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Home My WebLink About2026-06-08 26-210 OrderCITY COUNCIL ACTION Council Meeting Date: Item No: Responsible Dept: Requested Action: Summary Committee Action Meeting Date: For: Against: City Manager City Solicitor Finance Director Map/Lot: Introduced for: Order Committee: Action: Staff Comments & Approvals Date: Item No: Assigned to Councilor: 26-210 JUNE 8. 2026 Bangor Center Development District Municipal Development Program and Financial Plan Fiscal Year 2027 Downtown Bangor Partnership Executive Summa The purpose of this document is to provide a comprehensive yet succinct look at the programs and projects the Downtown Bangor Partnership (DBP) undertook in FY2026 and to outline the plans and proposed budget for FY2027 so that the City Council may consider the DBP's contributions and essential functions in the Downtown District and look favorably on continuing its support. The DBP continues to focus on its mission to promote and market activities that enhance the distinctive identity of Downtown Bangor, encouraging retention and growth of commercial, residential, and cultural life within the downtown district. We continue to focus our efforts on marketing to those outside of Downtown Bangor, connectivity between stakeholders within Downtown Bangor, promotion and creation of events happening in Downtown Bangor, adding amenities to enhance the look and feel of Downtown Bangor, maintaining a clean and safe environment and gathering consensus on and advocating for issues like safety and sanitation that affect downtown Bangor stakeholders. We commend the City Council's continuing initiatives to promote downtown's economic vitality and cultural excellence, and we hope you agree that the DBP has made a positive contribution to downtown development over the past year. We are pleased to be involved with the transformation of Downtown Bangor to a more vibrant and engaged economic center and we are focused on maintaining this momentum. During the first 3 quarters of the year the DBP raised $89,000, in private sponsorships, grants, digital income generation and events which is $20,000 over our projected goal and allowed us to offer more programming as our goal is to remain revenue neutral, transforming additional funding to assets and opportunities. This year Downtown Bangor is not requesting an increase to the current special assessment maintaining $.70 on every $1,000 of valuation, with an overlay of $.02 for an estimated revenue of $285,600. As safety and security remain the top concerns for downtown stakeholders at present, the DBP is requesting $230,000 from the downtown TIF, to provide supplementary 24/7 services to the downtown district. 26-210 JUNE 8. 2026 FY2026 Review (July 1 2025 to June 30, 2026) STATE OF DOWNTOWN During the first part of Fiscal Year 2026 we continued to see a positive shift in visitation to downtown Bangor and the many amenities located within the district. Attendance at venues like Penobscot Theatre and the Zillman Art Museum continues to eek upwards returning to prepandemic numbers. Downtown Bangor was named number six in a national list of cities most likely to have a Hallmark movie. However, the impact of the unsheltered and substance use disorder population, and the perception of safety continue to plague the reputation of downtown and hinder growth, though the downtown community at large recognizes that the public narrative is vastly different from the reality of the state of downtown. Downtown Bangor Partnership, has made significant strides in creating a friendlier, more welcoming environment for visitors. Feedback we are getting at Antique Marketplace is trending in a positive direction - Paul Cook, owner and operator of buildings and businesses in Downtown Bangor for over 30 years 191) We also saw new investment and development in downtown from private investors. The Y broke ground on their Main Street location and the historic Pearl building at Harlow was recently purchased and will undergo significant renovations bringing more housing to Downtown Bangor. Engaged property owners are continuing to activate vacant and underutilized spaces continuing the "spread" of active buildings within downtown's constrained footprint and contributing to downtown hosting the most valuable real estate in the City and contributing more dollars per square foot to the City. Overall district spending in Downtown Bangor was $42,600,000 with "local" spending representing 65% of the overall spend and visitors spending at least one night represent 35% of overall spending. This number does not include spending on ticketed entertainment at Maine Savings Amphitheater or Cross Insurance Center as those purchases are largely made off site and in advance but are part of the local economy . Downtown Bangor annexed parts of Main Street, Harlow Street and Park Street hill as of July 1, 2024. We continue to foster relationships with many of the