BANGOR, Maine — Bangor Councilor Pat Blanchette has long been frustrated by Bangor’s downtown signs, so much so that she has a stock answer when asked directions.
“I see people driving around town asking, ‘How the hell do you get there?’ I just look at them and say, ‘You can’t get there from here,’” Blanchette said after Wednesday afternoon’s meeting of the council’s business and economic development committee. “Downtown Bangor is a signage nightmare. It really is.”
Blanchette, who referred to signs directing motorists and pedestrians to Bangor’s popular downtown and waterfront destinations, is hoping this is the year Bangor finally does something to address the issue.
“I’m not comfortable putting this off another year,” she said. “Hell’s going to freeze over before we ever get this mess down here straightened out.”
Some of Blanchette’s fellow councilors have concerns about sign costs.
“My only concern is I don’t want to pay $25,000 and not have any signage,” said Councilor Cary Weston, who also serves as mayor. “We don’t need to pay someone $25,000 to come in and tell us we need signs. We already know that. We can put signs up without spending that $25,000.”
Weston referred to a committee’s unanimous decision to put out requests for proposals in December 2010 for a comprehensive system of signs downtown. Ten bids were received and one finalist was chosen, but the committee declined to award a contract because it became apparent that another $50,000 to $60,000 would be needed for the actual fabrication and installation of signs.
“We’re taking bids to manage the project, but taking bids doesn’t mean any money is actually allocated,” said Councilor Ben Sprague, who led Wednesday’s meeting.
A staff recommendation to put out requests for proposals for sign plans was approved 3-1, with the stipulations that City Manager Cathy Conlow also check on the viability of having city staff develop and install signs and that the proposals would include a total figure including installation.
Councilors Blanchette, Sprague and Charlie Longo voted in favor with James Gallant against. Weston was not a voting member.
Business and Economic Development Officer Shirar Patterson pointed out that Bangor has $55,000 specifically allocated for downtown signs. The money is from last year’s community development funds and a $30,000 downtown tax increment financing fund allocation.
It’s almost as though Andy Neff is sucking up to Cary Weston, with his constant (inaccurate) offhand references to Weston as mayor.
Altogether now: Bangor does NOT have a mayor!
It is almost as though you have some sort of obsession of pointing that out every time it is used in an article. Have your comments caused one bit of change? I dare venture not. Sometimes we need to just let things go.
Somebody needs to keep the journalists in check. I noticed the paper has yet to publish a correction to the erroneus reporting in Saturday’s paper that small claims court defendants can be arrested if they fail to show for trial. Despite the statement being patently false, and despite a link to the judiciary’s small claims court guide, the paper hasn’t seen fit to correct itself.
If you can’t get the little, easily verifiable details right, what else are you not getting right?
“Accuracy, accuracy, accuracy!” — Joseph Pulitzer
Have you emailed the writer and/or editor? I doubt they read through all the comments posted on articles.
New signs will be a good first step. The biggest step to end downtown confusion, though, would be to allow traffic to move in either direction on the short one-way section of Hammond Street. Having to go up Harlow and around on Central seems to make no sense…