BANGOR, Maine — The City Council on Monday accepted a $20,000 donation from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation for the purchase of specialized washer-dryer equipment for the Bangor Fire Department.
According to Assistant Fire Chief Anthony Riitano, the new equipment will enable the Fire Department to wash six sets of firefighters’ turnout gear at once.
“Right now, we can only do one set of gear, so if we have five or six guys that have to have their gear washed, then it takes a couple of days,” he said, adding that turnout gear cannot be washed in a regular washer because high spin-cycle speeds damage the gear.
The equipment also will improve the department’s ability to remove carcinogens and other harmful substances from firefighters’ clothes.
The donation led two councilors to take special note of the donation on the council’s consent agenda, which is normally not discussed.
“There are a number of institutions, buildings [and] fields throughout the the community that they have been the primary benefactors for,” said Councilor Ben Sprague. “I certainly, as one citizen and as a councilor, am particularly grateful for the generosity of the King family.”
Councilor Joe Baldacci called the Kings “true Mainers,” adding that “it may be appropriate to have some event or some public recognition of the Kings.”
Most recently, the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation pledged $3 million to cover renovations to the Bangor Public Library and gave $25,000 to purchase equipment for the Bangor Police Department.
The councilors did not specifically mention a recent disagreement between King and Gov. Paul LePage over whether King was a taxpaying resident of Maine.
City records noted the grant amount was not the $23,000 initially requested but that the Fire Department was confident it could acquire the equipment for $20,000 with no additional funds from the city.
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