A little improvement was made recently with the relocation of the public works department to a building in the industrial park. The former public works garage, part of the municipal building, is now used by the Fire Department.

Town Manager John Simko has devised a proposal - tweaked by a task force of municipal department heads and two selectmen - that would keep most of the government services in the same building. The proposal has the full support of the task force.

"It's going to be expensive," Simko said of any proposal to address the problem. A few years ago, an architect submitted a plan to address the problem at a cost of about $200,000.

If selectmen approve the proposal developed by municipal officials at their Dec. 18 board meeting, then the project funds will most likely be included in the budget process.

Part of the proposal is to construct a freestanding metal building behind the municipal building on the former sand pile site. That 70-by-70-foot building would include two bays and a kitchen and would be used by the Fire Department. The department also would continue use of the former public works garage.

That move would allow office space for the code enforcement officer and more space for the police department and other municipal operations, according to Simko. The size of the meeting hall would not change, but it would be renovated, he said.

Adding onto the present municipal building is not a suitable solution because of the slope of the roof, the town manager said.
"This content originally appeared as a copyrighted article in the Saturday, November 23, 2002 edition of the Bangor Daily NEWS and is used here with permission."