Bangor city staff will move into the Penquis CAP building on Harlow Street while city hall undergoes renovations.
The Bangor City Council’s Finance Committee voted on Monday to allow city staff to finalize a lease agreement to move city operations into the Penquis CAP building on Harlow Street. If all goes as planned, city staff will likely begin moving out of city hall over the next month.
The move will allow the building’s first major interior change since the mid-1970s, which will ultimately make the building safer, more accessible and easier for residents to use. The renovations come four years after voters approved $6 million for the improvements in November 2019.
The city will take over about 13,000 square feet of the Penquis CAP building, including a large meeting room that will temporarily serve as Bangor’s city council chambers, David Little, Bangor’s finance director said. A few counters will also be built in offices that commonly serve the public, such as the city clerk’s office where people need to register their vehicles.
Public access to the area that will temporarily serve as city hall will be on the back lower side of the building, according to Little. Penquis CAP will continue to operate on the upper floor with the building’s street access entrance.
The lease will last for two years, though the building renovations are only expected to take 18 months, Little said. City staff will move back into city hall as soon as the work is completed.
Work to the building, which was constructed in 1914, will include electrical and mechanical system upgrades, a new heating and ventilation system on the first floor, asbestos abatement on the first floor, a fire alarm system throughout the building, and a new elevator between the first and third floors.
The building’s existing elevator is small and doesn’t meet standards set by the ADA. It’s also old and replacement pieces are difficult and expensive to find, Little said.
The estimated cost of those improvements is $6.5 million, but including a $1 million cushion to cover unexpected expenses brings the base amount to about $7.5 million, John Theriault, Bangor City Engineer, said in May.
