Bangor council hears hours of public comment on homelessness, addiction, 103 Main Ave

The Bangor City Council opened its Sept. 14 meeting with a National Recovery Month proclamation and roughly an hour of public comment, most of it focused on homelessness, addiction and the city's proposed purchase of 103 Main Avenue. Councilors passed a consent agenda and referred several first-reading items to committee, then postponed a vote on a $300,000 MaineHousing grant for Project HOPE to Sept. 28 after hearing from residents on both sides.

Key points

• Councilor Carolyn Fish read a proclamation declaring September National Recovery Month in Bangor, and a representative of the Bangor Area Recovery Network invited the public to a Recovery Palooza event on the Bangor Waterfront on Sept. 26.
• Public comment drew sharply divided views on homelessness and addiction, with some speakers urging enforcement and treatment and others, including a physician and an attorney, arguing for community-based care and warning against forced treatment.
• Several speakers criticized the city's handling of the proposed purchase of 103 Main Avenue, including Northeast Pain Management representatives who said medical associations and local leaders have urged the council to reconsider.
• The council passed its consent agenda without discussion, covering items such as quitclaim deeds, an ambulance service policy revision, a General Electric land lease and an Athena Health agreement for Bangor Public Health.
• Councilor Joseph Leonard moved to postpone resolve 26-253, the Project HOPE funding item, to the Sept. 28 meeting; the motion was seconded and drew further public comment before the transcript ends.
• First-reading items included a data center moratorium extension, a $5.5 million airport improvement grant, $7,000 in opioid settlement funds for Together Place, a school budget amendment and a bond order of up to $1.4 million for 103 Main Avenue, which was referred to the Finance Committee for Sept. 21.

Next steps

• Resolve 26-253 on Project HOPE funding was postponed to the regularly scheduled council meeting on Sept. 28, 2026.
• The order authorizing up to $1.4 million in bonds to purchase 103 Main Avenue was referred to the Finance Committee for Sept. 21.
• First-reading items, including the data center moratorium extension and the airport improvement grant, will return under unfinished business.

Read the full transcript