new stakeholders creating collaborations and installing small winter and summer activations. We will continue to foster and expand our relationships as we plan for branding and amenities that highlight each zone's specific identity. Dining and nightlife remains the largest category of spending within the downtown district garnering 33% of spending. "Leisure, Recreation and Entertainment" likely represent a considerably higher percentage however ticket sales for Maine Savings Amphitheater and Cross Insurance Center are not factored into district spending as purchases are made in advance and off site. Downtown Bangor continues to advocate for a five year parking plan that addresses the immediate need in downtown development and a ten year plan that addresses a fully occupied downtown and reduces redundant private surface parking in favor of high -usage, shared, public parking. There is currently no night and weekend parking management and those remain some of the highest use times for downtown. Parking for night events often relies on visitors ignoring private parking signage to attend the theater or a concert. The result on the nightlife community would be catastrophic if private parking were enforced. The addition of high density municipal solutions will allow for the continued economic growth and development of downtown by freeing empty parking lots for development. The downtown commercial office space market continued to improve with upgrades to several office buildings, and workers have increasingly returned to workspaces in downtown. Data on commercial 26-210 JUNE 8. 2026 vacancy rates show commercial vacancy rates in downtown as below 5%. The "functional vacancy rate", meaning space available for use is closer to 2.4%. To support the large influx of retail and restaurants, downtown needs to continue to bring its daytime workforce back to the office. The DBP serves as a communication liaison connecting interested businesses with landlords and property management companies through maintenance of an available space inventory. One of the largest growth inhibitors that downtown faces in fostering commercial growth, especially in customer facing, street level businesses, is the lack of available, ready -to -use spaces. While the public perception is that there are many empty storefronts, in reality there are very few available storefronts. The DBP has identified the infill of underutilized surface parking with high density residential and commercial construction as a top growth point for the future, along with solicitation of an additional hotel added within the district to foster the expansion of the Cross Insurance Center's ability to host conferences and to meet the desire of our expanding cultural and recreational tourism capacity within the arts and entertainment district tourists wish to visit. EVENTS Last year the Events Committee continued to work on programs and events that drive traffic into existing downtown businesses. This includes both hosting DBP signature events in downtown Bangor and supporting events other stakeholders are hosting in Downtown Bangor. The 2025 Summer Sidewalk Art Festival featured more than 130 jury -selected artist -vendors, four food trucks, five main stage performances, and six stations of free children's activities. The event is popular with vendors, many of whom return year after year and it brings in thousands of additional visitors to Downtown Bangor. Held during Maine Craft Weekend, the 2025 ARTober Sidewalk Art Festival, was similarly well attended, with 88 artist -vendors and musical performances by five local performers and groups. DBP funded permits, insurance and promotion of a weekly PanStorm Concert Series in West Market Square which was a community highlight for audience attendees, from small children dancing in front of the bubble machine, to diners enjoying steel drum music with their dinner and drinks; and provided additional marketing support, tables, chairs and tents to New England Pan Music Festival's 2026 event on Bangor's Waterfront. District -wide celebrations like Downtown Countdown brought thousands of people downtown on New Year's Eve to celebrate the new year in performance venues, bars and restaurants and cultural organizations. Downtown Bangor has been an invatuabte partner for Bangor Pride by hetping with connections, answering questions, providing advice and support as our fiscal. agent as we navigate becoming our own non profit. The Downtown Bangor Partnered with a group of artists and business owners to provide marketing support for First Friday Art Walks. Additionally DBP provided support and advice to first-time event hosts, including the newly -formed organization hosting the Bangor Pride Festival, and the first Maine Honey Fest at the Bangor Waterfront. festival would be far tens successful I Downtown Bangor created umbrella events like without their support. Plaid Friday and Small Business Saturday that - Sacn White, Pride Steering Committee served bolstered Downtown visitation and sales during the height of winter retail. Events like the Holiday Tree Lighting with Hollywood Casino Hotel & Raceway Light Show in West Market Square and the Wabanaki Art Market at Wabanaki Public Health & Wellness brought audiences with a variety of interests into the district. 