Concerns Over Tax Increase Halt Bangor Recreation Center Plans

Bangor City Councilors voted against advancing a proposed $75 million combined Parks and Recreation facility/ice rink to bond this year.

The order in question, public hearing order number 26-108, if passed, would have allowed the issuance of 75 million dollars of the City's general obligation bonds for a new Parks & Rec facility, and pass along the cost to the Bangor taxpayers, by raising property taxes to the tune of several hundred dollars.

At Monday night's Bangor City Council meeting, councilors listened to public comment by residents for and against putting the proposal on this year's ballot.

Many spoke of the need to replace the aging infrastructure of the existing Parks and Rec building on Main Street and Sawyer Arena on 13th, with new facilities. Others spoke of their hesitance to vote for such an expensive proposal without looking at either pairing it down significantly, or finding other methods of funding the project.

The goal, according to Bangor resident Gretchen Schafer, former city councilor and chair of the special committee to discuss the proposal, was to create a community recreation facility, not just an ice rink, but to create buildings that are more accessible than the Bangor Armory (the current Parks & Rec building) and Sawyer Arena are at the moment.

But many in attendance voiced concern that the property tax increase residents would face to pay for the facilities would force people out of their homes, especially those on a fixed income.

Former City Councilor Dan Sprague suggested the Council table the order until more research could be done on what proposed amenities might overlap with the new Bangor Y facility being built downtown, which could be taken out of the plans, along with the possibility of securing other forms of funding.

The meeting was streamed live on YouTube (and you can watch for yourself by clicking here), and the specific conversation about this matter starts at about 52 minutes in.

At Monday night's Bangor City Council meeting, the proposal was shot down when not a single councilor voted to move it forward to the referendum ballot.

While it was not passed and will not show up on the June 2026 municipal ballot, all of the councilors stated that they were excited to get right back into the process of trying to put a feasible plan together to address the need for a Bangor Parks and Recreation Facility.

As Councilor Falloon said, "It's not no to the rec center, it's just not tonight."

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Gallery Credit: Cori Skall