a lot of

45:24people and we're putting together a poll

45:26right now. We have thousands of

45:27signatures of people who want the city

45:29to put a declaration out against the

45:31Jews for genocide and for other crimes.

45:34Um, and I want to remind people that we

45:37are allowed to speak about criticizing

45:39groups. And um, you know, Israel's only

45:42been a a country for less than a hundred

45:45years. The Jews have been around a lot

45:47longer. Um, Martin Luther was speaking

45:49about them in a book called The Jews and

45:50Their Lies.

45:51>> The point of order, I don't believe this

45:52has anything to do with City Business.

45:54Not

45:54>> city business.

46:09the last person.

46:14Okay.

46:19>> Uh yes. Hello.

46:22Hello. My name Jamandre Black. Uh I've

46:26been a resident of Bangor for four years

46:28now.

46:30Uh, as you may know, we just had the

46:3425th anniversary of the September 11

46:37attacks

46:38in New York City on the World Trade

46:41Center, and I would like to

46:45ask our council to have a week of

46:48remembrance

46:50and have some facts come to light. Now,

46:54some things that most people don't know

46:56is that the police officers in New York

47:00City were alerted to a threat and they

47:02arrested people in a van that had bombs

47:06and were trying to blow up the George

47:08Washington Bridge. Now, they also

47:11arrested 60 Israelis

47:15and five of them were reported as

47:18filming the Twin Towers. Point of

47:20>> order. This has nothing to do with city

47:21business.

47:22No,

47:25that's not it's all about New York.

47:30Bye-bye.

47:34Okay.

47:42Okay. Seeing nobody else approached,

47:43that is the end of the public comment.

47:47Madame Clerk,

47:50>> Minister of Bangor City Council regular

47:51meeting of August 24th, 2026 and

47:54business and economic development

47:55committee meeting of July 20, 2026.

47:5826-263

48:00Order authorizing the execution of a

48:02municipal quick claim deed for real

48:04estate located at 28 William Street.

48:0726-264

48:09authorizing the execution of a municipal

48:11quick claim deed for real estate located

48:13at 70 Thatcher Street. 26-265

48:17order authorizing the execution of a

48:19municipal quick claim deed for real

48:21estate located at 1579 Union Street.

48:2526-266

48:27Order authorizing the execution of a

48:29municipal bill of sale for real estate

48:31located at 159 Holiday Park. 26-267

48:36order authorizing revisions to ambulance

48:38service policy here and after referred

48:40to as the emergency medical services

48:43transport plan. 26-268

48:46order authorizing the city manager to

48:49execute a temporary land lease for two

48:51lot locations as described below to

48:53General Electric Company.

48:5626-269

48:57order authorizing the city manager to

49:00execute an agreement with Athena Health

49:02for electronic health record and medical

49:04billing services for Bangor Public

49:06Health and Community Services.

49:10>> Madam Chair, I move passage of our

49:12consent agenda. Second.

49:15>> Okay, it's been moved and seconded to uh

49:17pass the consent agenda. Is there any

49:19discussion?

49:22Seeing none, the uh consent agenda has

49:26passage.

49:27>> Madam chair, uh I have a conflict on the

49:30first reading of 26272 resolved

49:33regarding the together place.

49:36So I don't know if we can pull out

49:38separate or if I need to leave for the

49:39whole first reading section. Uh, no. You

49:43can

49:46Can we bypass that one and then you can

49:49leave when we get there rather than miss

49:53the whole section?

49:56>> I don't mind leaving for the whole

49:57section. I don't mind.

49:59>> Are you looking for a way out?

50:04>> It might be easier if you just left for

50:06the whole section.

50:08>> Well, Siss has said bye-bye. [laughter]

50:19I know.

50:22Apparently not. Okay.

50:2726-270

50:29ordinance moratorium extension ordinance

50:31on data centers in the city of Bangor,

50:34Maine. First reading. 26-271.

50:37resolve accepting and appropriating an

50:39airport improvement grant under the

50:41bipartisan infrastructure law program in

50:43the amount of 5,534,795

50:47from the FAA, $1,400$145,652.50

50:54from MDOT and $575,578.50

51:00local match for the rehabilitation of

51:02taxiway A and taxiway M at Bangor

51:04International Airport. First reading

51:0726-272

51:08resolve appropriating $7,000 from Bangor

51:12opioid settlement unspent funds to the

51:14together place. First reading 26-273

51:18resolve amending council resolve 26-195

51:22making an appropriation for the total

51:24school budget for the Bangor school

51:25department as required by 20A MRSA

51:28section 156904A

51:31first reading 26-274

51:35order authorizing issuance of up to

51:371,400,000

51:39of the city's bonds to purchase land and

51:41improvements located at 103 Main Avenue

51:43and a tax levy therefore first reading

51:45and referral to finance committee on

51:47September 21st, 2026.

51:51>> Madame Chair, I move for referrals to

51:53committee and first reading.

51:55>> Second.

51:56>> Okay, it's been moved and seconded for

51:58referrals to committee and first

51:59reading. Is there any further

52:00discussion?

52:03>> Seeing none, they will be referred.

52:07We will need councelor Beck back in

52:10here.

52:2126-253

52:23resolve accepting and appropriating up

52:25to $300,000 from main housing with a

52:28$126,000 match from Bangor opioid

52:31settlement unspent funds to support

52:33Project Hope. Council Beck.

