Bangor Livable Communities Committee:
Helping the city since 2015

Bangor, the Queen City, applied to become AARP’s 100th Livable Age-Friendly Community in 2015!  As a city with approximately 32,500 residents, Bangor has always provided plenty of  opportunities and challenges, as it seeks to act on its values of inclusiveness, collaboration and access to services for all.

Since implementing its first Action Plan in 2018, the Bangor Livable Communities Committee (BLCC)  has been devoted to its mission -  “ fostering a collaborative and healthy community by encouraging organizations, residents, and city officials to work together to improve access to services and opportunities for all.”  Led by city staff, the BLCC meets monthly, organizing its meetings around the 8 domains of livability, having speakers from the community and city staff share projects and solicit feedback from the group.

The BLCC has been successful in implementing and supporting a variety of initiatives in the Queen City over the years, such as the installation of outdoor benches in a variety of locations throughout the city, the installation of a FitLot in a downtown neighborhood park, a well attended volunteer fair, the Golden Shovel program for downtown businesses, and several years of development and programming support working with the Eastern Area Agency on Aging to open the Durgin Center.  

Since 2021, the BLCC has been led by Anne Krieg, Economic Development Director for the city.  Having Anne as Chair, provided the BLCC with the unique opportunity to be intimately involved in the city’s recent comprehensive planning process.  One of the first programs initiated was a Walk Audit in October 2021. BLCC assisted the city in promoting and completing the Walk Audit and continued providing feedback and input to the Comprehensive Planning committee by attending visioning sessions, lecture series, and providing input on a variety of topics.  

The committee was also successful in obtaining a Community Challenge Grant from AARP in 2022.  Partnering with the Bangor Parks and Recreation Department, this grant improved the safety and functionality of the Kenduskeag Stream trail, a very popular downtown walking trail, by widening it, installing pedestrian-activated lights to allow for safely crossing Kenduskeag Stream Road, adding ADA-compliant benches, and improving signage along the trail.

So what’s ahead?  Bangor’s City Council just approved the Comprehensive Plan on July 11, 2023, which identifies 10 key goals for the city.  Not surprisingly, many, if not all, of these goals involve the 8 domains of livability and have created numerous opportunities for the BLCC to be directly involved in the city’s work!  Having their work embedded in the Comp Plan is a significant step forward. 

The committee has just begun discussing ways to create a new Action Plan in support of these goals.  As Anne states “We have completed planning and analysis in many aspects of the city in the last 2 years, and now we are ready to take on action steps.  Many of the strategies the city wants to see come to fruition are nestled clearly in the domains of livability.  We see our Livable Communities approach as a great way to achieve the city’s goals.”