HAMPDEN, Maine — The Hampden Town Council has denied permission to KahBang organizers to set up a campsite in town this summer during the annual music, art and film festival in Bangor.
The proposal was for KahBang to pay the town $5,000 to locate a campsite for festival attendees from out of town at the Hampden Business Park for four days in August, but councilors voted against the deal 3-2.
Tim Lo, KahBang’s executive director, said the group would continue looking for a suitable site.
“I’ll make my plea now: If anyone has a plot of land, let us know because it’s been a rainy spring,” Lo said. “We’re going back to the drawing boards. We’ve been a pretty innovative and stubborn group, so we’ll take a no and keep going on to find a solution.”
The proposal, which was revamped after two of the eight businesses located at the business park voiced concerns about noise, traffic and security, called for setting up a 762,500-square-foot campsite Aug. 9-12 that would allow for about 470 individual sites. The total area would have accommodated 35 portable toilets, a portable shower trailer, Dumpsters and a maximum of 1,900 people and 450 vehicles.
The four-year-old festival had its first permitted site last year in Hermon, in the field on private land behind The Sports Arena on Outer Hammond Street, but soggy and muddy conditions created some problems for the 350 campers.
“We went in with full intent to use that site again, but it’s pretty flooded with all this rain and we had water problems last year, so we’re hoping to find a better location,” Lo said.
Despite assurances that there would be no traffic disruptions in Hampden — thanks to a check-in procedure using two checkpoints and a couple of access roads — or security problems because security personnel would be on duty 24 hours a day, at least one business owner and some councilors expressed concerns at Monday night’s meeting.
Lo and Josh Gass, KahBang’s creative director, answered many questions about the plan as a few residents voiced opposition. KahBang’s organizers pointed out that both Hampden’s police chief and Maine Department of Transportation officials in Bangor saw no problems with the plan, and that any additional costs to the town and its emergency services would be reimbursed. They also presented evidence that sound would not be an issue.
“We would have no access points blocked and the road would be clear,” Gass said. “We’ve added secondary holding areas for 20 to 30 vehicles to keep them coming in even during peak flow and from blocking the road. We’ll also build a temporary access road.”
Lo also said that Hermon police told Hampden Police Chief Joe Rogers that there were few complaints about last year’s campsite.
Councilor and Mayor Janet Hughes asked Dr. Barbara Farren, owner of Hampden Veterinary Clinic on Commerce Court, if she could support KahBang’s proposal if all her concerns were addressed.
“My answer is no,” Farren said simply.
Councilor Kristen Hornbrook joined in the majority, which also included Andre Cushing and Hughes,
“I don’t feel this is an appropriate use of a business park,” Hornbrook said.
Councilors Jean Lawlis and Thomas Brann disagreed, saying they were impressed by how complete the camp proposal was and how organizers had revised it to address the concerns of business park tenants.
“I don’t see why we wouldn’t want to be hospitable toward a group of young people who may never have been to Maine before,” Lawlis said. “This helps give them a chance to experience the area, and who knows, they may want to come back and visit, or even live or go to school here.”
Hughes said that if two businesses were against it, she should vote against it.
How about the old drive-in theatre on outer hammond st. Who exactly owns that plot of land? Would it be suitable? The screen is still up and wouldn’t it be awesome to hold some of the movie screenings there. Would this work?
That is where they had the issues last year.
I’d like pony rides on that land. Does anyone do pony rides anymore?
No. it requires too big of a pooper scooper that nobody wants to operate.
I’d scoop poop if it meant there’d be pony rides!
The real story here is that the Hampden Town Council was able to make a decision without somebody having an emotional outburst and storming out. Congratulations!
Actually, that occurred soon afterward.
Actually, several councilors woke up in a cold sweat later that evening and began yelling to themselves
The idea of unwashed hands probably caused that.
I don’t blame them. 21st century tent cities for concerts don’t have the same romantic feel they did in the past.
Have the Porta Potti’s been removed from Bangor’s library yet? Why not continue the camp out right there?
Just tell everyone it’s “Occupy Kah Bang”!
Ask Cary Weston. If I remember correctly, he had the one porta potti placed there.
Typical Hampden
how about the back yard of the kah bang promoter and sponsors…
I dont see the problem…im sure they would be very pleasant and not leave a mess behind *sarcasm*
The article never really tells us what the councilor’s concerns were with the proposal.
“concerns about noise, traffic and security”
“I don’t feel this is an appropriate use of a business park,” Hornbrook said.
“Hughes said that if two businesses were against it, she should vote against it.”
Sorry, this was not an attack on your journalism. What I meant by that was that the councilors “concerns” all seemed to be addressed by Kahbang and could be dealt with in a way that would benefit both parties.
That business park isn’t going to have anything else taking up the area by then, and just because two businesses are against it doesn’t seem like a quality reason for voting it down. Why not look into what more constituents from around the community want first, rather than just a very few select people in that area. This could have really helped some Hampden area businesses.
I appreciate your response. No apology is necessary. It wasn’t taken as an attack. I just wanted to point out the reasons that were mentioned during the meeting. There were a couple of people who supported the proposal, but no one was there to speak in favor of it from the side of the eight businesses.
There are no Hampden area businesses in the general vicinity of the business park that would serve to gain from the camp, nor would the campers drive the three miles south into Hampden to visit the fine establishments there. Bangor is much closer and much more convenient. I don’t really see how Hampden has much to gain from this, other than $5,000.
I know that if I was camping on 202 I’d drive to Hannaford’s or Irving for food, or Hampden Hardware or Schacht’s for anything else I may need long before I’d bother to go into Shaws or something similar in Bangor. That may be completely due to my familiarity with the area though.