52:35>> Thank you, Madam Clerk. This order would

52:37accept and appropriate up to $300,000

52:40for main housing and authorize a

52:42$126,000 match from Bangor opioid

52:45settlement unspent funds to support

52:47Project Hope. Project Hope is a

52:49collaborative initiative between Main

52:51Housing and the city of Bangor designed

52:53to assist individuals living in places

52:56not meant for human habitation in

52:58obtaining and maintaining stable

53:00housing. The program provides

53:02comprehensive housing navigation

53:03services, including locating housing,

53:06completing the rental process, and

53:08supporting participants for a minimum of

53:10six months after they move into housing.

53:13Participants will also be referred and

53:16connected to additional supportive

53:17services based on their individual

53:19needs. Funding will support up to three

53:22housing navigators employed by the city

53:24of Bangor and the Bangor area emergency

53:26shelter and housing assistance program

53:29as well as a program coordinator,

53:31operational expenses, and flexible

53:33housing assistance. Eligible housing

53:36assistance includes but is not limited

53:38to security deposits, landlord

53:40initiatives, movein expenses,

53:42transportation, and other client related

53:45costs necessary to secure and maintain

53:47housing. During the pilot year, Project

53:50Hope aims to serve 90 individuals and

53:53households in the Bangor area and

53:55successfully place at least 45 into

53:58stable housing. The program builds on a

54:00proven model that has demonstrated

54:02success in Portland and now is now

54:05entering its third year. Main Housing

54:07will provide 70% of the f the project's

54:10funding with the city of Bangor

54:12contributing the required 30% local

54:14match. The city's $126,000

54:17match will be provided through unspent

54:19Bangor opioid settlement funds

54:22previously allocated to the intensive

54:24case management program. Homelessness is

54:26both a contributing factor to and a

54:28consequence of opioid use disorder,

54:32other substance use disorders, and

54:34mental health conditions. project hopes

54:36activities are consistent with Maine's

54:38memorandum of agreement governing the

54:41use of opioid settlement funds by

54:44providing comprehensive wraparound

54:45services and include housing

54:48stabilization. The program advances one

54:50of the approved core strategies for

54:52addressing the impacts of the opioid

54:53epidemic and supporting long-term

54:55recovery. This item was reviewed at the

54:58August 17th special government

55:00operations committee meeting. Four of

55:02five committee members supported the

55:04project. However, four committee members

55:06disagreed on the appropriate source of

55:08funding with two members supporting use

55:10of unassigned fund balance and two

55:12supporting the use of unspent opioid

55:13settlement funds. As a result, a vote to

55:16recommend passage with funding from

55:18assigned fund balance failed two to

55:20three and a vote to recommend passage

55:22with funding from opioid settlement

55:24funds failed two to three. Therefore,

55:26this item is coming back to full council

55:28without a committee recommendation. Uh,

55:31Madame Chair, I move passage of resolve

55:3426253.

55:36>> Madame Chair, I would move to postpone

55:40um resolve 26253

55:43to the next regularly scheduled uh

55:45council meeting on September 28th, 2026.

55:49>> Second.

55:52Okay, it's been moved and seconded to

55:54postpone uh resolve 26-253

55:57to the September 28th

56:00um council meeting

56:03there. Any discussion?

56:09Any doubts?

56:15don't usually do

56:21>> typically on a postponement we don't do

56:24public comment.

56:27>> You you can not do public comment

56:30>> not

56:31>> it's up to you chair.

56:33>> Okay.

56:41Oh my,

56:43what the hell is this?

56:44>> Hillary Simmons, resident of Bangor,

56:46thank you for the opportunity to speak

56:48regarding resolve 26253,

56:51which would ex accept up to 300,000 from

56:54the main housing and commit 126,000 in

56:57Bangor unspent opioid settlement funds

56:59as a city match for project hope. I want

57:02to start by saying that I support

57:03helping people experiencing homelessness

57:06find stable housing. Housing stability

57:09is important and I recognize that

57:10homelessness and substance use can be

57:12closely connected. However, I do not

57:15believe that using 126,000 in the opioid

57:18settlement funds for this program is the

57:20best decision for Bangor. The city has

57:22limited opioid settlement funds and I

57:24believe we need to be very careful about

57:26using that money for programs that are

57:28primarily addressing broader issues such

57:30as homelessness and housing navigation.

57:33The proposal would fund housing

57:35navigators, a program coordinator,

57:38operational expenses, security deposits,

57:40landlord incentives, transportation, and

57:42other housing related costs. Those are

57:45important services, but they are not

57:46necessarily specific to treating or

57:48preventing opioid use disorder. We are

57:51told that Project Hope intends to serve

57:53the 90 individuals or households in

57:56successful placement of at least 45 in

57:59stable housing. That sounds positive,

58:01but I think we need to ask whether using

58:03126,000 of opioid settlement money is

58:06the most effective way to achieve those

58:08results. This is also an important

58:10financial question here. The city is

58:12committing 126 for a pilot program and

58:15we need to consider what happens after

58:17the first year. If this program is

58:19successful, will the city be expected to

58:21continue funding it? If the opioid

58:23settlement funds are no longer

58:24available, where will the money come

58:26from? I think it is significant that

58:29government operations could not reach a

58:31recommendation. Members disagreed over

58:33whether this should be funded from

58:35opioid settlement funds or from the

58:37city's un assigned fund balance. That

58:40disagreement deserves consideration. If

58:42that if the city believes project hope

58:45is a worthwhile housing initiative, I

58:47believe we should look at the funding it

58:50through appropriate housing or general

58:52municipal resources rather than taking a

58:54significant amount of money from a

58:56limited fund specifically intended to

58:58address the opioid crisis. We have many

59:01needs in Bangor related directly to

59:03addiction, recovery, treatment,

59:05prevention, and overdose responses.