26-210 JUNE 8. 2026 In addition, smaller -scale events sprinkled throughout the year, like the summer solstice garden party, Cinco de Mayo Margarita Competition, Downtown Trick or Treating, and the first community Dia De Los Muertos celebration motivate engagement with Downtown businesses. The Community Events Calendar on the downtownbangor.com website continues to be the most visited page on the website with over 4,000 visitors, one of the most searched items and a 25%-33% click through rate. It continues to be the top information source for out of town visitors planning their trip to Bangor. BEAUTIFICATION The pride of the Downtown Bangor community continues to be exemplified by the DBP's Beautification Committee and its volunteer -fueled base which focuses its efforts in four areas: gardening, lighting and art and placemaking and caretaking. 228 Volunteers have dedicated over 725 hours of service to downtown via Downtown Bangor projects. DBP purchased liners for 56 flower boxes along the Kenduskeag Stream, professionally planted by Windswept Gardens. 25 new planters were built by Job Corps and sponsored by R.H. Foster to replace aging planters from 1997, bringing the total to 50 large flower planters planted by Windswept Gardens and set for delivery in May 2025. Volunteers also planted umbrella -shaped planters to be installed on Cross Street as part of the umbrella sky installation. Our annual Adopt -A -Garden program brought over 100 individuals and organizations together to plant and care for 125 garden plots, with outstanding collaboration from Public Works improving the program this year. Public Works replaced aging bistro lights in Hamlin Park, with an updated color scheme coordinated with holidays and civic initiatives. Downtown Ambassadors are actively replacing broken street lamp lights, and Downtown Bangor is developing a plan to add lighting under the Union Street overpass on Broad Street. The Umbrella Sky installation is returning for another year. DBP partnered with a local artist on a summer art box installation project and, in collaboration with Louie Morrison, is creating a mini golf experience in Pocket Park on Central Street, to be managed by Downtown Ambassadors throughout the summer. With the support of Hollywood Casino, DBP brought back the holiday light show for a second year. 40 snowflakes were added to poles on Main Street and Exchange Street, with plans to expand to Washington Street in the coming year. Two holiday-themed activations were also added at the top of Park Street and in Town Plaza. With support from Hollywood Casino, Downtown Bangor Partnership awarded facade improvement grants to seven retail stores. DBP organized volunteer cleanups in Fall 2025 and Spring 2026, representing over 200 hours of labor, and a team of 30 Husson students painted picnic tables, planters, and graffiti on the waterfront. Downtown Ambassadors continue to regularly clean public and private spaces throughout downtown, removing debris and litter. iil10-1 2"11LL Downtown Bangor is rich in assets that benefit residents and tourists alike including historic architecture, parks, public art, a professional theater, concert venues, a casino, and so much more. Our marketing capital focuses on positioning downtown Bangor as the shopping, dining and arts and culture destination for Central and Northern Maine. oo-210 JuwEa.0000 VVehave continued toupdate and maintain assets like the webeiteand interactive map created with the Maine Office of Tourism Arts And Culture Grant in 2024, which provided funding for a unified, city-wide effort inpromoting arts and culture. ) Ovorthe past year, DBP has worked with the steering committee for Recreation Economy of Rural Communities (RERC) on a long-term regional marketing and branding project. Ommntmmn Bangor took on the responsibility for programming digital kiosks in the three participating communities. DBP designed and launched the initial project website, and assists with the site's ongoing maintenance. Additionally, DBP has been working in collaboration with the City ofBangor ho provide marketing assistance creating aseries ofcampaigns including " d"��k�&mbz ^ Both campaigns included ads in print publications in addition todigital and social advertising that directed viewers to dedicated webpages sharing opportunities in Bangor. In the past year, DBP expanded its investment in tourism marketing. Campaigns were developed totake advantage of the Maine Department of Tourism's marketing efforts and destinations with direct flights to Bangor International Airport. With the changing economy and new travel patterns