The new Bangor Region YMCA building will likely change the landscape of a Bangor neighborhood.
The Bangor City Council on Monday voted to discontinue Davis Court and the westernmost portion of First Street. The stretch of closed roads, which connect to Main Street and sit to the right of Shaw’s, do not have residential homes on them and the Bangor YMCA owns the surrounding land.
Also on Monday, Bangor councilors approved transferring most of Talbot Park to the Bangor YMCA. The organization will gain control of 3 acres of the park while the city will keep 1 acre, which holds a playground.
Both decisions were made to give room for the new Bangor YMCA building to be constructed on Main Street, between the Dunkin’ and Bangor’s Central Fire Station. Construction on the new facility isn’t slated to start until mid-2025, according to Diane Dickerson, Bangor YMCA CEO.
The Bangor YMCA’s new building is slated to double the organization’s child care capacity and start accepting infants as young as 6 weeks old. The new site will likely include two pools with more swimming lanes, an indoor track and a full-sized gymnasium and sports fields, Dickerson previously told the Bangor Daily News.
The Bangor YMCA will use the land from Talbot Park as green space for youth sports and other recreational activities, together with parking areas, driveways and pathways, fencing and lighting, according to city agenda documents. The spaces will also be available to the public outside of the YMCA’s business hours.
The Bangor YMCA will also ensure the park and field space recognize Gerald E. Talbot, who was born in Bangor and was the first African-American to be elected to the Maine Legislature. Bangor will also find another location to recognize Talbot’s contributions by April 30, 2025.