59:07Those needs aren't going away. I

59:09respectfully ask the council not to

59:11support the resolve as currently

59:13written. Instead, consider whether there

59:14is a more appropriate funding source for

59:16Project Hope. We can support people

59:18experiencing homelessness while also

59:21being responsible stewards for the

59:22opioid settlement funds entrusted to our

59:25community. Thank you.

59:27>> Thank you,

59:31>> Mike Burrow. Longtime resident of

59:32Bangor. I have nothing to gain

59:34financially. I don't work for any

59:35nonprofits. First off, I would check

59:38with Portland and ask the mayor, "Hey,

59:40is this a great idea?" I think we're

59:42embellishing the fact that these things

59:43have been successful. I think you're

59:45going to find it's not. So, I got some

59:47questions. What is the goal of return of

59:49participants to their communities of

59:51origin?

59:53I like that put in writing. And let me

59:56restate one thing. Uh council

59:59individuals, I please vote against this.

1:00:01We don't need it. Let it go to another

1:00:03community. Whether the 126,000 from

1:00:07unassigned or whatever funds it's going

1:00:09to be taken from is taxpayer supported

1:00:11money. No matter how you slice it comes

1:00:13from the taxpayers. I think we could

1:00:15better use this money for the elderly

1:00:18and some of their concerns. I don't know

1:00:19if people seen the price of diesel. I

1:00:21know it's like $7 a gallon. Heating oil

1:00:23is probably going to hit six, may top

1:00:26seven, may top 10. Who knows? It's going

1:00:28up and seniors are going to be in

1:00:30trouble. Pilot program. What is the

1:00:33duration, performance, measures,

1:00:35reporting schedules, renewed process,

1:00:37and exit strategy? I believe Bangor will

1:00:40get stuck with this program. You know,

1:00:42I'm a pilot. It's like flying an

1:00:43aircraft and your wings fall off. It's

1:00:45going to crash. Bottom line. What is the

1:00:48city's potential financial cost after

1:00:50the pilot period ends? Are we going to

1:00:52continue it for 1, 2, 3, 4 years? Please

1:00:55vote against it. Don't even start it.

1:00:57Let another community pick it up.

1:01:00Project Hope staff hours and

1:01:02departmental resources. Do we do not

1:01:04need any more Bangor city staff? Listen,

1:01:08everybody's in a financial crisis.

1:01:10Things are costing more money. Whether

1:01:12it's food, fuel, everything is costing

1:01:14more. Everybody needs to be more

1:01:15conservative and tighten the belts.

1:01:17That's the bottom line. How will the

1:01:19city ensure other residents relying on

1:01:21public health and community service will

1:01:23not be interrupted? Do we have a a

1:01:26strategic plan for that? Project Hope

1:01:28seems like another nonprofit. How will

1:01:30it blend with other nonprofits or is

1:01:33this another separate and distinct

1:01:34nonprofit? We have so many nonprofits or

1:01:37operating in BA in Bangor. They seem to

1:01:40be overlapping, intertwined. Who's doing

1:01:42what? Nobody really knows. And these uh

1:01:45there's a lot of money. There's a lot of

1:01:47money involved. So, please take a look

1:01:49at that. Which communities and landlords

1:01:51and stakeholders have agreed to

1:01:52participate? That'd be nice to see in

1:01:55writing so we know who's going to

1:01:57participate. What safeguards will ensure

1:01:59that placements are voluntary,

1:02:01appropriate, sustainable, and support by

1:02:03receiving communities. How many other

1:02:06communities are contributing to Project

1:02:07Hope? My guess is they're none. Please,

1:02:12everybody on the council,

1:02:15vote that this not pass and let other

1:02:18communities pick it up. Thank you very

1:02:19much.

1:02:20>> Thank you.

1:02:26Hello, James Gallagher, Bangor resident

1:02:28and downtown business owner. I'm again

1:02:31asking this council to declare a state

1:02:32of emergency surrounding homelessness in

1:02:34Bangor. Tonight, you decided 126,000

1:02:37from for Project Hope uh came from

1:02:41opioid settlement money versus the

1:02:42unicide fund. For me, that's not the

1:02:44issue. I don't support either unless

1:02:46Project Hope becomes part of a bigger

1:02:48plan. It intends to serve 90 people in

1:02:50House 45, but what about everybody else?

1:02:53To the people in the woods, in tents, on

1:02:56private property, people that you guys

1:02:57barely know exist. People are dying, and

1:03:00I'm tired of watching money pour into

1:03:02this crisis while people continue to

1:03:04suffer. At some point, we must stop

1:03:06allowing greed to be packaged as

1:03:07compassion. Declare the emergency and

1:03:10bring everybody to the table. Create one

1:03:12centralized intake location. Talk to the

1:03:14mall. They have plenty of vacant space

1:03:16and owe the city a lot of money. Maybe

1:03:19there's a deal to be made. Bring Project

1:03:21Hope there. Bring the nonprofits, health

1:03:23care, mental hair, health, and recovery

1:03:26services. Use the buses to get people

1:03:28there.