emerging, the marketing committee shifted advertising priorities away from the Canadian Maritimes and towards large urban centers with direct flights to Bangor. This has proven an effective strategy as Boston and New York City remain top visitors to our website and some of the top spenders within our district with Massachusetts representing 13% of annual in district spending and an average of $239,00 per person in addition to accommodations and ticketed activities. We continued our multi -year video project to capture Downtown in all four seasons and promote each area of our marketing matrix: ohop, dina, stay, p|oy. Videos continue to be pvoduoad, updated and reproduced aawomove through each season building out our asset library. We use these videos in our digital and social campaigns, especially in major metropolitan areas with direct flight paths to Bangor and credit much of our success in drawing website visitors with the use of the assets and our placement. Last summer the Marketing Committee circulated an RFP for digital marketing services, focused on the regional and tourism markets mentioned above. We conducted an experimental PPC campaign focused on ARTober and the Halloween season. The ad creative with the highest CTR was related to the DmwntoxmnBangor-K8aineKeywordPPCatrabagy,whichadvartiaedthe"OmwnbownBangorAdFastima|" and 'Y\RTtoberFall Art Festival" which reinforced that people in tourism markets are engaged with our messaging. Our goal last year was to explode web metrics during FY26 with targeted dollarsspent across digital, social, and print campaigns. We overwhelmingly achieved this goal, with 256k site views (48.6% increase) by152kactive users (O0.GY6increase) from the previous year. The majority of traffic was still generated by organic search, with large audiences exploring events, the interactive maps, and holiday content. One of the most impressive results has been the organic search impressions (over 6 million) and resulting 73,236 clicks show the strength of the marketing efforts and Bangor's appeal to the target market of event -goers. oo-210 JuwEa.0000 (A, Search- m�� m ~ Go to / < now�m } mnmon»aoe+vvotyu,/no - + ��c f � / w Organic �c��e� Google Sea � omn^unm,o ---�� ~a"�s Search average Position mw —' 73,236 6,342,453 mm 58,910 Tom/ 1-1,122 =`,4o3,x^, =0 `m^ /�;n,m ,351�95* , 214T* ^ `mA os»^ May 1,moo'May /.x02o 5,56(7.o%) 1m1,397(16,58%) 0.531,. /0.11 (98�5,�) 5,49nav* May /.um4'May 1.2025 1,08*(8�28%) 240,386(17.139,;) 0.451/. 11.*1(90.07%) 13,770(1 5�08',,.) %a*oge 412.345. 337.38% 17.145. -15.09% *o»v% u mvenm/ May 1.uuo-May 1.2026 m^n<zz/wu 593,044(9.3nx) 3.1% 9.95(96o7� /5,025(25,m%) May 1.c02^'May /.zms ap/wCmxnu 105,284(7.r� zm1/. n.m(9rur%) 12,245(13�1,") VVeplan hocontinue tocultivate the community events page which isthe most popular page onour wmbeite. DBP's website continues to rank in the top few rankings for most searches involving events in Bangor. The community events page remains by far the most visited page on our website with organic searches for ^8angor, Maine" leading visitors tothe page. However, the tourism sector isnot without its challenges at the moment, as evidenced byoreduction in nmwueerwebehetrafficfromhwooftheh/piouUyetrongeatnegiono—NewYor (-16.52%)and Massachusetts (-16.26%). Despite a digital dip from those two cities, in person visitation continues to climb in areas with direct flights to Bangor. VVasaw e 16.21Y6 increase from Florida, a7O.43Y6 increase from Philadelphia and 38.35% from Georgia (of note is Bangor International Airport's new direct flight to /#|anta).and a3U.34%increase ofnew in -state users. Last summer, DBP shifted its online business directory from a static business directory to an interactive map. This tool has had nearly 17,000 views since it launched, with the majority looking for food and beverage options. The self -guided arts and culture tour map has been visited nearly 6,0001imes in the pant year. Top viewers were from Bangor, Boston. and New York City, demonstrating that investment in marketing Bangor'o assets yields tangible results, even during challenging times. Social media has remained apriority and our successful ongogomontahowuthis.wdhanovonal|inoreaa* in engagement of +73.9%, evenly split between followers and non -followers, We generated more than five million social media views last year (an increase of more than one million over the previous year), showing that the Downtown Bangor social media platforms continue to reach new viewers and convert new people into Bangor lovers. Additionally, our Facebook and Instagram pages continue to generate income from our top social media posts. To handle our growth spike, DBP added two interns in the marketing department: one to help manage back end webpage, event and interactive map details, and another to create social media content. Both internship positions were wildly successful, increasing both our capacity and asset development through shared