BANGOR, Maine — Thanks to an amendment added to a Senate bill approved by committee and presented in a public hearing Friday, two longtime Bangor institutions soon may be able to expand their capabilities.
The amendment added by Sen. Nichi Farnham, R-Bangor, to LD 1904 would allow the state to negotiate the sale of a 200-by-400-foot piece of state-owned property near the Dorothea Dix Psychiatric Center to Bangor Hydro-Electric Co.
“This only authorizes the Maine’s Bureau of General Services to negotiate the sale if it’s in the best interests of the state with details to be worked out by the state’s commissioner of administrative and financial services,” said Farnham.
Bangor Hydro wants to build a new substation there to better accommodate the expected power needs of Eastern Maine Medical Center, which is looking to expand and modernize its operating room, neonatal intensive care unit and private room facilities.
“We’re looking at inpatient modernization of our current space and additional space in a new, seven-story building, but nothing is finalized yet,” said EMMC spokeswoman Jill MacDonald.
Bangor Hydro spokeswoman Susan Faloon said the substation design is still in the works.
“Obviously it’s a big project for us and represents a significant expansion for EMMC,” said Bangor Hydro spokeswoman Susan Faloon. “It would be a several million dollar project and is still in the planning stages.”
The bill is expected to be taken up and voted on by the Maine Senate within the week, said Farnham. After that, it will go to the Maine House of Representatives.
Farnham was pleased she was able to add the amendment, which received solid support from committee members.
“Obviously it’s a way to help interests in Bangor and make sure the infrastructure is in place for expansion by any entity in that area of the city,” she said. “The current power infrastructure in that area is about 60 years old.”
This isn’t very specific as to the location of the proposed substation. Is the land part of Saxl Park?
60 year old infrastructure? Wow!
Where the heck is it BDN? Location would be nice to know.
Whoa—-Bangor Hydro is thinking about spending lots of moolah for the benefit of EMMC, after EMMC gave them a HUGE middle finger by building their own power plant, and then building ANOTHER one when they(EMMC) needed more power???And the Bangor Daily didn’t even mention this juicy tid-bit in the story? Is there a too cozy a relationship somewhere here?
Wow the EMMC… soooooooo owns this community… so they will be putting more power on the grid… getting paid for this….fat getting fatter… their cost goes down and the state gets???? VERY VERY SNUGGLEY
Let’s stop pretending EMMC is a non-profit organization and let them pay taxes like every other business in this community. We all could be philanthropists if we didn’t have to pay taxes. What a joke!
So…you’d like to pay even more for your health care?
If we are going to tax hospitals; shouldn’t we tax churches too?
Yo, Paulg—EMMC and EMH are non-profit because share-holders and/or “owners” are not paid a profit from the excess of income over expenses. They just take that excess, and build more and more new fancy buildings, and pay their upper-level management some VERY attractive salary and bonuses.
Well, at least they are also now non-Proffitt.
Shame on you Nicki
Eastern Maine Medical Center and their excellent doctors saved my wife’s life. I don’t really care where the power came from or where it went.
This sounds great. 60 year old infrastructure in a power system that is growing with demand all the time only seems like a matter of time before disaster strikes. I’m glad Sen. Farnham, EMMC, and Bangor Hydro worked something out before it screwed the rest of us over.