Residents and commissioners challenge city's proposed illuminated "Bangor" letters in historic district

City staff presented a proposal March 13 to install large, illuminated letters spelling "Bangor" on the landscaped island at the intersection of State and Harlow streets. The project prompted sustained questioning from Historic Preservation Commission members and more than a dozen public comments, nearly all opposed.

Ian Krieg, director of community and economic development, said the idea originated in earlier staff work and with a community donor (High Tide Capital); the Culture Commission recommended the installation as public art. "We had shelved the project because, COVID hit and, our priorities at a staff level, shifted, dramatically, and so we shelved it," Krieg said, describing why staff recently revived the proposal.

Commissioners and residents concentrated on two central issues: jurisdiction (whether the proposal is "public art" and thus outside the commission's formal review, or whether it is a sign or structure that must come before the Historic Preservation Commission) and the project's practical effects on sight lines, pedestrian safety and the downtown historic streetscape.

Anya (s…