Bangor committee reviews updated feasibility study, cost estimates for consolidated parks and recreation complex

Bangor — Members of a Bangor City special committee on the future of a consolidated parks and recreation facility reviewed an updated feasibility study and construction cost estimates and discussed operational projections and next steps for a proposed complex sited near Griffin Road.

The executive summary and an updated pro forma presented by the consulting team summarized estimated construction costs for a new recreation center, a skating center, and an on-site maintenance building intended to consolidate city and school maintenance staff. The consultants and city staff also introduced a “fitness room” addition to the concept and outlined staffing and revenue assumptions for operating the facility.

The study’s authors and city staff described the cost estimates as a best-faith snapshot of market conditions "right here, right now," noting the effect of recent steel and materials-price increases on estimates. Carl Liebel of CHA, the project architect, said the design team emphasized single-story construction and preengineered components to control cost. Elsa Fisher of the consulting team said the membership and revenue assumptions were conservative based on the local market and the firm’s national experience: "We were conservative in our estimates," Fisher said.

Committee members pressed for more detail on operating assumptions and risk. City staff said the department currently recovers about 40–45% of its costs and that the new facility would require new staffing lines and an organizational assessment to operate year-round ice and expanded program space. The consultants’ five-year pro forma includes projected fitness membership revenue as a material piece of the model; the presentation cited a mix of annual resident passes, monthly passes and daily admissions in the projections. The document lists 500 annual resident passes in year one (projected at roughly $418 per pass, producing about $209,000 from that category) and larger totals across other pass types; the materials and presenters said the combined fitness revenue projection in later years approaches roughly $974,000 in the model.

Committee members asked whether adding fitness equipment would “cannibalize” the YMCA and other private facilities. City staff and consultants said parallel offerings typically expand the market rather than replace existing providers, and the team plans to meet with the YMCA next week to coordinate information and discuss overlap. Tracy Willette and other committee members raised concern about cash-flow risk if membership targets were not reached, noting shortfalls would increase the taxpayer subsidy.

Members also asked about using existing city properties to offset project cost. Staff said a formal appraisal of the current park and recreation property (the armory/park site and the Sawyer Arena site) has not been completed; staff committed to exploring a formal appraisal or high-level tax-card estimate to illustrate potential proceeds or reuse value. At the meeting one attendee referenced a high-level figure of roughly "a million bucks" as an order-of-magnitude estimate for the armory parcel, but staff said a formal appraisal would be required to determine value.

Other operational questions included program demand and facility scheduling. Parks and recreation staff and consultants emphasized current reliance on school gyms and off-site facilities for programming and tournaments, and committee members and coaches described weekday and weekend scheduling constraints that limit local programming. The consultants said benchmarking and stakeholder interviews indicate unmet demand for consolidated gym, track and field space and that similar projects typically see strong demand for added gymnasium and meeting space.

The design team discussed potential sustainability measures that can be advanced during design, including daylighting, provision for roof-mounted solar collectors, and material choices that reduce life-cycle costs. They recommended holding higher-cost facade and finish upgrades to the visible front of the building while using more cost-effective cladding elsewhere to control initial construction costs.

Next steps and directions from the committee included: adding a concise summary of the fitness-addition pro forma and key line items to the final committee report, obtaining a higher‑level estimate or appraisal for the existing park/armory property, meeting with the YMCA to share data, providing scaled drawings or basic dimensions from the design package for further review, and including the consultant materials in the committee’s report to council. Staff said the committee’s report must be ready for council by July 10 and that the committee will schedule a follow-up meeting in June (the group noted Juneteenth scheduling concerns).

No formal motions or votes were recorded during this discussion; committee members directed staff to gather the additional information requested and to include the updated executive summary and pro forma in the committee’s report to council.