education and collaboration. oo-210 JuwEa.0000 VVecontinued toinvest inthe Visit Do due toits popularity and success, enhancing the booklet images and content. These booklets have baaninoredib|ypopular atstate tourist spots, where we regularly have to replenish both books and maps. They are also made available to American Cruise Lines visitors on board and by local tour guides. Our brochures and guides are distributed at all MTA Rest Areas along the highway and included in every outgoing mailing from the Maine Highlands. Downtown Bangor videos run in the Hampden North Rest Area and Acadia Gateway Center in Trenton. To further solidify Bangor as a destination, DBP staff created an entire new set of assets to ensure that Bangor put its best foot forward in growing the presence of its cruise capacity. Downtown Bangor created content and assets for Cruise Maine which launched its new webaiteover the spring, and with it, the 2jQ�/ A new partnership with Mix Maine Media and WKIT and their host of radio stations and media outlets began last year, which resulted in numerous collaborations. These brought great energy to our events and proved beneficial to increasing local awareness of Downtown events and businesses. The Marketing Committee has also secured content in two state-wide publications (Maine Invites You and that will feature Downtown Bangor as the shopping, dining and arts and culture capital ufCentral and Northern Maine. These were combined with co-op advertising offering space to downtown stakeholders at reduced rotee, bolstering the collective visibility ofdowntown and highlighting individual businesses and events. An ongoing marketing collaboration with the City of Bangor has allowed the co -promotion of the city as a whole, showcasing the many reasons why this iaanattractive area tovisit, uhop.and live. Content in (heeepub|ioaUonadriveatnaffictoepeoifioa||ydeeigned|andingpagoe|ike' '' and 'which highlight the activities throughout the City ofBangor, aawell aa|n Downtown. SAFETY AND SECURITY Downtown Bangor launched the Safety and Hospitality Ambassador program in mid October 2024. Throughout most of FY 2026 we have maintained 5-6 employees providing service nearly 24 hour per day, seven days a week. The program has consistently employed four full time ambassadors who patrol 125 hours of the 168 hours in a week with the remaining two positions occasionally in flux. Priority is given to night and weekend hours when the Downtown Officer, Downtown Custodian and BCAT are not on patrol. Program Manager Mike Brown was selected to be part of Maine Development Foundation's Civic Leadership Institute which will build a framework of connections with people working in a multitude of capacities across municipalities in Maine. Since its operational launch in late 2024, the Downtown Bangor Ambassador program has evolved to a high -volume, year-round operation. The program's evolution is marked by more sophisticated reporting, proactive seasonal strategies, and a shift toward maintaining long-term cleanliness in previously problematic areas. Strategic Evolution ofOutreach Outreach efforts have evolved from simple wellness checks to a proactive, service -oriented model.12 v Proactive Wellness and Assistance: Initially focused on connecting unhoused individuals to local warming centers to reduce trespassing, the team now "intensifies" efforts during extreme weather. In Jan 2026, ambassadors proactively offered services and assistance specifically in oo-210 JuwEa.0000 w Safety and Hospitality Growth: The program began with a "partial crew" in October 2024, but byfall uf2O25.itconsistently maintained target staffing levels. 1b * Business and Community Engagement: Outreach has expanded to include regular "Business Checks," which grew from 389 total in late 2024 to consistent monthly counts exceeding 1,000 by eody2O26.187 Evolution ofCleanup and Hazard Mitigation The partnership has moved from reactive litter collection to large-scale, recurring place management and specialized hazard namoyai128 Phase Early Opa(Late 2024) Expansion (Mid 2025) Cleanup Focus & Achievements Focused onbasic litter (22bags ofgarbage) 12 Increased focus onlarge scale debris removals (21 inAug 2O25alone) and addressing graffitiQiU Sustainabi|ity(bate Targeted long-term problem areas. For example, a4-month daily effort 3825) behind the Bangor Public Library resulted ina30'dayperiod with no | encampments ordrug activity byOct 2O2S.811 K8ointananoa(2U3G) Shifted ho"maintaining aclean and welcoming environment" through regular cleaning ofmajor garages (Epstein. Columbia, Pickering | Square) and trai|a.81213 Impact onHazardous Waste The scale of needle recovery and hazardous waste removal has seen dramatic fluctuations based on targeted sweeps: * Targeted Projects: In Sep 2025, the team conducted an extensive sweep for the YMCA Redevelopment Project and Second Street Park toprotect construction crews and residents from b|ood'bornepathogene.514 * Reporting Sophistication: Needle recovery data evolved from simple counts totracking "Unique Needle Recovery Locations" (e.g..recovering 4Q1 needles from 1O8locations inApr 202G). allowing for better data -driven patrols.515 While total needle counts vary based on targeted sweeps, the number of "Unique Recovery Locations" has grown, indicating that Ambassadors are identifying and clearing hazards anmaa awider patrol area rather than inafew fixed locations. 