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Bangor Cultural Commission supports lighted "Bangor" letters for State and Harlow green space
Summary
The commission voted to support a public-art proposal for illuminated letters reading "Bangor" in the downtown green space at State and Harlow, and agreed to seek input from the Historic Preservation Commission and Business & Economic Development Committee before further steps.
The Bangor Cultural Commission voted to support a proposal to install illuminated letters spelling “Bangor” in the small green space at the corner of State and Harlow.
Betsy, who described herself as the liaison and who restarted the project after it was shelved, told commissioners the proposal aims to create a visible downtown gateway and could be integrated into a city “proxy map” for interactive visitor information. She said the project team has sought letters of support from local organizations, including the Bangor Arts Society and the Bangor Historical Society, and that the project proponents proposed using Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds set aside for downtown projects.
Concerns discussed included historic-area impacts, vandalism, materials and maintenance. A commissioner asked, “Is there budget included for cleaning?” and staff said maintenance and cleaning would likely fall to public works depending on final siting and designation. City staff said they will take the commission’s comments to the Historic Preservation Commission and the Business and Economic Development Committee for additional input before proceeding.
Betsy moved that the commission support the project; another commissioner seconded the motion. After brief discussion the chair called for a vote. The motion passed; the meeting record shows the commission expressed support but does not list a roll-call tally.
Members weighed design options presented in the meeting packet, including visible internal lighting versus solid-faced letters and two typefaces; commissioners favored the thicker typeface and the ability to change colors for events. Staff noted larger city installations in other cities can cost substantially more and that this local design is scaled appropriately for Bangor.
Ending: Staff will present the commission’s comments to the Historic Preservation Commission and the Business and Economic Development Committee and will follow up with potential vendors to clarify materials, maintenance plans and timelines; commissioners asked staff to circulate updates to the artist team and project proponents.