1:03:29Let's put the money we already have on

1:03:31the table, too. We have opioid

1:03:33settlement money specifically meant to

1:03:35address the damage this epidemic has

1:03:37caused. We also have millions still tied

1:03:40up in ARPA funded projects. They're two

1:03:42very different pots of money with

1:03:44different rules, but let's figure out

1:03:45how we can legally use both

1:03:48uh sorry, both at the same time to get

1:03:51more done. Give organizations with

1:03:53outstanding ARPA funds 30 days to show

1:03:55these projects are moving forward and

1:03:57the money will be spent. If not,

1:03:59determine uh what we can legally be

1:04:01reallocated before we lose it. And if

1:04:03city infrastructure is holding up more

1:04:05than 300 housing units on Still Water,

1:04:07let's fix that, too. Project Hope can be

1:04:10a piece of the puzzle, but it can't be

1:04:11another band-aid. Declare the emergency,

1:04:14put all the p pieces on the table, use

1:04:16what we already have, and let's actually

1:04:18get something done. People have suffered

1:04:20long enough. Thank you.

1:04:22>> Thank you,

1:04:27Jackie Smallwood, Bangor resident.

1:04:30Project Hope is asking Bangor for

1:04:32$126,000 in opioid settlement funds u

1:04:35matched by $300,000 for main housing

1:04:38grant to hire coordinated uh coordinator

1:04:41three housing navigators and to pay for

1:04:43security deposits to cover movein

1:04:45expenses, landlord incentives and

1:04:47transportation to serve 90 people and

1:04:50households and successfully place at

1:04:52least 45 into stable housing. Before

1:04:54that money moves, we should know where

1:04:56are these apartments, where are they

1:04:58located, which landlords have agreed to

1:05:00participate, and exactly who is being

1:05:02selected from this program. Will it be

1:05:04Bangor's homeless? Regarding general

1:05:07assistance, Bangor is responsible for

1:05:09paying 6 months of GA if we send a

1:05:11person to a surrounding town. After 6

1:05:13months, that town must pay 30% GA from

1:05:16that point. Which surrounding towns have

1:05:18agreed to this agreement? And is there a

1:05:20legal binding contract? What happens if

1:05:22the receiving towns answer towns fail to

1:05:25pay their share? Will Bangor be forced

1:05:27to bridge that gap? In your own

1:05:29legislative committee meeting on

1:05:31September 9th, you discuss

1:05:33inconsistencies with general assistance

1:05:35systems from town to town. Apparently, a

1:05:37person can apply for GA in Brewer and

1:05:39not qualify, cross the bridge into

1:05:41Bangor, apply for the same GA benefit

1:05:44within the same system, and be approved.

1:05:46How will these disparities affect the

1:05:48program? And how is this even possible?

1:05:52What happens next year if funding

1:05:53changes at the state level or if Bangor

1:05:55cannot contribute or if we need more

1:05:57money for more service providers like

1:06:00Portland? Who will these tenants who

1:06:03have been placed then be removed from

1:06:05their apartments? Or will you come back

1:06:07to the taxpayers looking for the

1:06:09difference to make ends meet yet again?

1:06:11It appears the precedent has already

1:06:13been set. At last week's government

1:06:15operations meeting alone, the together

1:06:16place asked for $7,000. Mana asked for

1:06:19$5,000. The wellwarming center asked for

1:06:22$15,000.

1:06:24Teresa's Place asked for $40,000 for the

1:06:27next three years. The city of Bangor is

1:06:29not the bank.

1:06:31Taxpayers should not be expected to

1:06:34continue funding these nonprofits

1:06:36shortfalls. Not one project hope should

1:06:39be presented to or approved by this

1:06:41council until a long-term strategic plan

1:06:44has been developed and been adopted. I

1:06:47don't look to Portland and say I want to

1:06:49be like them. Bangor is being asked to

1:06:52adopt an unproven model from a city

1:06:53whose own city mayor just said days ago

1:06:56that compassion without accountability

1:06:58isn't working here. And he challenged

1:07:00the housing first framework that that

1:07:02has driven this city's approach calling

1:07:04for more accountability. That should

1:07:06tell us everything that we need to know.

1:07:08Thank you.

1:07:09>> Thank you.

1:07:15My name is Scott party and I am a

1:07:17citizen of Bangor and um [clears throat]

1:07:20I'm here to talk about the funding

1:07:22proposal for project hope and I want to

1:07:24begin by being completely candid. I've

1:07:26changed my mind regarding this project.

1:07:30I said earlier the root of our homeless

1:07:32crisis is the unchecked drug epidemic

1:07:34and I believe that to be true. But if

1:07:36you don't like that statement, let's

1:07:38look at it a different way. My shift

1:07:40isn't about isn't It comes down to one

1:07:43fundamental principle, sustainability.

