Advisory committee finalizes Pride booth plans, prioritizes simple survey and accessibility supports

The Bangor City Advisory Committee on Racial Equity, Inclusion and Human Rights on Tuesday agreed to staff a booth at this year’s Pride celebration and to use a short, mixed-format survey to gather community feedback on inclusion.

Chair Katie Bryden said practical details are set: “The booths are open from 10AM to 4PM. The parade starts at 11 and goes from 11AM to 12PM,” and she outlined three two-hour shifts (10–12, 12–2, 2–4) for volunteers. Student representative Emmy volunteered for the 10–12 slot and committee members agreed to aim for two people per shift so the booth is never left unattended.

The committee focused on creating low-barrier ways for festivalgoers to share views. Members backed a large poster-board option for on-site voting (star or sticker choices) plus a QR code linking to a longer online form for people who want to provide more detailed responses later. “We could maybe identify three of these questions and write them on the board so that the folks there at 08:30 in the morning…can still collect the things that we actually care about,” Bryden said.

Accessibility requirements and equity concerns shaped the discussion. A public commenter, Jamie Back, asked whether printed surveys and QR codes would be available in “high frequency languages other than English” and whether the booth would have ASL interpretation. Committee members noted translation and interpreting options are constrained by short lead time but proposed two near-term steps: (1) provide hard‑copy surveys at the booth and a QR code that links to the online form, and (2) recruit volunteer translators (students and community contacts) to produce vetted Spanish and French versions before the event or otherwise prioritize multilingual rollout at a later date. Members also said they will ask the Pride organizers about ASL interpreters for the booth area or whether stage interpreters can be available to help.

On survey design, the committee favored a short core of nine items that can be completed quickly and a nonrequired free-text field at the end. Members proposed question options that address housing, public gathering spaces, representation at events and city leadership, transportation barriers, and physical accessibility. The committee agreed to allow respondents to skip questions, to include “choose all that apply” options where useful, and to add an optional field for contact information to enable follow-up when available.

Logistics and materials were finalized in general terms: members volunteered to bring folding tables, chairs, stickers and craft supplies (friendship‑bracelet materials) to attract engagement; the city manager’s budget will cover modest purchases. Bryden said she will confirm the booth location with Pride organizers and circulate the event packet and final survey link to the committee in advance.

The committee asked staff to coordinate printouts, poster boards and at least one device at the table for people who prefer to complete the survey on-site. Members said they will prioritize low‑intensity, festival‑friendly ways of soliciting feedback and will treat the on-site activity as a pilot for future outreach.

The committee will reconvene before the event to confirm volunteers, pick up supplies and post final materials.