I was born in Bangor and have lived here most of my life. When I was in high school, my school used the Bangor Auditorium as our home court. As a freshman, I played JV basketball for John Bapst on that floor and to this day have many fond memories in that facility.
A couple years ago, a committee was assembled to discuss the current condition and future of the Bangor Auditorium. Being familiar with that facility, operating a business that is heavily affected by tourism, and having a commercial real estate investment background, I jumped at the chance to get involved. Our job was to review all the facts and then report to the council what the committee felt was the best solution for the Bangor Auditorium. Our meetings were held in council chambers, televised on the local access government channel and open to the public.
Shortly thereafter, a united city council made some timely decisions that it felt were in the best interest of Bangor. The facts were compelling and spoke for themselves. A very critical condition was that a gaming operation, which became Hollywood Slots, was required to guarantee that funds would flow into a dedicated account to repair or replace the current Bangor Auditorium. Twice Bangor voters endorsed this concept in referendum in 2003, and the fund was established. Hollywood Slots kept that promise, and today that dedicated account is over $9 million and growing.
The council had some solid vision when it crafted that agreement. Similarly, the current council has solid vision and willpower by taking on the fiscal responsibility to initiate and construct the new arena. This council has courage and should be applauded for its effort.
The public is going to be heard again on Wednesday, May 4. I encourage anyone who is unclear as to how this facility is going to be built and paid for to visit www.arenayes.com. This website has great facts to help the decision-making process.
As a hotelier in the local marketplace, I have seen firsthand the importance of special events to this area. They have a huge uncontested trickledown effect throughout the community. There are thousands of jobs in Bangor alone that rely on tourism.
It is a well-known fact that Bangor has around 32,000 residents. What isn’t as well known is that Bangor has another 900,000 residents that live here on a temporary basis. Bangor has more than 2,000 vacant hotel rooms to start every day. By the end of the day those rooms on average are 62 percent occupied. That result is around 450,000 rooms sold on an annual basis with an average of two guests per room.
Hotels and restaurants carry huge expenses to operate. Payroll, utilities, taxes, cost of sales, capital investment and so much more result in hopefully healthy bottom lines but not guaranteed. The best way to reduce the risk of failure is by generating more demand. Although the hotels in Bangor do sell 62 percent of their rooms, we still let over 275,000 rooms sit empty every year. Our goal as hoteliers and tourism ambassadors is to sell those vacant rooms.
The studies performed by independent professionals assure that this facility will generate more jobs. Secure jobs in hospitality are provided when there is a strong market or strong outlook for a solid tourism base.
I encourage all to get informed soon as to how this new facility will elevate our great city. The facts clearly validate that this new facility is right for Bangor. So I ask, please, Bangor residents, let’s not let all the investment, vision, planning, hard work and resources slip away at this most opportune time for Bangor. There are many generations that are counting on us to make the right decision and vote yes on Wednesday, May 4.
Free Martin is the general manager of the Bangor Ramada Inn and Conference Center. He lives in Bangor and has served on the board of the Maine Innkeepers Association.