1:07:46We have seen this pattern unfold time

1:07:48and time again in this chamber. A

1:07:50program is brought forward wrapped in

1:07:52the promise of one-time funding. It

1:07:54sounds manageable, temporary, and

1:07:56lowrisk. But almost every single time

1:07:59this council approves one time one-time

1:08:01dollars for operational programs, that

1:08:04temporary initiative turns into an

1:08:06ongoing municipal commitment. When the

1:08:08initial pool of money dries up, the

1:08:10program doesn't end. It simply gets

1:08:13quietly absorbed into municipal budget,

1:08:15leaving local property taxes to foot the

1:08:17bill year after year. We saw it happen

1:08:19with temporary ARPA funds, and we are

1:08:22walking down the exact same path

1:08:23tonight. That brings me to how we are

1:08:26paying for it. We need to stop relying

1:08:28on opioid settlement funds as as a

1:08:30recurring [clears throat] source of

1:08:32municipal funding. And more importantly,

1:08:34we must stop allowing these funds to be

1:08:36commandeered by the city.

1:08:39Over 500,000 in settlement money has

1:08:41already been absorbed into the into the

1:08:43city administration, public health, and

1:08:46municipal departments. These settlement

1:08:47dollars were hard-fought, finite

1:08:50resources intended directly to support

1:08:52community partners, grassroot or

1:08:54recovery organizations, and boots on the

1:08:57ground providers. Using them to fund

1:08:59internal public health programs isn't a

1:09:01long-term strategy. It is a short-term

1:09:04workaround that starves our community

1:09:06partners while setting up another budget

1:09:09cliff for our taxpayers down the road.

1:09:12If a project cannot demonstrate clear

1:09:14independent self-sustaining funding

1:09:16model outside of finite settlement

1:09:18[clears throat] dollars and future

1:09:19taxpayer subsidies, we should not be

1:09:22greenlighting it. I urge this council to

1:09:24step back, protect our local taxpayers

1:09:27from predictable future tax hikes, stop

1:09:30siphoning off opioid settlement funds,

1:09:32and demand true financial sustainability

1:09:35before moving forward. Thank you.

1:09:42>> Good evening. Philip Henry, resident of

1:09:44Bangor, and uh I just want to give a

1:09:46perspective as a as a landlord that I've

1:09:47been a landlord for probably 15 20

1:09:49years, previously an engineer, but um

1:09:52the the model really doesn't indicate

1:09:55who's going to be housed and and what

1:09:56partnerships have existed with

1:09:58landlords. And so based on my

1:10:00experience, the least likely to succeed

1:10:03in in housing in an apartment would be

1:10:05mentally ill and those who have not yet

1:10:07uh handled their addiction problems.

1:10:09Right? So, I've spent tens if not

1:10:11hundreds of thousands of dollars

1:10:13initially as a landlord being

1:10:15compassionate because wanting to give

1:10:16people a second chance and allowing them

1:10:19into these places. But in the end, all I

1:10:22was left with was a bill, a large bill

1:10:25typically tens of thousands of dollars

1:10:27to clean up completely, got an

1:10:29apartment. And uh on the flip side, the

1:10:32the sad part about it is that that a lot

1:10:34of people now are falling through the

1:10:35cracks. you have 3,000 people in line to

1:10:38get GA. A lot of these are single

1:10:40mothers, vets, uh elderly that are on

1:10:43fixed incomes, which in fact I've had

1:10:45good luck with those folks. But

1:10:47unfortunately, I've been hardened by the

1:10:49fact that I have no way of determining

1:10:51if someone calls me and says, "Hey,

1:10:52would you accept a section 8 voucher? I

1:10:55don't know if I'm going to be accepting

1:10:57a mentally ill, drugaddicted individual

1:10:58who cannot and does not have the skills

1:11:00to live on his own or her own." and

1:11:03versus someone that's on a fixed income

1:11:05that's an elderly person that would

1:11:06actually be very a very great tenant.

1:11:09And and so I think that based on the

1:11:11fact that there's no answers and I think

1:11:13that's the due diligence that that that

1:11:16the citizens are asking instead of just

1:11:18voting yes for this stuff, we have no we

1:11:20have no understanding of the ongoing

1:11:22costs. We have no partnerships with

1:11:24landlords. We don't know the success

1:11:26rate of those that are experiencing this

1:11:28mental illness and drug addiction. And

1:11:30yet we continue to just vote this stuff

1:11:32through and we're asking for just cut

1:11:35cross your tees, dot your eyes, don't

1:11:38take anything under assumption. Assume

1:11:39it's your money that you're spending.

1:11:41And if it were your money that you were

1:11:42spending, you would you would you would

1:11:44want to check all of these boxes to

1:11:45reduce the risk profile. That's all the

1:11:48citizens are asking on all of these

1:11:50projects. And yet we still get we

1:11:52continue to get the same result. We'll

1:11:54answer the questions later. and we're

1:11:56just asking you to just uh you know

1:11:57think about those things as you're going

1:11:59into these decision makingaking process.

1:12:01Thank you.

1:12:02>> Thank you.

1:12:07>> Good evening. My name is Tyler and I'm a

1:12:09resident of Bangor.

1:12:12I'm not here to kill the housing

1:12:14navigation. Uh people living outside

1:12:17need a path indoors. If the council

1:12:20wants this program, fund the match uh

1:12:24from this unassign from the unassigned

1:12:26funds balance or another pocket of

1:12:29funds. Do not take it from the opioid

1:12:31settlement. Those dollars are not a

1:12:34spare housing pot. Project Hope is a

1:12:37housing first low barrier program.

1:12:39Eligibility is unshelter is unsheltered

1:12:44status in Bangor. Not a diagnosis, not

1:12:47engagement in treatment, not abstinence.

