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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-02-03 Business and Economic Development Committee Minutes �. � , BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE TUESDAY, February 3, 2004 � Meeting Minutes 1 Councilors Attending: Gerry Palmer, ]ohn Cashwell, Peter D'Errico, Frank ' Farrington, Dan Tremble Staff Attending: Ed Barrett, Steve Bolduc, Saliy Bates, Bob Farrar, Jim Ring � Others Attendin : John Hiatt 9 � The meeting convened at 5:00 p.m. � 1. Le se A reement—498 Maine Avenue— Former Ban or Metal Works a g g ' Steve Bolduc noted that this item had been tabled from a previous meeting. He said that they had previously had two parties interested in leasing this properly; however, it ' appears that one of the parties is no longer interested. Bolduc said that we are awaiting the return of the proposed lease agreement from Turbine Specialist L.L.C. He recommended authorization of the lease with two conditions, that the � outstanding rental payments from the previous lease be brought up to date and that all utility accounts be put in the name of the tenant. � Cashwell inquired about the liability insurance being the correct amount. Bolduc said that this is the City's limit under the Tort Claims Act. � Palmer wanted to know if we had something in writing from Mr. Brell, the person no longer interested in the lease, regarding his withdrawal. Bolduc noted that Bell's ' attorney spoke with our legal department. D'Errico wanted to know if we had addressed outside storage. Bolduc said that the ' lease does not cover this, and this is covered under zoning. Palmer wanted to know if there was an agreement for the outstanding rent. Bolduc 1 said that this would be a question for Mr. Walton. Mr. Walton of Turbine Specialists L.L.C. said that there should be no problem bringing these up to date. � The Committee approved the lease. Palmer suggested sending Mr. Brell a letter to notify him of today's decision. � � � � 2. Discussion of Naming the Waterfront/Railroad and Front Streets � Barrett provided some background regarding pubiic input on renaming the waterFront and Railroad and Front Streets. The following project names received at , least one first place rating by members of the Council: Bangor Landing, Bangor Waterfront (2), Penobscot Heritage Park, Penobscot Landing and Rivertront Park. ' Of these, the first three were also recommended by one citizen each. The following project names were recommended by 2 or more citizens: Bangor Riverfront Park, Port Bangor, and Queen City Landing. Barrett suggested naming the project before � naming streets. He said that we should try to get the list down to 3 for the next discussion with Carol R. Johnson Associates. He noted that Richard Greene, who could not attend tonight's meeting, suggested via email that Bangor be part of the 1 name. Based on this, the choices would be Bangor Landing, Bangor Waterfront, Bangor Heritage Park and Bangor Riverfront. Tremble said that he prefers not to have the term park as part of the name, � because the area is more than a park, it is a mixed-use area. He said that he likes Bangor Landing the best. He wanted to know what Brewer was calling their � waterfront. Barrett replied that their waterfront is called Penobscot Landing. Tremble said that the Mayor of St. John mentioned Bangor Passage as a name. He suggested Harbor Place as well. Tremble said that the street names be simple, and ' have one name for the whole stretch. D'Errico said that he supports anything that gives us geographic identity. � Cashwell agreed with Greene that Bangor should be part of the name. He agreed , that the term park should be removed from the name, and that the street name should be in tune with the waterfront name. Farrington agreed that Bangor should be part of the name, and since the body of � water is river, that this should be included. He indicated that he likes the name Bangor Riverfront. � Palmer said that he really likes the name Bangor in the name. He said that he is not so strong on the term river, and noted that there are tidal waters. He said that he , was intrigued with the name Bangor Harbor. He asked if anyone wanted to add another name. Barrett said that the list now includes Bangor Riverfront, Bangor � Watertront, Bangor Landing and Bangor Harbor Place. - Tremble said that Bangor Riverfront works for everybody. � , , , � rrin t n made a motion to use the name Ban or Riverfront. Palmer noted that Fa g o 9 we needed 3 or 4 names. Barrett asked for the Committee to rank in order their � preference for the four names he previously listed. � Barrett listed the 4 names in rank order, Bangor Riverfront, Bangor Waterfront, Bangor Landing and Bangor Harbor. He said that we wil! present this list to the fuli Council. ' D'Errico wanted to know the description of the term Landing. Barrett said that this is a precursor to harbor, where people first came ashore or landed. � John Hiatt, of Bangor, wanted to know about having a name that is good for the citizens, not just for the tourists and businesses. Hiatt wanted to ensure that the � citizens will still be able to use the waterfront for their recreation. Palmer said that there is a plan to have a lot of open space for public use. Farrington noted that the citizens own everything in the city and that we should take Hiatt's suggestion and , apply it to the rest of the city, not just the waterfront. � The Committee approved sending the four names, Bangor RiverFront, Bangor Waterfront, Bangor Landing and Bangor Harbor to the Council for consideration. Palmer noted that this was a unanimous vote. � Barrett said that on street names, Tremble had recommended keeping the name the same for one continuous street. Barrett said that there would be one street from � Main Street to the Joshua Chamberlain Bridge with the option to extend it to Washington Street on the Kenduskeag. He said that there is only one address on Front Street, which is the Sea Dog. He said that under the bridge, there are several � tenants, including the restaurant on Broad Street. Palmer said that the street should run all the way through to Main Street over to the Grasshopper Shop. � Farrington said that we could leave the names as they are for historical reference. Palmer said that this is more than just a street name, it is a marketing tool to get ' people to the waterfront. Cashwell said that the name of the street is the tail of the dog. We need to go through the process of deciding the name of the project before the street names, as the street names will become self-evident. Palmer wanted to , know if he had a preference for whether this should be one or two names. Cashwell said that he believes the street will be continuous, therefore one name should be sufficient. He said that businesses in that area should have some input as it may � affect their businesses. Palmer said that anyone who is interested should have input. Cashwell agreed, he said he did not mean to exclude anyone, but that business owners at least should be included as their business address might change. � � ' � � Barrett agreed with Cashwell, that it is not necessary to select street names until we have agreed on a project name. In terms of naming streets, it is the City's normal � practice to notify people whose address is listed on street before making a change to the name. He said that most people are opposed to a name change, due to the changes in their marketing materials. � Tremble said that he agreed with Cashwell and Farrington, that once we determine the name of the area, the street name will become evident. He said that based on � the consensus of Bangor Riverfront, it would be nice to stay with Front Street due to the history of this name. � Rin added that as the i M n er h s in i te r � g C ty a ag a d ca d, ou customary practice for the few times we have contemplated a street name change is to notify those addressees � of the street. Palmer noted that we are not going to take action on this item at this time. � The meeting adjourned at 5:33 p.m. � � � � � , _ � � � , ,