Bangor Livable Communities Committee revisits age-friendly plan, hears accessibility concerns

[0:00] Speaker A (unidentified): domains of livability. So communities can look at these domains of livability and decide, and that's what this strategic plan was. What are the gaps in the Bangor community that we want to see, that we want to work on? It doesn't have to be in all of the 8 domains. It can be in all of the 8 domains, and then it can be prioritized so that in year 1, you could say like a 3-year plan or a 5-year plan. In year 1, we're gonna tackle this, these 2 priorities, year 2, and so on and so forth. And I think some— I haven't looked at this that closely in a while, but that's some thinking that was around that. [Speaker B (unidentified): Right.] The initial projects that the original group took on was to put benches in the cross insurance, the cross building, because inside of it, was a long way to get around and up and down the stairs and to get up to the elevator and whatnot. So a meeting was held with Patty. So the original leaders were the Department of Health. So Patty Hamilton, who was the public health nurse and the director of the Department of Health, and Diane Walsh, who was at that time the executive director of Eastern Area Agency on Aging. And so it was to— the livability plans were like, To how do we increase, put in benches in places that they're needed. Another thing was the replacement of the senior center, which was a multi-year plan and ultimately ended up being in Brewer. The Fit Lot in Broadway Park was another. It kind of came to us. It wasn't originally in the plan, but came to the city because the city was so active in the outdoor space. area. And so then we helped— this committee helped to install it along with the city. The city now maintains it. So it's, you know, some of the projects are— we also did a volunteer fair with Eastern Maine, you know, with Beale College. And a lot of the organizations like the Y, the library, the United Way were very involved. [2:14] Speaker C (unidentified): We evaluated certain trails to— oh, that's hiking trails. [2:20] Speaker A (unidentified): That's right, stuff like that. [2:21] Speaker C (unidentified): But if people don't know the Fit Lot, when you're driving through Broadway where the park is, that exit on— if you're heading towards town, it's on the left side. There's a like canopy with exercise equipment in it. So that's what the Fit Lot is. [2:36] Speaker D (unidentified): That's where that is. [2:37] Speaker C (unidentified): That was fun. [2:38] Speaker A (unidentified): We were able to write a grant too with the city. City actually has to sponsored a grant, through an AARP Foundation grant to improve the lighting and the trail system on the Kaneski Extreme Trail. I think those are the major ones. There's a lot of little ones too. [2:57] Speaker B (unidentified): Yeah, so I think that there's some value here to revisiting the plan and to really take stock of what has been accomplished, either, you know, as a city initiative, but also to what you know, you were just mentioning, Karen, is what are some of the projects that have come to us that have been completed by others that fit in this plan and advance those goals? And then to figure out, do we have a specific domain that's a higher priority than others? Do we need to reframe some of these goals and try to keep the heat on in, these, developments? So, what I thought we would do just for some structure is that we're gonna look back and kind of see what did we say that we were going to do. We'll look at the goals and then we'll kind of bring us up to speed on some of the things that the city is aware of. But then there, if there are other things that maybe we aren't aware of that in your respective circles kind of speaks to that topic or that issue, we'd love to hear, you know, what's what's been done that, fits in there. And then we'll look at, well, what still, what still is, what matters now, right? and, you know, perhaps we won't have time in this session, but eventually I'd like to see us look at, you know, is there a priority that rises to the top? And then, just help us launch some conversations about like why, what is the goal of livable communities and how we might be able to fully engage with it. Does that make sense? Okay. All right. So, absolutely. [4:43] Speaker A (unidentified): so I'm not as familiar with the actual, organizations or committees of the local communities, but, is the target audience,, to make them age-friendly and targeted at seniors? Or is it all residents in general, or? [5:01] Speaker B (unidentified): Yes. So that's a really great question. So we want to look at our community in terms of the entire life course. So your ability to move through and engage with your community, you know, from the moment you're born until the last day. And so thinking about the spaces, but also interactions. [5:25] Speaker C (unidentified): Yeah, I think there is that misconception and that it is for older adults. But as they say, whatever, changes you make for older adults is usually good for everyone. [5:37] Speaker A (unidentified): Exactly. Yeah. No, just when I hear age-friendly due to seniors, but then also for young families with young children and strollers and, you know, trying to— [5:47] Speaker B (unidentified): We're all aging. Guess what? Guess what? [5:49] Speaker A (unidentified): You know, and that's actually— that was what the walk audit that the community brought out, right? So preschoolers helped to do a walk audit because they have different needs crossing the street than— yeah. So yes, that's great. And I think the AARP being funded partially or supported— it's not even funded really, it's just supported by AARP— leads people to think that. But no, it's really the whole lifespan. [6:13] Speaker B (unidentified): Yeah, that's a good point. The fact that 's connected, it leads someone to believe. But I think it's really helpful to think of age-friendly as— I call it kind of quick Quickly, I say strollers to rollers. But there are lots of ways that myself throughout my entire life course have had to think about the ways that I move through public spaces. But then also, how do we think about the way that we move through cognitively and, you know, building community with, you know, with each other in a social way? [6:50] Speaker A (unidentified): So— [6:51] Speaker E (unidentified): I know living in Cedar Falls Trail Park, During the summer, we have an influx of older people and the younger kids that want to move around because they have these battery-operated things that they get on. They're not always looking out for themselves. And we have a— some kind of an imbalance. The older folks don't want to tolerate the children. And that's something we're trying to educate the older ones as far as getting along and letting them at least be careful. We don't have a playground where they can go to, so they play in the streets. We do have a 10-mile-an-hour speed limit, so it is manageable. It is an adjustment when you have older folks living with younger folks. So, but we're finding the balance can be dealt with. [7:57] Speaker F (unidentified): Absolutely. Like, my mom lives in the new Grandview Apartments, and you guys are building behind them. That's what she's told me. [Speaker E (unidentified): You built—] I was built the daycare. She's