Bangor council signals it won't close railroad encampment on Dec. 19

At a special workshop on Dec. 12, Bangor city councilors discussed the encampment along the railroad tracks and appeared to reach consensus against closing it on the previously set Dec. 19 date. City staff reported the overnight population has dropped from about 40 to roughly 20, with about half of those people matched to housing vouchers or queued for one. Councilors asked staff to assess whether residents could safely move onto city-owned land away from the tracks, and no formal vote was taken.

Key points

• City Manager Carollynn Lear reported the encampment population has fallen from the 40s to about 20 people staying overnight, with a corresponding rise in warming center use.
• Jen Gunderman, director of Bangor Public Health and Community Services, said about 10 of the 20 people have a housing voucher, are matched to one, or are queued for one, and that PATH outreach workers are on site three days a week.
• Councilor Michael Beck argued Dec. 19 is not workable and pushed to delay closure, saying closures have not worked in Bangor and that a safe outdoor space could save money over time.
• Councilor Angela Walker said she is not in favor of closing the encampment on Dec. 19 or setting a closing date, citing the difficulty of moving people in winter.
• Councilor Carolyn Fish raised concerns about the encampment growing again and questioned the city's role, saying Bangor should partner more with outside experts.
• Police and fire officials said the railroad wants people off its property and described response challenges at the site, including a cardiac arrest call Wednesday that took time to locate.
• Councilor Wayne Mallar questioned what encampment residents are willing to do to help maintain the site and noted there are no authorized encampment models in Maine or New England to compare with.

Next steps

• City staff will spend roughly a week to 10 days assessing whether residents can safely relocate to the city-owned portion of the property away from the tracks.
• Staff will consult community partners and encampment residents as part of that assessment and report back.
• Gunderman will compile a more comprehensive list of community organizations working in the space and what they do.
• Councilors will draft a schedule of follow-up meeting dates, to be presented at Monday's meeting.
• The city will continue working with landlords on voucher acceptance and keep tracking residents through the by-name list.

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