1:12:50Individuals are placed in ordinary

1:12:52apartments and work with them or uh

1:12:57excuse me at least 6 months. That may be

1:13:00a reasonable homeless services model.

1:13:03Under this design, someone can keep

1:13:05using in a private unit. The program

1:13:07does not require treatment. That is the

1:13:10point of housing first. If that is the

1:13:13model you want, pay for it with housing

1:13:16money. Opioid settlement funds should

1:13:18not underwrite a project whose structure

1:13:21allows people with active addiction to

1:13:23get high in an apartment at public

1:13:25expense and call it abatement. That is

1:13:28not what those funds were for. This is

1:13:31also the wrong population match. Hope uh

1:13:34is project hope is for unhoused people

1:13:37generally. A disproportionate number of

1:13:40people outside have substance use

1:13:42disorder. Not all of them do. Using

1:13:45settlement money for a program open to

1:13:48everyone who is unsheltered stretches

1:13:50opioid abatement until it means any

1:13:53social service that touches someone who

1:13:56uses drugs. That standard would justify

1:13:59almost anything. There are recovery uses

1:14:02sitting in front of you, peer recovery

1:14:04treatment access,

1:14:06recovery housing that actually requires

1:14:08sobriety and programs run by people who

1:14:12with lived experience of opioid use

1:14:14disorder and substance use disorder.

1:14:17Those use those uses match the

1:14:20settlement. You have already been asked

1:14:22to split a small leftover settlement

1:14:24balance between this program and other

1:14:26recovery requests. Once that 126,000 is

1:14:30gone into Project Hope, it is gone. You

1:14:33cannot later say that the settlement was

1:14:35reserved for people with substance use

1:14:37disorder. If Project Hope is worth

1:14:39doing, fund the match like with a house

1:14:43with like a housing program, excuse me.

1:14:45Leave the settlement for recovery from

1:14:47opioid use and substance use disorder

1:14:50treatment, peer support, and housing

1:14:52that is built around getting well, not

1:14:55around getting high. Vote no on using

1:14:57opioid set settlement funds for this

1:15:00match. Thank you.

1:15:02>> Thank you.

1:15:08>> Hi,

1:15:08>> I'm Katie Co. I'm a resident of Bangor.

1:15:11I am a homeowner in Bangor and I'm also

1:15:14a land a landlord in Bangor. Um I think

1:15:17postponement to address your funding

1:15:19concerns makes a lot of sense though I

1:15:21loathe the delay and help that this is

1:15:23causing. Winter is coming and I prefer

1:15:26this to happen as quickly as possible so

1:15:27that we can get people housed before it

1:15:29gets too cold. Um, a complicated problem

1:15:32needs many solutions and I hope that the

1:15:34city passes this one. Thank you.

1:15:36>> Thank you.

1:15:38Okay, so

1:15:40we do have um this resolve was moved and

1:15:44seconded to postpone to September 28th

1:15:48meeting.

1:15:52Yes. We are we gonna have any discussion

1:15:54about whether or not we want to

1:15:56postpone? I I had can I make comments on

1:15:59postpone? Sure. Uh I'm not in favor of

1:16:02postponing this. Um

1:16:06I was one of the people who voted in

1:16:07favor of opioid settlement funds at the

1:16:09government operations committee meeting.

1:16:11Uh based on the feedback both I've heard

1:16:13since then and heard tonight, uh I'm not

1:16:15in favor of using opioid settlement

1:16:17funds for this. Um, one of the other

1:16:20ideas put out as well in the memo we

1:16:23talked about in the workshop today was

1:16:24to use CDBG funds that was also uh set

1:16:28up through our uh annual action plan

1:16:30which you know community input was

1:16:32involved. Uh, it was a long and lengthy

1:16:34process. Council approved that action

1:16:37plan. Uh, I'm not in favor of opening

1:16:39that up and and doing that again. One

1:16:41thing that I heard tonight that rings

1:16:43true to me is that this is something

1:16:46that does need to be part of a a larger

1:16:49strategy. Uh I agree with that 100%. One

1:16:53of the things I mentioned in a meeting

1:16:55with main housing recently uh was that I

1:16:59ideally to me this is a tool you hand

1:17:01the hubs rather than dangling it in

1:17:03front of a community who just happens to

1:17:05have enough money in its budget to to

1:17:07match it. Um, this is something that

1:17:10affects all communities, not just

1:17:12Bangor. Uh, and I think that this is

1:17:14something that would be better managed

1:17:16at the hub level with coordination with

1:17:18other hubs. Uh, so I'm I'm personally

1:17:21not in favor of postponing this. If

1:17:23anything, I would like to see it

1:17:24referred to our advisory committee on

1:17:27homelessness to get their input on this

1:17:29to see if this fits into what they're

1:17:31eventually going to hand us as a

1:17:32strategy. But I just feel that, you

1:17:35know, that's time lost postponing

1:17:37internally when I rather if we're going

1:17:40to seek further information, I'd rather

1:17:42see us refer it to them and get their

1:17:44input. That that's where I'm at on this.

1:17:48>> Other comments?