really concerned, and so are other residents that live in those buildings. But the kids will be really loud. And then you guys build the new houses, they're going to have to deal with barking dogs. They're going to have to deal with all sorts of noise that they don't have to deal with now. But I explained to her that sometimes change comes and we have to adjust to the different atmospheres of life. And a lot of them in there are 55 years and older. And they like their peace and quiet. So they, are worried about how to adjust to that. So this is what I've been told by her. And they actually have a community room where they meet and they sit and talk about this stuff and what they worry about, but they don't know where to go with it. They just know they are concerned and wonder if the city is taking them into consideration. And they said, you know, they might not have thought of how you guys were going to feel about all of it. But maybe we talked to someone. [9:30] Speaker G (unidentified): Well, that actually makes a really great point, because one of the things we struggle with the most is how to reach people living in apartments and renters in general, because there's not an easy way to do that. Like when we send notices for that, actually, it goes to property owners surrounding it because that's easy info to find. But when we do outreach, like, how, you know, how do your parents get information? [9:54] Speaker A (unidentified): How can we reach them about that? [9:56] Speaker F (unidentified): I would say, you know, probably ring the doorbell and ask to put a notice on. They have a board in there you can put a notice on. They have boards in there that you can put a notice on. And people actually read that board. The elderly in there read it. Some are concerned because, like my mom, she has chronic leukemia, myeloid leukemia. She's concerned about the noise and whether she will be able to sleep if she needs to, or will the kids be running in the backyard, or will somebody come over and do something. You know, they worry of their elders, they worry about things. [10:47] Speaker G (unidentified): I will say, I don't know if it'll make— in this specific situation, make her feel better— the way the buildings are, arranged over there, the play areas would be in the back of the building. The multifamily buildings would be between her building and the play areas, and then the single-family homes are way over here. So I don't think that's what they— [11:07] Speaker F (unidentified): they, worry about all that. [11:08] Speaker B (unidentified): It has to be unknown. [11:09] Speaker A (unidentified): It's having the conversation. It's not even available. [11:13] Speaker F (unidentified): If they have meetings in their community, little community room to talk about these things, but they don't know where to go with it. Yeah, they don't know where to bring their concerns because they're too Some of them are too elderly to come to the city council meetings. They just— [11:31] Speaker G (unidentified): Well, people, yeah, I mean, that's hard. Like, people can always reach out to us anytime, staff and community economic development. But like, I know that a lot of elderly don't have computers. [11:43] Speaker F (unidentified): So they also don't know how to use them. [11:45] Speaker G (unidentified): And they can call us though. But there is that disconnect of like, how do we get our information to them? So they know to contact us. [11:54] Speaker A (unidentified): Those are Vicquis properties, right? [11:55] Speaker F (unidentified): Yeah,, those are— [11:57] Speaker A (unidentified): they have a property management entity, I'm sure. Yes, collects rent. That would be able to distribute. [12:03] Speaker B (unidentified): They might be good conduits. That's it. Or even about like a property manager. [12:08] Speaker F (unidentified): They have a board right inside, you know, inside the building, because I saw my mom post something on it. when I was with her one day, and she said, I posted that for somebody if somebody wanted something. So you— I don't see why those couldn't be posted right on there so that they could be aware of the meetings. [Speaker D (unidentified): It could be—] it's a— [12:33] Speaker G (unidentified): We can look into that more. I will say it could be a staff capacity issue if we had to do that for every development and go look for community boards like all around. [12:41] Speaker F (unidentified): That could be really difficult. [12:43] Speaker G (unidentified): I'm I'm wondering, are there like other information outlets we can use that, like, do they watch TV news? Do they? [12:50] Speaker F (unidentified): My mother doesn't. She watches Facebook most times, which is a bad place to go to get your information. I think the city does a pretty good job of posting something. [13:04] Speaker A (unidentified): Yeah, truthfully, they should have a point person with Pinquist that, you know, that they could raise a concern with. [Speaker E (unidentified): Pinquist could—] you guys could establish ways to say we're available if there are questions. Well, I will say Pinquist used to be a member of this committee as well. So it's probably an easy reach out just to set sure if you come on back. [13:23] Speaker B (unidentified): And that's a great point. And when the most impactful thing I heard you say, Ronnie, was, you know, they have the— they have meetings in these little cells and they don't know where to go to bring those concerns. So I'm thinking About the opportunities that this group has to, you know, be either a conduit for that information, a place for those people to bring concerns and have rich discussions that don't require you to go to an evening meeting or to join, you know, a committee for a length of time. But then also, how are we disseminating and coordinating information that we then take back to our circles? So this could be that place to do that. So, you know, that might, that might be something that's a priority is thinking about how we can better communicate with people. [14:16] Public commenter (88-year-old resident, Courtland Circle): Right. [14:16] Speaker C (unidentified): And I just want to add, I mean, those are legitimate concerns, but you could, and this may not help them, but I know that there were people who were not too keen on having 2 apartment buildings built over there with the increased traffic. So They're nice and comfortable in their place, but there were people who didn't want those buildings there because of the increased traffic or whatever else development brings. So the point is, we're a city. The reality is, yes, things are going to move along. You could either be part of it, or you could just stand in the background and it's going to happen anyway. And I don't mean to say this in a harsh way, but that's just the cold reality. So people didn't want those buildings, so your mom and other residents would not have a place. So now we're talking about providing somewhat affordable or missing middle housing for people that need housing in this city. [15:10] Speaker F (unidentified): I think it's more the unknown to them. Yes, to what's really happening, and educating them is key. [15:21] Speaker E (unidentified): Having their voice heard. [15:23] Speaker F (unidentified): So the unknown isn't so scary to them. You gotta get some of them people