Come to Washington County…we will take ya!!
She still says NO, even if her concerns were met… now thats open minded
The article didn’t list what her concerns are, however it seems obvious she doesn’t trust them to back up any assurances made. If it causes noise problems there this year, they just move on to the next vacant lot. Not a good deal from her perspective.
She has sick animals in need of rest that might be disturbed by increased 24 hour activity.
That’s her business.
I’d have said ‘No’, too.
Isnt there plenty of room right down on the Riverfront? The stage only takes up so much space and there is all that land to the right of it between the stage and Hollywood Casino…Why cant they just camp out right there along the path that the Folk Festival uses? No reason Porta Potties cant be brought in early since they are gonna need them there eventually and have them there all the time for the concerts.
No camping in Bangor. People here need to walk through with their children, lay on the lawn and look at the stars. They couldn’t do that if you allowed camping.
Please no more kabang it was awful last year i want quiet bangor back
Yeah, lets get rid of all the entertainment and the dollars they spend in the businesses in the city…great idea…Jobs are scarce enough and you wanna get more people to stop coming to town…If you require so much quiet, maybe you should get yourself a nice spot out in the woods somewhere or move to a much smaller town…this is the CITY afterall.
quiet bangor back? you better move now! We are not going to be quiet any longer. We want to be vibrant and loud! Move to the country my friend. We are not slowing down for nobody. KahBang was AWESOME last year, as well as the previous 2 years.
I agree
City voted last year. no camping on city property durning the occupy movement.. same opponents want to camp this year. funny what a year will do.
Honestly, i didnt have any problem with them camping for “Occupy Bangor” either. I dont really understand. We pay taxes and then we are told we cannot go anywhere or use anything we are paying taxes for. It still amazes me when i go down to the riverfront and they say only people with boats are allowed to go down on the docks…What gives them the right to keep people off of public property??
I fdfadsfd
dasfsdf
gfdfgfgdf
Epic.
Fail.
Load this damn state up with nursing homes and big box stores. That way we can take care of all the old people and give all the social security nannies a place to work.
Oh wait…
And, you are never going to get older … how??
DId anybody actually think the oh so special “Hampden” would allow something like this? Complete waste of time to ask.
The two businesses that voiced a concern must not have anyway to make money off the event or they would be all for it.
35 toilets for a max of 1900 people is no where near enough…ever been on a construction site w 50 people and 10 toilets?
More than one in five people at a construction site need to use a toilet at once? Who is working? Been a long time but I worked from Portand to Gardiner on 295 in the early seventies and I don’ t recall more than two toilets for that many people.
thats nice..you could probably pee beside the road in the seventies- maybe they still do. road work and say a large industrial type structure are apples to oranges
How many PortaPotties are set up at for the Waterfront Concert Series?
Most of the people who would be camping would be AT the KahBang festival in Bangor all day and evening until it ended for the night. That many toilets would be enough for that many people overnight. It’s more than they have during events on the waterfront with way more people (Folk Festival, anyone?). Also, ever been to a camp ground? They usually only have one or two bath house/bathroom buildings for the entire campground.
Hey I want to put 2000 drunk and stoned people on your property for 4 days, what da ya say buddy. here’s 5 grand..
I’ll pass…
What are the liabilities for the property owners who allow this. anyway
Why not ask Mayor Weston to use the rest of the waterfront.. He is an great supporter of water front events..
$5,000 for 4 days? Hell yes! I wish I had the land.
From the article–Councilor and Mayor Janet Hughes asked Dr. Barbara Farren, owner of Hampden Veterinary Clinic on Commerce Court, if she could support KahBang’s proposal if all her concerns were addressed.“My answer is no,” Farren said simply.
That’s just…bizarre.
Mayor Weston voted against camping on city property last year, why should Hampden allow it? The occupiers were thrown out with the help of the same people who want to camp now.(-.
4 days is not the end of the world.
All KahBang goers and supporters should make it a point NOT to take any of their pets to Dr. Farren’s clinic.
How about near Bangor International Airport on all that open land and trees around Godfrey Blvd, between DHHS and PCHC? Seems like that would work just perfect.
“Councilor and Mayor Janet Hughes asked Dr. Barbara Farren, owner of Hampden Veterinary Clinic on Commerce Court, if she could support KahBang’s proposal if all her concerns were addressed.
“’My answer is no,’” Farren said simply.
Which, of course, begs the question: What were her concerns?
The last thing we need is for KahBang to turn into one of those jam band “festivals” like we used to see at Loring when Phish rolled in. The economic stimulus is nice, but the element and the waste they can leave behind is not worth it. They can stay in hotels or near by campgrounds. As soon as you open up an acre for people to come camp on for free, it will be destroyed with litter and refuse.
whatever guy. I went to both phish shows in limestone.
Good for you.
I don’t want to see a mess left for local business/taxpayers by unappreciative hippies. I’m sure there are clean, responsible ones, but when you get crowds, you get a mess. Doubly so if something is free. People seem to respect it less.
Time to get out of the fifties my friend. Time to bring people in by the thousands, as we have been doing year after year. Are you ready for Bangor to double in size? It’s coming. If you can’t take it, move now or forever hold your peace!
What? Somebody is trying to lure people to our State to make some money? We must stand against this. We are the most anti-business State in the Country and we have our reputation to think of.
Hey, KahBang organizers…..how about the old airport in Winterport? The Exiles motorcycle club had their bash there annually with no issues, and it included loud music, camping, and plenty of alcohol. Not much further away really.
HAMPDEN! lol right ! just park em at the old home depot bldg on Stillwtr Ave and bus em back and forth–can’t screw up the traffic in that area any more than it already is.