1:17:50>> Oh, thank you. Um, I do hate to put it

1:17:54off because winter is coming, but I I do

1:17:57think that we need to

1:18:00talk more about where the funds are

1:18:02going to come from, but I I do think

1:18:04it's an important program and I I just

1:18:06want to address some of the things that

1:18:08were said like I don't we're not looking

1:18:10at Portland as a model for everything

1:18:13that we do. We look to them. We look to

1:18:15individual programs that Portland does

1:18:17that have been successful. And Project

1:18:20Hope in Portland has housed a hundred

1:18:22people and and has gotten additional 50

1:18:25into shelters. Did it solve their whole

1:18:29problem? Nope, it did not. Uh did it

1:18:32make a dent? Absolutely. Getting 150

1:18:34people off the streets is is a big dent.

1:18:38Um you know, if we got 45 people off the

1:18:40streets in Bangor, that's going to make

1:18:42a big dent. We need a combination of

1:18:44solutions. Is anyone going to be

1:18:46perfect? If we wait until we have one

1:18:50perfect solution, it's never going to

1:18:52happen. And we can't keep demanding

1:18:54solutions and then saying no to everyone

1:18:57that comes along.

1:18:59>> Okay.

1:19:01Any other comments?

1:19:03Do a roll call.

1:19:06>> Roll call.

1:19:08>> Council Beck.

1:19:09>> No.

1:19:09>> Councelor Carson.

1:19:10>> Yes.

1:19:11>> Council Dean.

1:19:13>> Yes. Council Foon,

1:19:15>> yes.

1:19:16>> Councelor Fish,

1:19:17>> yes.

1:19:18>> Councelor Leonard,

1:19:19>> yes.

1:19:19>> Councelor Mor,

1:19:21>> yes.

1:19:22>> Councelor Walker,

1:19:23>> yes.

1:19:24>> Council Hos,

1:19:25>> yes.

1:19:25>> Eight yes, one no.

1:19:29>> Okay. The resolve has um been postponed.

1:19:33Eight yes, four no to September 28th,

1:19:3726.

1:19:41New business. Public hearing application

1:19:43for special amusement permit of 81 Park

1:19:46Street LLC doing business as the terine

1:19:4981 Park Street. Council Beck.

1:19:51>> Thank you, Madam Clerk. Uh, Madam Chair,

1:19:53I move that we open the public hearing

1:19:54for the application for special

1:19:56amusement permit of 81 Park Street LLC

1:19:58doing business as the Tarantine 81 Park

1:20:00Street.

1:20:01>> Second.

1:20:03>> The um public hearing is open.

1:20:12Seeing no one approach, I move we close

1:20:14the public hearing. Second,

1:20:17>> public hearing is closed.

1:20:20>> Madam Chair, I move we approve the

1:20:22application for special amusement

1:20:23license, I'm sorry, permit of 81 Park

1:20:26Street LLC doing business as the

1:20:28Tarantine, 81 Park Street.

1:20:31>> Hey, the application special amusement

1:20:33permit for the Tarantine 81 Park Street

1:20:36does have passage.

1:20:38Next item,

1:20:40>> public hearing application for special

1:20:41amusement permit of Jerry Bangor

1:20:44Holiday, Inc. Doing business as Holiday

1:20:46Inn, 404 Odell Road, Council of Back.

1:20:49>> Thank you, Madam Clerk. Uh, Madam Chair,

1:20:50I move we open the public hearing for

1:20:52the application for a special amusement

1:20:54permit of Jerry Bangor Holiday

1:20:56Incorporated doing business as Holiday

1:20:58in 404 Oddland Road.

1:21:00>> Second.

1:21:02>> The public hearing is open for the

1:21:04Holiday in 404 Oddland Road.

1:21:10Seeing no one approach, I move we close

1:21:12the public hearing.

1:21:13>> Second.

1:21:15>> The public hearing is closed.

1:21:18>> Madam Chair, I move approval of the

1:21:20application for a special amusement

1:21:21permit for a Jerry Bangor Holiday in

1:21:24Incorporated doing business as Holiday

1:21:26in 404 Oddland Road.

1:21:27>> Second.

1:21:29>> Special amusement permit of Jerry Bangor

1:21:31Holiday in doing business as Holiday in

1:21:33Osland Road. um has passage.

1:21:37Next item,

1:21:38>> public hearing application for special

1:21:40amusement permit of Los Palopus Mexican

1:21:42Restaurant LLC doing business as Los

1:21:44Palopus Mexican Restaurant, 8 Bangor

1:21:47Mall Boulevard, Council Beck.

1:21:49>> Thank you, Madam Clerk. Uh Madam Chair,

1:21:51I move we open the public hearing for

1:21:53application for a special amusement

1:21:54permit of Las Palapus Mexican Restaurant

1:21:56LLC doing business as Las Palapus

1:21:59Mexican Restaurant, 8 Bangor Mall

1:22:02Boulevard.

1:22:03>> Second.

1:22:04The public hearing is open for Los

1:22:06Palasa's Mexican Restaurant, 8 Bangor

1:22:08Mall Boulevard.

1:22:13Seeing no one approach, I move we close

1:22:15the public hearing.

1:22:18Okay. The public hearing is closed for

1:22:21Los Palosus.

1:22:24>> Madam Chair, I move we approve the

1:22:26application for a special amusement

1:22:28permit of Los Palapus Restaurant Mexican

1:22:30Restaurant LLC doing business as Los

1:22:32Palapus Mexican Restaurant. 8 Bangor

1:22:34Mall Boulevard.

1:22:35>> Second.

1:22:37>> The special amusement permit for Los

1:22:39Palos Mexican Restaurant, 8 Bangor Mall

1:22:42Boulevard has passage.