are anywhere from 70 to 90 somewhere. You know, the unknown can be very scary to someone that's elderly. They don't— do you understand? Yeah. [15:43] Speaker C (unidentified): Is there a way of them electing someone within that community, like one of the residents who could be the representative? I don't know. [15:51] Speaker F (unidentified): I could ask that. [15:52] Speaker C (unidentified): That would be a great option, and they could report back. [15:55] Speaker F (unidentified): It might give one of them something really constructive to do. [15:59] Speaker A (unidentified): Right,, because there's a lot of good connections too that can happen with those types of multi-age communities. And there's a lot of research around this when communities of multi-ages are coexisting like you are. beneficial, really beneficial to everyone. So I think that could be another way to help them see the positives. [16:23] Speaker B (unidentified): The connection, I think, is, a good point. And I want to make sure Damian is able to say what he's been so patient. Yeah. [16:31] Speaker A (unidentified): So just to clarify, you think really just that line of communication, once that gets established, that will ease their concerns? [16:37] Speaker F (unidentified): I think so. I think it's the unknown of not knowing what is going to happen, and they're all going crazy in the building. And they're all talking to each other, and it's when you start the rumor mill, it, makes everybody crazy. [16:53] Speaker E (unidentified): That happens in any community. [16:56] Speaker A (unidentified): Sure does. [16:57] Speaker G (unidentified): Do you think if there had been a sign on the site that said, go here for more information or call this number? [17:05] Speaker F (unidentified): My mother would have called you. [Speaker B (unidentified): Okay.] My mother would have called you anxious. [17:09] Speaker A (unidentified): I think you'd have our representative. [17:11] Speaker F (unidentified): Could you please give me some more information? [17:14] Speaker A (unidentified): And that's a good point, knowing that there's gonna be a, you know, future development along that site. And there is already concern. So people are like, you know, the city hasn't thought about this, or what are they gonna do? Like, I'm sure the city's thought about it. It's a matter of communicating it out that, yes, we know there's gonna be increased traffic. These are the things we're doing about it. [17:33] Speaker F (unidentified): These are the things that— [17:36] Speaker B (unidentified): But I think also when we think about the communication, Marissa, I think of it as this is sort of a community activity and communication, like, from the city is just one facet of that. But what we're seeing, like, in terms of symptomology is people are very isolated and not communicating with each other. So you have a building. [Speaker E (unidentified): Right.] And everyone in those, that building that has concerns, they don't move beyond those walls. So I think of them as like a cell. Of, you know, people that literally, like you said, Ronnie, don't have somewhere for that to go. But that's a community symptom, I think. [18:16] Speaker G (unidentified): Yep. Yeah. [18:18] Speaker F (unidentified): I think if they had someone that they could talk to and ease their concerns, it would be very beneficial to them. They wouldn't be going all crazy. I listen to my mama and talk about it, how scared they are. How they don't know what's going to happen. You know, it's— [18:40] Speaker E (unidentified): It's the unknown is scary. Especially when you get older, your tolerance for change changes. [18:48] Speaker G (unidentified): Well, A, I just want to say, if they still have concerns, they can call us in the vision. I think you have our contact information. [Speaker A (unidentified): He knows.] But I'll say, I just had an idea. We were talking about doing this at some point, but it was gonna be like us as the city doing it, but we just don't have the capacity to put a sign at potential developments. But what we can look into doing is ask or require developers to put the sign out. And that would have certain information and give us and give people our contact info. [19:17] Speaker B (unidentified): Which is a relatively simple ask that developers do in other communities or with other funding sources that they have to recognize and things like that. [19:28] Speaker A (unidentified): Looks so. [19:29] Speaker G (unidentified): Rosalyn has a question. So, Rosalyn, you can go ahead. [19:36] Public commenter (88-year-old resident, Courtland Circle): Okay. [Speaker E (unidentified): Hello.] Now I lost my video. Okay. Not sure what happened. Anyway, as an 88-year-old living in a community Courtland Circle that is not age-related, but many of the concerns that we have are similar to those of the people living in the apartments. Traffic on Broadway is awful. We were told we live too far from any development to make any community, you know, complaints. So, I'm just concerned that we need to look at the whole city, not just the one area. We're talking about transportation. We're talking about noise. We're talking about parking, whatever it is. That, to concentrate on one area, I understand their needs, but I am 88. I use Zoom. I go to meetings all the time. So some of us are trying to communicate. our needs as well as everybody else's. Does that make sense? [20:52] Speaker B (unidentified): It does. [20:54] Speaker A (unidentified): I'm just actually— [20:55] Public commenter (88-year-old resident, Courtland Circle): Thank you. And my concerns are with Broadway and all of downtown because the inaccessibility. I am using a rollator and walking Downtown. I haven't heard you talk. I tried for 15 minutes to get on using this. I had to go back out and start over again to get on the Zoom today. And I did all the things I was supposed to do, but I couldn't get on. [21:28] Speaker G (unidentified): We didn't have our typical people running the meeting, so it was kind of a touch and go a little bit. I'm sorry for the delay. [21:35] Speaker C (unidentified): Yeah. [21:37] Public commenter (88-year-old resident, Courtland Circle): So, are you going to talk about accessibility downtown? or other parts of the city? [21:43] Speaker B (unidentified): Yeah, so that might be a great segue, because we want to talk about the goals under the plan in those 8 domains. If you look on the second page of your packet, this is where this matrix— we're going to look at, the specific goal that was established under that domain and talk about what's And done, what we still have left to do under the plan, and whether or not we really need to think of and reframe whether those problems fully address that domain. So,, right, so we'll go over, you know, outdoor spaces, transportation, accessibility, and those types of things. [Speaker A (unidentified): Roslyn.] Thank you. Yeah,. So I was not also around for the citywide audit that we did in 2015, somewhere. '13? [22:45] Speaker A (unidentified): No, '19 was before the pandemic. Yeah, like, so it would have been like '19. [Speaker B (unidentified): Okay.] I guess I lived through it. [22:54] Speaker B (unidentified): Right,. So we had a focus on accessibility in the downtown. We had 141 responses to that audit, and so we looked at identifying what those gaps