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City Council questions $150,000 road request from Penobscot Community Health Center
Summary
At a June 25 budget workshop, City Manager Herbig said Penobscot Community Health Center requested $150,000 to repair an access road to its new facility; councilors raised concerns about scope, specificity and whether the city should assume a private road.
City Manager Herbig told the City Council at a June 25, 2024 budget workshop that Penobscot Community Health Center (PCHC) has requested $150,000 to repair the facility access road and related site work at its new location in the former Bank of America/MBNA complex.
"PCHC was looking for assistance from the city to kind of redo the road and fix some things," Herbig said, describing the requested amount and the facility's age.
Several council members expressed reservations about funding a large, unspecified payment. One council member said, "I think it's much better for something specific because I don't know where that money goes. We give them $150,000, and they use it in Bangor or somewhere else." Another council member said they believed PCHC had requested the city to take over maintenance of the access road, which would require the road to be built to city specifications.
Herbig said the council declined full support for that request last year and that the economic development office has been pursuing grant funding, including in-kind support for services such as dental care and other clinic operations. He described the manager's current approach as favoring targeted assistance and grant-seeking rather than an outright appropriation of city tax dollars for road reconstruction.
Councilors did not move to any formal vote on the PCHC request during the workshop. Herbig recommended further follow-up with economic development staff and potential grant avenues; he said any decision to take over a road would carry maintenance obligations and set a local precedent.
The council indicated it would keep the request on the radar and discuss more detailed proposals or specific projects if PCHC returns with a narrower scope or if staff identifies grant funding that reduces the city's share.
What happens next: staff will continue outreach to PCHC and potential grantors; the council did not adopt funding or make a binding commitment at the June 25 workshop.
