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Council discusses enforcement in parks, public-restroom upkeep, shopping-cart proliferation and portable-unit costs
Summary
Councilors and staff clarified city practice on campsite removal from parks, 24-hour notices on other city property, syringe pickup coordination with Wabanaki Public Health, complaints about shopping carts in Pierce Park, and questions about the number and maintenance costs of portable units used downtown.
Bangor City Councilors used the May 28 workshop to reaffirm rules and staffing plans for city public spaces as the summer season approaches.
City Manager Deb Lohrey said city parks will remain closed at night and the city will not allow people to establish camps in parks; staff will ask occupants of city parks to leave immediately. For other city-owned property, the manager said staff will provide 24 hours' notice before asking people to remove belongings, consistent with the city's current practice, and that departments will coordinate language and resources used for outreach.
Lohrey also said the city has expanded coordination with Wabanaki Public Health for syringe pickup; a councilor reported seeing two needle caps but not needles during a recent restroom check and said the facility had toilet paper and only minor damage.
Councilors raised concerns about a growing number of shopping carts left in public spaces, particularly Pierce Park, and asked staff to monitor the area.
The workshop record includes a brief, unclear transcription about portable sanitary units. Councilors and staff discussed there being six units in use and four paid in current maintenance plans; a staff estimate of maintenance costs was given as “25 or 26 $27,000 a year per party” (transcript phrasing). The manager said she would ask Tracy (public-works/ops staff) to provide an update with details about the number of units in service and maintenance costs. The transcript contains inconsistent phrasing for this item; the council requested a clearer report at a later operations update.
No new ordinance or formal policy change was adopted during the workshop.