were in, the sidewalks and any type of obstructions, the curb and crosswalk areas. But we know that there's a lot more that we need to do, and I know that sidewalks and walkability are closely related to transportation. and getting around. So does anyone kind of want to speak to maybe some initiatives that the city has done or that you've observed in the city that have improved the walkability or, you know, transportation? [23:49] Speaker E (unidentified): I can point to the Finch Road. Years ago, there was a very high hill. in that road. And the city put out a questionnaire, what we can improve in the city. And I wrote back that there's a lot of walkability as far as around the Cape Cod area. And there was— they were walking that Fenton Road, and it was a very narrow road at that time. And after that survey came out, I guess the engineers got together and they cut down that hill and widened the road. They don't have sidewalks, but they have a bike path that people walk in. So that they've made that very walkable now. [24:33] Speaker F (unidentified): I absolutely love the light-up stop signs and the walk signs. I think there should be more of those around the city. I think they're great. I think they make it more known to drivers. That somebody's trying to cross the road or is crossing the road. I think that's great. [24:54] Speaker E (unidentified): And that road that they just developed up by the dam, I don't know, 13th Street or something. [Speaker C (unidentified): 14th Street.] And they made that walkable. [25:10] Speaker F (unidentified): Crosswalks in it now. [25:11] Speaker A (unidentified): Right. [25:13] Speaker E (unidentified): So they've improved that area. [25:16] Speaker C (unidentified): And if I may, and I'm trying to think of the— you could help me, anyone— the little— [Speaker A (unidentified): is it robot?] That robot is, if you've seen it around, is evaluating access— correct me, accessibility, whether there are sidewalks, what conditions they're in, if they're needed. I mean, if you want to expand on it, but that, if you haven't seen it, I mean, it's been all over. It's been downtown. It's been in my neighborhood. [25:46] Speaker A (unidentified): Davis Road. [25:48] Speaker B (unidentified): Yeah, it's like a little— [Speaker C (unidentified): almost like—] Yeah, I saw it the other day. [25:53] Speaker D (unidentified): I thought it was Wally. [25:53] Speaker B (unidentified): Yeah,, Wally was stuck with him. I saw it. [25:57] Speaker A (unidentified): Sorry, it's like, do we move it? [25:59] Speaker B (unidentified): But it figured it out. [26:01] Speaker G (unidentified): So yeah, that's the first step. We have to, as a city, do an ADA transition plan. And that's the first step in evaluating our sidewalks and crosswalks and everything else. After we come up with a plan for our sidewalks and everything, the next phase is we'll be looking at our buildings and things like that. [26:17] Speaker A (unidentified): So. And Roz, I do know that— I know what you're saying about the downtown area, and I know that Anne has talked about before the thresholds getting into businesses to make it easier for people with a rollator. There's some— [26:33] Speaker B (unidentified): Right. And we are going to do that project this year. [26:36] Speaker A (unidentified): Yep. [26:37] Speaker D (unidentified): Yeah, actually, I was on the Thrive Penobscot board a few years ago in Millinocket, and also I was a communications director in Lincoln. So we actually did similar audits and like, for both, I was involved with both of those towns. But Lincoln, we ended up getting some sort of grant and they tore up our old sidewalks that people couldn't get around on because of the ruts and like things like that. They tore them all up and they made it. They kind of— people kind of complain a little bit because, like, plowing, they were worried about, but they made it now. They're nice. They have a little bit of a way that you can get up if you have, like, a motorized scooter, or if you have a baby stroller. And I also worked to kind of make it so you can get in and out of buildings too. So actually, so when you were talking about this, I'm like, oh, actually, I, took— we did this on this, obviously, like, a smaller scale, but it is doable. There's a lot of things out there. [27:36] Speaker F (unidentified): Are there any crosswalks on Broadway? [Speaker A (unidentified): Yeah,, yeah.] I, never paid much attention because I was over there, but can you put some of those signs, the light-up signs on Broadway with that? [27:50] Speaker A (unidentified): And they have pedestrian crosswalks on Broadway too where you hit it and it starts to bling. [27:56] Speaker F (unidentified): But, someone like me, I'm legally blind, ask me to hit something, I can't see it. See, so accessibility there is not even there. [28:07] Speaker E (unidentified): But Broadway is a very high traffic area. Yeah, everybody just going to leave. [28:12] Speaker C (unidentified): Yeah, and they are extending the work being done to I-95, the overpass and shifting of the entrance and exits. There is a, small portion of that where the sidewalks are, are going to be like from Little City, which is where the I-95 north entrance is, to basically almost where the Broadway Shopping Mall is. That sidewalk is, going to be redone. So, I mean, they can only do this, Neil. The reality is you need funding for these projects. And aren't they adding also sidewalks at Main Avenue, or— [Speaker G (unidentified): Main Avenue.] Yeah, so there was funding for that. So I mean, little by little we're adding. [28:55] Speaker B (unidentified): And how Broadway after Grandview is going to get— are they widening that? I can't remember. Jeff just told me this morning that they have a plan for Grandview beyond, not the first part of— [29:09] Speaker G (unidentified): I think you might be talking about maybe a long Grandview they're adding sidewalk. [29:14] Speaker B (unidentified): I don't know, he said it was Broadway from Grandview. [Speaker G (unidentified): Oh, okay.] And something about adding a lane. I don't know what, or— [29:21] Speaker G (unidentified): but they're also adding sidewalk on Mount Hope too. [29:25] Speaker A (unidentified): But I think one of the things that the city could do, since this is like an ongoing issue, and it's also because by the time you get around and fix everything, you kind of have to start all over again and start fixing something else, that maybe the walk audits remain something that the liberal communities can schedule in their plan to do. Or for review of the gaps, you know, like, so the walkabouts, you can't do the whole city unless, but maybe a little section of downtown. [29:50] Speaker E (unidentified): Are they allowing these electric bikes on the sidewalks? [29:54] Speaker G (unidentified): No, they're not supposed to be on the sidewalk. It's safer for everybody really for them to be in the road, but then you have some people that don't want them in the road, so it's kind of a tricky message. [30:02] Speaker A (unidentified): You sometimes see them on the side of the road, like in a, almost like in a In the bike lane, or if there was the— [30:09] Speaker G (unidentified): You know, yeah, the shoulder. So bikes are legally allowed to be in the road. If there is a shoulder, they should be using that. But obviously, if