City News / Weather
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COUNCIL ADOPTS ANNUAL BUDGET -- TAX RATE STABLE
The Bangor City Council has adopted a municipal budget that will go into effect on July 1st. For the coming year, the property tax rate will remain at $19.05 and, with few exceptions, property owners will see no increase in their taxes. This was accomplished by reducing the Manager's proposed budget by $1.3 million by eliminating certain vacant positions, reducing the operations in Bangor harbor, and cutting the overall expenditure budget through a line by line review. Property tax bills will be issued in August with the first half payment due in mid-September.
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INFLUENZA UPDATE AND PREPAREDNESS
The City of Bangor’s Division of Regional Public Health and Wellness is advising the public to take the following steps in response to the outbreak of Swine Influenza.
- For the most up to date information, go to the Maine CDC’s website at www.mainepublichealth.gov.
- Visit www.WhatYouDoMatters.org for tips on prevention.
- Do the following to stay healthy:
- Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or sleeve. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water. Especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. Germs spread that way.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Influenza spreads mainly through coughing or sneezing.
- Stay home if you are sick. Limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
- Flu related posters can be found at http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/boh/Flu%20Posters.htm.
- Emergency preparedness checklists for individuals, businesses, and others preparing for pandemic flu can be found at http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/checklists.html.
City staff is in close contact with the Maine Center for Disease Control, meeting at least daily to discuss updates and will provide the public with additional information as it becomes available.
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COLUMBIA ST. PARKING DECK CONSTRUCTION UPDATE
Notice to the users of the Columbia St. Parking Deck - Due to construction to replace the existing Columbia St. Parking Deck, both the deck and lower level under the deck will be closed beginning Monday, June 22, 2009. For further information, please contact Republic Parking - Tel. #941-1654 or Bob Greene of the Cianbro Corporation. – Tel. # 679-2382.
Notice to vehicles that utilize Columbia St. - Due to Columbia St. Parking Deck reconstruction, a portion of Columbia St. will be closed to traffic beginning Monday, June 29, 2009. Traffic will not be allowed to enter Columbia St. from Hammond Street. Traffic will be detoured via Main and Cross Streets. For further information please contact Drew Caron of the Bangor Engineering Department Tel # 992-4244.
Meeting Notice for the abutters to the Columbia St. Parking Deck – A meeting on the project will be held @ 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, June 24, 2009 to provide additional information about the project and address any questions you may have. This meeting will be at the Columbia St. Parking Deck. In the event of inclement weather, the meeting will be held on the lower level beneath the Deck. If you are unable to attend the meeting or have questions in the meantime, please feel free to contact either Drew Caron at 992-4244 or Jim Ring at 992-4249
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STILLWATER AVENUE IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT
The City will be undertaking improvements to Stillwater Avenue this summer. This Project includes reclamation and reconstruction of portions of Stillwater Avenue beginning at Longview Avenue and extending north to the Town Line. The tentative construction date for this project is July of 2009. Plans are available for review at the City of Bangor Engineering Department, 73 Harlow Street, Bangor, Maine. Public questions can be answered at (207) 992 – 4250 City of Bangor Engineering Department.
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FREE PEDESTRIAN SAFETY LIGHTS AVAILABLE STARTING MARCH 9
Following recent tragic accidents involving pedestrians in Bangor and a neighboring community, the City’s Health Insurer, Cigna, has donated LED based strobe lights that can be worn at night by pedestrians to improve their visibility to motorists. These pedestrian lights will be available to Bangor residents at no charge, They will be available starting on March 9th and can be picked up at Bangor’s Central Fire Station on Main Street during normal business hours from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The City urges all pedestrians to exercise extreme caution at all times. At night, bright or reflective colors should be worn in conjunction with the pedestrian visibility light. Extra caution should be used at intersections where snowbanks can obscure visibility or when walking in the street due to blocked sidewalks. We urge both pedestrians and motorists to be vigilant and to help keep everyone in Bangor safe.
The program is being dedicated in memory of the late Maureen Waltz, who was employed by the Bangor Convention and Visitors Bureau.
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City of Bangor Police Department
Robbery Tips
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Hammond Street Bridge Construction Update
Starting Friday February 13, temporary concrete barriers will be placed on the Hammond Street Bridge as crews begin construction on the bridge.
I-95 northbound motorists who use the Hammond Street Exit (Exit 183) will not be able to turn left at the end of the exit ramp. Please utilize Exit 182B or Exit 184 to access areas west of I-95.
Drivers headed easterly over the Hammond Street Bridge will also be unable to access I-95 northbound from the bridge. Please utilize the Union Street or I-395 on-ramps for access to I-95 northbound.
Motorists are urged to drive with caution through the work zone.
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CQ Press 2007 Safest Metro Area Award
A recent report ranking Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) in terms of safety rated Bangor the 4th safest metropolitan area in the country. There are two MSAs in Maine, Portland and Bangor. They encompass the cities proper as well as surrounding areas. The survey indicates that the Bangor MSA, with a total population of over 140,000, ranks as the 4th safest MSA in the country. These are based on Uniform Crime Statistics compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Click Here for Details
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BANGOR TRAILS ISSUES INTERIM REPORT ON CITY-WIDE TRAIL SYSTEM
Bangor Trails is a cooperative effort among Bangor Land Trust, Keep Bangor Beautiful, and the City of Bangor. Over the past two years, Bangor Trails has reached out to and welcomed groups and interested parties to ensure a comprehensive consideration of viewpoints when developing its proposed trail system. Bangor Trails has issued an interim report describing a long-term city-wide trail system. To view the report, Click Here.... (PDF-25MB)
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CITY ADOPTS SUSTAINABLE BUILDING DESIGN STANDARDS
In pursuit of our goal to be the most environmentally friendly city in Maine, the Bangor City Council recently approved a new standard for City owned building construction and renovation projects. This standard, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), requires the City and its architects, designers, and construction firms to integrate environmental design and energy efficiency into projects from their very beginning. The result will be reduced energy use and operating costs through longer lived, environmentally friendly structures that are healthier places to work and visit. Buildings consume: 70% of electricity and 12% of water; are responsible for 30% of greenhouse gas emissions; and produce 65% of all waste in the U.S. Such environmental impacts can only be reduced by integrating energy conservation and low impact environmental design into construction standards. A copy of the City’s LEEDS policy can be found at: http://www.bangormaine.gov/cs_finance_env.php.
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DID YOU KNOW NEWSLETTER-JULY, 2009 (PDF-2MB)
DID YOU KNOW NEWSLETTER-JUNE, 2009 (PDF-8MB)
DID YOU KNOW NEWSLETTER-MAY, 2009 (PDF-11MB)
DID YOU KNOW NEWSLETTER-APRIL, 2009 (PDF-3MB)
DID YOU KNOW NEWSLETTER-MARCH, 2009 (PDF-3MB)
DID YOU KNOW NEWSLETTER-FEBRUARY, 2009 (PDF-2MB)
DID YOU KNOW NEWSLETTER-JANUARY, 2009 (PDF-2MB)
