Mainebiz

W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 17 N OV E M B E R 1 , 2 0 2 1 F O C U S L O G I S T I C S / T R A N S P O R TAT I O N curb-to-curb service for individuals with disabilities who are unable to use the fixed route system. e trolleys are used for community festivities and can be rented for private activities. In typical years, bus ridership is over 1 million. It was about half that num- ber in 2020 and this year is projected to be between 700,000 and 800,000 passengers, or about 2,400 per day, says Linscott. e system operates 307 days a year. Buses traveled 690,487 miles in FY 2020. ere are 30 drivers, but the system could use 39. ere are four administra- tive staffers, with three additional open positions. In addition to drivers, Linscott says the system is looking for a dispatcher and a safety-and-training officer. Linscott, who has worked for the agency for 22 years and was instrumental in getting plans and funding for the new transit center off the ground, says the goal was to create a sustainable facility that would be secure and user-friendly. "People need to get where they need to go and we're the only business in town that can do that," she says. e project was a long time coming. "e city's known for a long time that the transit center we had prior to this project was substandard and wasn't putting transit on the map as a mode of transport of choice," says Emery. "We wanted to make it a better experience for everybody." Downtown destination e project ties in with other develop- ment projects designed to enhance the downtown as a destination and an attractive place to live and work. In addition to the parking garage altera- tions, there have been improvements to Merchants Plaza, a popular public space that bridges from West Market Square to Pickering Square. Downtown Bangor Partnership, a nonprofit organization that promotes the downtown economy, has been responsible for beautification initiatives as well as marketing, events and outreach projects such as creating welcome baskets for new businesses. "Everybody has come together in the downtown to add elements like plant- ings," says Emery. "We've done outdoors seating parklets. We've had a lot of restaurants and retailers who spruced up their building facades with our facade grant program. It really has refreshed the look of the downtown." Small things, like installing through- out the downtown LED lighting that can change colors with the holidays, provide a festive air at little expense, she notes. "ey're small things with not a ton of capital investment, while we work on those large capital investments like the transit center," says Emery. "And people are telling us they love this authentic New England downtown with buildings that are vibrant and full of life." ose efforts are attracting attention from developers. "We have seen an increase in recent years in the number of residential units downtown," says Emery. "We've seen significant conversions of office space to residential in the last five years particularly." at includes projects like Heather and Abe Furth's renovation of a 14,000-square-foot building at 29 Franklin St. into upper-story apart- ments and ground-floor commercial, Vance Aloupis's conversion of Bangor Savings Bank's former headquarters at 99 Franklin St. into luxury apartment complex Tower 99, and Roy Hubbard's conversion of the former Dakin Building at 28 Broad St. into luxury apartment building 28 Broad Street Lofts. e residential units are filling up. "We have this mix of great public spaces and great businesses downtown," says Emery. "People are voting with their dollars and signing leases." Laurie Schreiber, Mainebiz senior writer, can be reached at lschreiber @ mainebiz.biz The Bangor Area Transit Center construction site. P H O T O S / F R E D F I E L D Project Engineer Jeff Davis at the Bangor Area Transit Center being built in Pickering Square in Bangor

• Cover