you have to make a left turn or go straight through a stoplight, you could be in the middle of the road. But it's definitely legal for them to use a road shoulder. [30:28] Speaker F (unidentified): And that's often why we want wider shoulders, is for bicyclists to be able to use those. [30:34] Speaker G (unidentified): Yeah, but I'm curious, what, do you need from a crosswalk as a— [30:38] Speaker F (unidentified): What do I need from a crosswalk? I would probably need— I like the lights that you guys have on the things that tells me that I'm walking across the right, in the right area. [30:54] Speaker E (unidentified): And the voice recordings on the crosswalks is There are more of those coming. [31:02] Speaker F (unidentified): If you don't have to press any buttons, because for me to press a button, I'm going to be going, where's that button? You know, I can't see it. You know, so pressing buttons is not a thing I'm going to be able to do. [31:18] Speaker E (unidentified): So, but if you had telling— if you had somebody telling you that you only had 15 seconds to cross the road, I would say what? [31:25] Speaker F (unidentified): Because I know that as a visually impaired person that would have to use a cane, I could not make it across the road in 13 seconds. I just could not do it. [31:34] Speaker G (unidentified): I think the last one is 30. Is 30 enough? [31:36] Speaker F (unidentified): I could probably make it in 30 seconds. 30 to 45 seconds, because you have to keep in mind, some of us, like I have no peripheral vision. Okay, I have tunnel vision. So I can't see what's on the sides of me. So I'm gonna be more cautious and walk a little more slower because I'm struggling to see what's in front of me. Does that make sense? And I not only can't see anything on the side of me, so I'm gonna walk a little slower and I'm gonna walk with the white crosswalk. I'm gonna be looking probably down. [Speaker C (unidentified): Down.] Because I can see white. [Speaker B (unidentified): Definitely.] I can see white. So I'm gonna follow that crosswalk. And if I'm, if I'm looking down, I'm— that's not something a cane can help you with. You know, if I'm looking down to follow that, it's gonna take me maybe 30 to 45 seconds to get across the road. Because I have to— most people who are visually impaired or legally blind, Look for key things that they can see. Most of the time it's bright white. They can't see anything black. I can't see nothing black. So if you, know, something black, I'm just gonna be like, okay, whatever. I can't see it. So like, I came down at the end of the Fenton Road one day walking with my cane. I got down the Fenton Road and I could not cross the Fenton Road to Ohio Street. I don't I, started to cry. I called my mom. I said, I'm in trouble. I, — she goes, I'm on my way. I, couldn't do it. The lines weren't wide enough. I started to stress. If I crossed that, I was going to kill myself. So because I couldn't keep up with what was coming this way and what was coming this way, because my eyesight is not that great. And I had to try, and I just, I couldn't do it. I failed miserably. [33:41] Speaker D (unidentified): I don't mean to change the subject too much, but I noticed with your outdoor spaces and buildings, which I think that's what we're still talking about. For us at Job Corps, there are times in the winter on that sidewalk that comes in front of us. It's over by your soccer field facility that the city owns. There are times where, our students, aren't able to get to their, we call it leisure time employment after school after, bad snowstorms. So that's something too out that way. It's kind of outer Union Street, but there, 'll be time to time where we have to tell our students that they'll have to call out of their part-time jobs because they can't access the part of Union Street where they work because the, sidewalks aren't always plowed. So, but you guys are— the city's pretty good about it because usually, our center director just gives a call and I say, do you think you could come out and please plow those sidewalks? But a lot of people use, that part. [34:49] Speaker B (unidentified): And you don't have a bus stop? [34:50] Speaker G (unidentified): We— [34:51] Speaker D (unidentified): there is a bus stop, but it's not For us, it's there and it's wonderful, but it's at a time when our students are in class. So the schedule just doesn't exactly always hit the way that ideally would hit, which is unfortunate because we really are a big fan of the bus and more. We should know that. But yeah, sometimes in the winter months, that sidewalk not, being plowed is kind of a hindrance to the youth that Well, I think with our new public works director, he is looking at like how our— [35:27] Speaker G (unidentified): like how we coordinate like the snow plowing and the schedule and everything. So if you tell him like that's an issue, then maybe we can adjust some of that. Yeah. Rosalind has a question. [35:38] Public commenter (88-year-old resident, Courtland Circle): I think I brought this up before, but downtown There are handicapped parking places. However, the place that my daughter drops me off is not necessarily anywhere close to where I could actually get to a corner. There might be a, you know, ramp almost to get up to where I need to go. So she has to double park. And hold up the traffic in order to let me out, and then she has to go and park. And so, if the parking places were close to getting up onto the sidewalk— in some places, the sidewalks are several inches up. Lifting the rollator to get it up is not always easy. And of course, particularly in the winter. And I can relate to all of the issues of getting across in time. Usually my daughter runs interference for me because I can't get across in the timeframe that those are set up. But the parking thing could actually, I think, be fixed a little bit easier if one of the parking spaces that is designated to handicapped parking were closer to where you actually get onto the site. [37:07] Speaker B (unidentified): Am I correct or not? [37:08] Speaker G (unidentified): So we're like a no-brainer, but we are looking at like redoing all of our parking downtown through the Village Partnership Initiative. I don't know if you, had input on that plan, but that's definitely something we can look at because they changed like where the ADA spaces were going to go and everything. So when we do redo the parking, we can definitely look at where those are relative to the ramps to get onto the Sidewalk. [37:31] Speaker A (unidentified): Thank you. [37:31] Speaker C (unidentified): Hey, I just want to understand exactly, which I think I do. It's better to have the parking space closer to the corner where you could get up that ramp as opposed to closer to the destination. [Public commenter (88-year-old resident: Yeah, exactly.] Like, if you go to the, to the, Bangor Opera House, the, Penobscot Theater, it would be easier for that parking space to be closer to the corner and not in front of necessarily light or closer to— [38:00] Speaker B (unidentified): because you still have to backtrack to that area. [38:03] Speaker A (unidentified): You got to— or put a curb cut in. [38:05] Speaker C (unidentified): No, I'm just saying it's better to be by the corner where they're— [38:08] Speaker G (unidentified): I mean, we can just look at