1:22:47That brings us to the end of our agenda.

1:22:52Any further business from the back row,

1:22:54this

1:22:57any comments of staff?

1:23:01Any staff left?

1:23:04We're all out there going now.

1:23:06Okay,

1:23:08Council Carson.

1:23:12>> Good night, Bangor.

1:23:14>> Love it.

1:23:17>> Beck,

1:23:18>> good night, Bangor.

1:23:22>> Dean.

1:23:23>> Well, good night, Bangor.

1:23:26>> Councelor Leonard.

1:23:28I'm

1:23:28>> going to ruin the tempo. I apologize.

1:23:30Um, I do want to acknowledge um, you

1:23:34know, we just had a a celebration uh,

1:23:38I'm sorry, a remembrance of the attacks

1:23:40that happened on September 11th. And

1:23:43what really doesn't get mentioned as

1:23:46much about that is the cost and the toll

1:23:51of what happened to the emergency

1:23:55service members that responded and went

1:23:57into those buildings. And

1:24:01people have died from the toxins and the

1:24:04poisons that they put into their bodies.

1:24:06Um, some have are just on a road of

1:24:11trying to stave off the worst until they

1:24:15unfortunately will succumb to their uh

1:24:18medical issues. And the the reason why I

1:24:21bring this up is uh

1:24:24I I I know I bring up our firefighters a

1:24:27lot, but um I wanted to uh give a lot of

1:24:31praise to Chief Pelleter for um making

1:24:34sure that we need to prioritize our

1:24:36firefighters health going forward. And I

1:24:40think recognizing that a lot of the

1:24:43medical health issues that came from uh

1:24:46those attacks were kept secret from the

1:24:49very people that stormed in there to

1:24:51save uh people's lives. And I think we

1:24:55need to do our best as a city to always

1:24:58be transparent and have an open

1:25:00communication with our emergency

1:25:03emergency uh responders. And um I I just

1:25:08want to give my thanks to uh those that

1:25:13answer to the call of service in in

1:25:16general, but particularly in the city of

1:25:18Bangor. and I look forward to growing

1:25:21that relationship with uh our

1:25:23firefighters, our police officers, those

1:25:26that respond to uh any 911 calls. Um

1:25:29just know that we as a city are going to

1:25:32have your back. Thank you,

1:25:34>> Council Fish.

1:25:37I'd like to just say good night Bangor,

1:25:39but I couldn't do that without

1:25:40congratulation uh congratulating our

1:25:42city clerk Lisa Goodwin for um getting a

1:25:45prestigious lighthouse um award which

1:25:48exemplifies uh how she has uh this award

1:25:52goes to those individuals who exemplify

1:25:54uh exceptional professional

1:25:56capabilities, integrity and command of a

1:25:58municipal operation. And I think

1:26:01specifically they were properly talking

1:26:02about uh our transition from downtown

1:26:05into downtown to come back to uh the

1:26:08renovations were that were done on this

1:26:10historic building and uh we have had a

1:26:13number of department heads in the past

1:26:15get prestigious awards as well. We've

1:26:18got a great dedicated uh group of people

1:26:20behind us that work hard and uh I just

1:26:23want to say congratulations to her

1:26:25tonight and uh all

1:26:33And I know our our um police and public

1:26:36works uh we had quite the crowd downtown

1:26:38for Cooper Flag uh opening up the the

1:26:40flag company uh new new card shop and uh

1:26:45that was fun to see that and I agree

1:26:46with Mr. Gallagher that uh Bangor is a

1:26:49great place and we need to uh you guys

1:26:51should come in here and keep us in

1:26:52check. We need to hear that. But it's

1:26:55also uh still a great place and that was

1:26:57a great investment in downtown. And it

1:26:58was a great day. So with that, good

1:27:00night Bangor.

1:27:02>> Council me,

1:27:03>> good night Bangor.

1:27:04>> Council Walker,

1:27:07>> good night Bangor.

1:27:08>> Council Flu,

1:27:10>> thank you. Um, on Friday there were um

1:27:13several really nice memorials for the

1:27:169/11

1:27:18uh victims. And I I don't think it's

1:27:21well known that one of them actually

1:27:24lived and worked in Bangor. And I had

1:27:27the privilege privilege of knowing her

1:27:29and her name was Maryanne Mcfarlane and

1:27:32she was a station manager at US Air at

1:27:35the airport where my sister worked at

1:27:37the time and we used to all go out and

1:27:40do a lot together and she was a lovely

1:27:43person. And as airline workers would

1:27:47sometimes do, they would hop on a plane

1:27:49um at the last minute and go take a

1:27:51quick trip. And my sister did it all the

1:27:53time. And it could have easily been my

1:27:55sister on one of those planes. Maryanne

1:27:58happened to decide to take a quick trip

1:28:00to Las Vegas and she never made it to

1:28:02Las Vegas and she was 34 years old. And

1:28:06it was just incredibly sad to find out

1:28:08that someone that I knew personally um

1:28:11died due to those attacks. And so um you

1:28:14know, it's been 25 years and it still

1:28:17hits hard every time. And so I'm I'm

1:28:20glad that um the Bangor airport took a

1:28:23few minutes to remember Maryanne because

1:28:26she was a part of our community. And

1:28:29good night Bangor.

1:28:32>> I think that's everyone. Thank you for

1:28:34attending.

```*