putting a ramp right next to where they would get out of the car. I think that would be best. [38:13] Speaker F (unidentified): I don't have to go out into the road, right? [38:16] Speaker B (unidentified): Right. Essentially, you're just saying it right. So you could do 2 things. You could make the road come to you or you go to the road, essentially. [Speaker A (unidentified): Yes.] So, you know, the idea that should be right next to— [38:31] Public commenter (88-year-old resident, Courtland Circle): ideally, yes. [38:32] Speaker F (unidentified): Yeah. [38:33] Speaker C (unidentified): So that's why I wanted to bring that up. [38:34] Speaker B (unidentified): It'd be a cheap option. [38:35] Speaker F (unidentified): More ramps maybe along the sidewalks. So if somebody is parking in a parking spot and say that parking spot is full, maybe they have to park in a different one, making Maybe a ramp every— [38:53] Speaker E (unidentified): Taking away all the curb. Yeah. [38:55] Speaker F (unidentified): Well, no, so many feet, like a ramp every 50 feet, 100 feet, whatever. Yeah, that way if somebody— [39:03] Speaker A (unidentified): Or just per block. [39:05] Speaker F (unidentified): Yeah, something like that. [39:08] Speaker G (unidentified): Look at that, look at where the ramps are. [39:11] Speaker B (unidentified): Yes, that's really, that's a really Good suggestion and well-timed. Like Anya said, we're looking at, you know, reorganizing the way that parking spaces and people move through the downtown, light fixtures, signals, like all of those things. [39:31] Speaker E (unidentified): By talking to the handicapped people, you learn, where they should be and where they want them. [39:39] Speaker B (unidentified): You know, I had a follow-up question, because I'm really interested in the benefits of raised sidewalks. But for someone that has peripheral vision limitations, it would seem that a berm could be difficult, or perhaps maybe anxiety. [39:58] Speaker F (unidentified): Sometimes I have to be told to step up because I can't see them. Because with my vision, I can't tell the difference of the road and the curb. So I've almost fallen flat on my face. [Speaker D (unidentified): Jeez.] And if I fall flat on my face, I just laugh. So making them not so much to step up on would be great. But if you can't, you know, because I'll tell you, one night I was driving through Bangor at night with my other half and he said, holy shit. He says, he says, there's a woman in the middle of the road. She's got a cane. She's blind. She can't figure out where she's going. She can't see nothing. He turns that car right around and he's like, oh my God, she's gonna end up hit. Pulls over, him and another guy help her out of the road. So that is a problem. That scared me. I would never ever— Because people who are legally blind are night blind, usually. So they can't see anything. So that scared the daylights out of me. A cop pulled back, asked her if she was okay after they got her to the other end of the other side of the room. And she said, yeah. And she went off with her cane. But that incident was so— it's ingrained in my head. I won't step outside at night. I'm scared. scared about, that would happen to me and I would end up hit in the middle. It was in the middle of Harvard Street. I thought she was gonna get hit. So I don't know what to take from that, but there was not, I guess I would say there's not enough things in place. To, for her to see what she needed to see. Like maybe putting, I don't know. [42:07] Speaker A (unidentified): Lighting near the curb cuts. [42:10] Speaker E (unidentified): Yeah. [42:11] Speaker B (unidentified): Or just planning to put the curb cuts near the curb cuts. Yeah, because then we're just expecting that so early. [42:15] Speaker F (unidentified): So that she could see, light could get to her. A lot of times lights are very important. Like bright lights are important to me. Because they are a— if I'm out at night, when I do go out, I look for light because that is— I can follow a light. But if I'm— if I was on High Street, I'd end up in the middle of the road just done. [42:43] Speaker E (unidentified): Are crosswalks lit up very good? No, they don't consider that. [42:50] Speaker B (unidentified): Sure question. So I'll say curb cuts and crosswalks. [42:54] Speaker A (unidentified): I mean, I think it depends. Like, I walk at night, like, not necessarily late, but after dark. And now with the trees, I mean, one of the things that's wonderful about the city is that we have these beautiful trees. But sometimes that also is— [Speaker B (unidentified): impacts the light.] But in the middle of winter, I mean, you can see straight through. [43:17] Speaker F (unidentified): Most crosswalks don't have trees. [43:21] Speaker G (unidentified): Right. [43:21] Speaker B (unidentified): No tree in the middle of the crosswalk right now. [43:23] Speaker A (unidentified): Right. Who rides the bus? [43:26] Speaker B (unidentified): Does anybody ride the bus here? [43:27] Speaker C (unidentified): I haven't in a while. [43:28] Speaker B (unidentified): You haven't in a while? [43:30] Speaker F (unidentified): I haven't in a while, but I hear a lot of things. [43:33] Speaker G (unidentified): I mean, I have a couple times and it's been fine. [43:37] Speaker F (unidentified): Over on Grandview Ave where they live in those apartments, they have to walk a distance. They have some blind people in their building, so To take the bus. They actually have to walk all the way down to Hanford to get the bus. So that was a big concern over there because they have several blind people, and the blind people are having a really difficult time getting all the way down to Hanford. I thought there was a bus stop. You're talking about the Pankhurst Apartments? [Speaker D (unidentified): Yeah.] There's a bus stop like right in front of there. They're saying no. [44:12] Speaker C (unidentified): Maybe there is that second one, the Mall Hopper, that goes to that complex. Maybe they're going somewhere else. Then there are 2 buses that stop at Hannover's. The one that goes from the mall to Union Street Shopping Center Airport Mall, from the Bangor Mall to the stop. [Speaker A (unidentified): Right.] I think that might be the one maybe that stops at, you know, close to that complex. But if someone else wants The other one, they have to get on the right bus to transfer. [44:42] Speaker F (unidentified): But I've heard it a lot around the city because I have friends that take the bus, and they're like, we have to walk all the way here and we have to stand here. They're not close. They're not— they have to walk away, especially if they live like in Cedar Falls. They gotta go walking away to take the bus. I'm not sure where the first bus stop Is, because I don't, but I've heard Mary Dowan told me, oh my God, I have to walk all the way down, Pier Isle to get the bus. And I'm like, oh, that's not good. [45:16] Speaker G (unidentified): I mean, I will say, number one, like, if you have a disability, there's the ADA paratransit, which will pick you up wherever you need. [45:23] Speaker B (unidentified): So you need to be, you need to prove that you can't use the other stuff, and that threshold So hard to meet. If you can step up into a bus, you don't meet the requirement for paratransit. [45:37] Speaker G (unidentified): And that should be— [45:38] Speaker B (unidentified): it should be. But I think that 's like— and, maybe it's an FTA thing, I'm not sure. But yeah, it's really— it's, you know, it's like a month-long process too. It's a little bit different for the paratransit, but maybe those types of things could be looked at too. [45:54] Speaker G (unidentified): Yeah, maybe there's something about that. And I know that, they're looking at doing smaller-scale transit that might be easier to, get more places and run more frequently. But I will say, like, when they did the bus stop system, they tried to space them, you know, pretty frequently along the routes. I think— and I don't know what the distances are that people have to walk, but it's not really efficient from an operational standpoint to have stops everywhere, like, close to everybody, because then it would take forever to get places, and people would complain it's not, it's not there frequently. [46:29] Speaker F (unidentified): You know, I don't think there's one close to Cedar Falls. I'm pretty sure of that, because I've heard that a few times. [46:36] Speaker B (unidentified): We might look at the map to see where the proximity of, the bus stops are to properties that we know are designed for folks that are older or have a mobility issue, just as like a first layer to see, like, if you get that, then what's the next layer to be, you know, accessible in places of the location of where you need it, right? [47:07] Speaker A (unidentified): Well, also some of those locations might not even be for specifically people with disabilities. [47:12] Speaker E (unidentified): It might just be like Bulk housing areas are pretty high priority for like Job Corps. [47:19] Speaker F (unidentified): Right. [47:20] Speaker D (unidentified): Well, it stops right out front, and we see people waiting for the bus there. [47:25] Speaker B (unidentified): But you don't have a loop anymore. You don't have the loop. [47:29] Speaker F (unidentified): Oh, where? [47:30] Speaker A (unidentified): Where the blue bus? You don't have that anymore. [47:33] Speaker B (unidentified): Job Corps used to have their own bus with their own loop. [47:36] Speaker D (unidentified): We had like a giant bus. Yeah, that one's. [47:39] Speaker B (unidentified): Yeah, it was big blue. Bus. We called it the Loop, and it would go from Job Corps, and it had like 4 different stops, but you could go to the mall and go back down. And when you had leisure time employment, that's what you could do versus the Community Connector. [47:53] Speaker D (unidentified): Yeah, now we have— we take different trips throughout the week. So, heard tales of this bus. [48:01] Speaker B (unidentified): So we actually, we actually were able to get through some of the, like, accessibility and walkability domains of the plan. But we've, we've met our hour. [Speaker G (unidentified): Yeah.] So I'd really love to see everyone come back. And I'm not sure whether we should wait a month to continue this conversation. What does everyone think about maybe having a meeting in the mid of the month to continue looking at the domains? [48:35] Speaker A (unidentified): Yeah, let's do it. [48:38] Speaker B (unidentified): I think that's a good idea. [48:40] Speaker A (unidentified): Yeah, I think that they came up with this, one small subcommittee, because I know the staff— people always want the staff to do everything, but that's not always possible based on everything else the staff is trying to do. [48:54] Speaker B (unidentified): Well, it's also enriching. [48:55] Speaker A (unidentified): We give you the bus routes, we get them in here, we give you this room. for a day or 2, right? How many of you would want to come in and map out the bus routes and see, you know, are they a quarter— listen to someone say, are they a quarter mile apart? How far does somebody actually have to walk? [49:15] Speaker E (unidentified): Right? [49:15] Speaker B (unidentified): Absolutely. Like, we could drive this bus, right? [49:19] Speaker A (unidentified): There you go. [49:20] Speaker E (unidentified): Do we know what the city has planned in the near future as far as Yes. [49:26] Speaker B (unidentified): So some of this information that we have here does talk about, you know, what we've accomplished. But then, as Anya, you might have heard her mention, we have the Village Partnership Initiative, which is going to evaluate the downtown parking spaces, the sidewalks, the signals, those types of things. So that's upcoming. We have the ADA transition plan, which will capture all of these things and then create, you know, a structured sequential set of an action plan for that. And then we're also actually looking at universal design a lot more intentionally, and potentially we would be offering developers discounts of a certain degree if they insert the 4 AARP core universal design elements, and then extra if they do some of the nice-to-haves stuff. So that's kind of a way that we want to think about. This is sort of an everyone kind of activity. So, and I think it's just so important that the city have a room and a place for people to go. That isn't necessarily the non-engagement, you know, with the— when you go to the city council meeting, you're speaking to them, but they're not speaking directly to you. This gives us a room and a place, and you can feel like you're doing something with a lower commitment, potentially. Join the subcommittee. [Speaker G (unidentified): Right,.] No term. You can join something that you can join, a subcommittee that you're passionate about. And we can provide the engine for, you know, community. [51:14] Speaker A (unidentified): And it may just generally benefit your area, and it might also have other benefits for other people in the community. But at least it solves— helps to solve the problem. [51:23] Speaker B (unidentified): Right? Like, this is, this is so valuable. This hour gave us this gold. Like, you don't, you don't know. Like, I'm so excited about just looking at some of these issues and seeing whether we're addressing these in the way that we should or thinking about things in the way that we should. And we need to hear Ronnie's perspective about what's it like to have your peripheral vision and that you need the white. You know, sometimes we, don't know that in a— [51:51] Speaker F (unidentified): If she had lights on, there had been crosswalk and the lights had been lit up on the sign that night, she probably would have gone across. that, being able to make her way across. By— a lot of times you have to go, you see the first light and you just follow to the next light. Your eyes just follow it. And you know, if you're going in that straight line, you're following that light, you're going to make it. [52:22] Speaker E (unidentified): Being a blind person, or even a partially blind person, is scary. [Speaker C (unidentified): Yeah.] Especially, you know, when you don't know where you're going. [52:30] Speaker F (unidentified): When Al first started, when we first started buying the car, Al didn't know what to do with me. And he learned over time after I kept— sometimes I'd fall, sometimes I'd almost fall on my face. So he learned, wait a minute, this is what she needs. You know, this is right how I go about it. [52:53] Speaker E (unidentified): But she had to get out at night. It's petrifying for her. She'll actually break down and cry. [52:59] Speaker F (unidentified): Because there's not enough light. [53:02] Speaker E (unidentified): And because the days get shorter. [53:04] Speaker A (unidentified): Right. That's the— yeah. [53:07] Speaker F (unidentified): I think after seeing that woman cross the street in the middle of the night, I was just terrified. I was more terrified thinking, if that was me, I would have been squashed. The road. And I felt so bad for her. [53:26] Speaker D (unidentified): My heart went out for her. [53:28] Speaker B (unidentified): Wow. So I can send everyone an email. Let me know if maybe meeting again in 2 weeks— so that would be the 25th— we could talk about housing, and then we could talk about some of the community engagement. We talked a little bit about communication, but You know, how do we engage with each other would be some good topics to talk about next time. [53:51] Speaker E (unidentified): Because, you know, in the Trail Effect, we have a lot of seniors and they have a hard time getting out, even getting groceries. Yeah. So we, you know, a lot of us in the neighborhood, we go and check in on them. [Speaker A (unidentified): Yes.] And, you know, we go to the grocery store for them. [54:08] Speaker A (unidentified): So we've done a couple of projects out there. It's a really great community. [54:13] Speaker B (unidentified): I think that would be a great next question. [54:16] Speaker A (unidentified): Like, how do we help each other? [54:17] Speaker B (unidentified): I agree. Yeah. How do we help each other? [54:21] Speaker G (unidentified): Can I tell you that there is an organization called the Foundation for Social Connection? [54:32] Speaker B (unidentified): Ooh, I like that already. Yeah, right there. [54:35] Speaker G (unidentified): They're having a Good Neighbor Day celebration. On September 28th from 4 to 7 at the Heart of Maine United Way, which is over on 100 Snap Hope Avenue, over there, in Evergreen Woods. I can forward this to— if I forward this to you, will you send this to the group? [54:59] Speaker A (unidentified): That'd be great. [55:00] Speaker B (unidentified): Kelly, I would send it to you, and then maybe if you copy the students and then I would know what your emails are. [55:08] Speaker C (unidentified): That day is National Neighbor Day. Is that everything? [55:11] Speaker B (unidentified): I did not know there was a national day. [Public commenter (88-year-old resident: I like that.] Maybe we had a neighbor campaign, like Hello Neighbor. [55:21] Speaker C (unidentified): The city should do a proclamation of some sort. Would be nice. [Speaker G (unidentified): I know.] Not sure, but would be nice. [55:29] Speaker A (unidentified): I know. [55:30] Speaker B (unidentified): All my proclamations and resolutions, like There's several up there that I'm waiting for them to come up next. Actually, Workforce Development Month with the job board. [55:40] Speaker C (unidentified): It's actually Good Neighbor. [55:43] Speaker A (unidentified): That's just what I've read. [55:45] Speaker C (unidentified): And Missouri has a week of it. [55:46] Speaker B (unidentified): So, well, Missouri, that's on the list, Dominic. But now here looking at Good Neighbor Day, actually write that down because I would forget it, but I'm going to go do a little deep dive on Good Neighbor Day. [56:01] Speaker F (unidentified): Thank you, everyone. [56:05] Speaker A (unidentified): And actually, there are a lot of— [56:08] Speaker F (unidentified): thank you for inviting us— [56:09] Speaker A (unidentified): similar to Good Neighbor Day where they do like a go-around. [56:15] Speaker B (unidentified): People can sign up and get their air conditioners installed so that you're taking out windows, you have to wear a garage, or is there patio My brother designed that for the town of Denmark, Maine, and it's like you can go on to this website and you can be like, can you just help me lift something off of a tall shelf? [Speaker C (unidentified): Yeah.] And then that's all you do. [56:39] Speaker A (unidentified): Like, I've done a lot of things like sports teams, so then— but it's one of those things where you only have a couple of hours and you gotta all come together. [56:50] Speaker F (unidentified): about this. [56:50] Speaker B (unidentified): We have, like, their week of service. Yes, I would love to be involved here. Let's talk about service. That could be its own topic. I'm thrilled to know about this. [57:03] Speaker A (unidentified): I don't know how much I can be actively involved. [57:06] Speaker B (unidentified): Well, if you come on the 25th, let me know. [57:08] Speaker A (unidentified): Well, if I know specifically what the topic is, I'd love to be involved with the House of Blacks. okay. I'll do my best to be here because I've already made some great notes about ways that we can overlap, and neighborhood revitalization is definitely something that Habitat as a whole supports. [57:26] Speaker B (unidentified): Thanks for being here. I'm so glad. [57:31] Speaker D (unidentified): Hi, Kelly. [57:31] Speaker F (unidentified): Good to see you. [57:32] Speaker G (unidentified): Hey, it's good to see you too. [57:43] Speaker B (unidentified): All right, well, throw out of this room. I booked the chambers just in case, but I really want her in circle. [57:48] Speaker A (unidentified): Yeah, I am taking this vote. Are you just like filling in? [57:52] Speaker C (unidentified): I'm not saying any reason because— [57:54] Speaker A (unidentified): Have a good one, guys. [57:55] Speaker C (unidentified): Thank you. [57:56] Speaker B (unidentified): Bye, Damian. And it's still going to be connected, but Jamie and I are going to lead it while she— so we have the new housing committee that's going to take, some of her capacity, and she never has any to begin with. [58:09] Speaker A (unidentified): That's what I'm saying. [58:10] Speaker B (unidentified): What, part of her capacity? Right, exactly. And, it, you know, really fit in line with my work plan and what Jamie wants to accomplish as well. So we, felt very suited to the task. [58:25] Speaker G (unidentified): That's right. [58:26] Speaker D (unidentified): That's right. [58:27] Speaker A (unidentified): You're— [58:27] Speaker B (unidentified): you go to all the Lifelong Maintenance, right? [58:30] Speaker F (unidentified): I do. [58:31] Speaker G (unidentified): Yes. [58:32] Speaker B (unidentified): Yeah. [58:32] Speaker A (unidentified): Because there's still resources on there where we I, yeah, I really do try to just, yeah, people without reinventing the wheel. [58:41] Speaker G (unidentified): Yes. [58:42] Speaker B (unidentified): Thank you so much. [58:43] Speaker C (unidentified): Is there any way of getting, you know, semi-involved, or at least, I don't know, when they, when they have their monthly meetings at Dysart, which I understand gets a huge crowd, is what I hear. [58:57] Speaker F (unidentified): Do they mention anything about— [58:58] Speaker B (unidentified): We should talk about that when we read When we bring up communication again, I think we also should think about engagement in this planning space or this collaborative space as a communication. Who's here? [59:15] Speaker A (unidentified): Who's at the table? [59:16] Speaker B (unidentified): If, not AARP, who?