12 Needle litter also depends heavily on weather conditions as extreme cold reduces the number of individuals using outdoors and snow makes recovery more difficult. Month Needles Unique Recovery Geographic Focus & Key Cleanups � Recovered \ Locations � 26-210 JUNE 8. 2026 Sep 698 N/A Centralized: Major focus on the 2025 YMCA Redevelopment Project, Second Street Park and One Merchant Plaza.34 Oct 465 186 Dispersed: High recovery volume 2025 across nearly 200 sites as they maintained a clear environment behind the Library.56 Nov 269 2025 Dec 55 2025 31 • Targeted: Major recovery from a railroad encampment; continued monitoring of the Waterfront.78 Sustained: Significant reduction in volume, likely related to snow cover and inclement weather conditions; focus shifted to covered areas like the Epstein Garage and Camden National Bank areas.910 Jan 108 16 Winter Maintenance: Recovery 2026 concentrated in 16 specific locations during extreme cold outreach.1112 Mar 345 148 Spring Cleanup: Wide -scale 2026 recovery at the Transit Center and various alleys behind businesses like Waverly Tavern.1314 Apr 491 108 Broad Impact: Heavy recovery at 2026 the Half Acre lot and Kenduskeag Stream Trail.215 Proactive Prevention Methods Effectiveness is also measured by the proactive "Security Patrols" and "Quality of Life" checks that identify potential encampment sites before they become established. By early 2026, Ambassadors were conducting over 1,200 specialized garage, alley, and park checks monthly to maintain a "clean and welcoming environment". In Apr 2026 alone, dedicated efforts at the Half Acre lot and Kenduskeag Stream Trail focused on preventing the formation of encampments and maintaining public access.7131114 Ambassadors work with Bangor Police Department and local service organizations to maintain community standards in Downtown Bangor. Over the course of their work they have removed nearly 100 bags of litter and trash from both public and private property including over 1000 needles, removed individuals from 26-210 JUNE 8. 2026 camping overnight in public parks and private alcoves, connected with businesses and residents to uphold community standards both inside and outside businesses and provide assistance in directing people available services. NETWORKING Downtown Bangor provided both homogenous and heterogenous networking opportunities to connect with downtown stakeholders around issues of shared importance. DBP sent 26 stakeholder emails to over 450 businesses, organizations and property owners during the first 10 months of this fiscal year to inform the business community about opportunities and issues of importance In November, DBP hosted a property owner lunch for the City's Tax Assessing department to help property owners understand their role in revaluation process. (06he DBP was instrumental in making h€ necessary connection to secure the beautiful space located at the Rudman Winchell building in downtown Bangor. Through the grand opening and making my presence known to the community through social media platforms, I could not be more grateful for this wonderful opportunity." ilan.q Vinfapp Vixt?n 919 We welcomed 22 new businesses in calendar year 2025 with ribbon cuttings and grand openings. Many of the new businesses worked with DBP staff to identify and secure a location that met their needs. Several businesses moved from other existing locations to be part of the downtown community and sited the marketing and collaboration in downtown as a driving force in their decision. ORGANIZATION Fiscal year 2026 saw the realization of many of DBP's strategic plan initiatives including increased collaboration with City departments, increasing DBP staffing, increased marketing, enhanced placemaking assets, and an update of the boundaries of downtown to include adjacent areas. Downtown Bangor also began the process of launching a public facing welcome center in collaboration with WKIT and Mix Maine by securing a high visibility location that can serve as a hub for helping visitors from near and far access available amenities. Downtown Bangor also received certification as a Main Streets Affiliate, forging new relationships and opening the door for increased collaboration with other downtowns in Maine and providing access to new funding streams. Staff and the Board of Directors have been attending organizational capacity workshops and meeting with other downtowns in Maine 26-210 JUNE 8. 2026 FY2027 Work Plan Overview (July 1 2026 to June 30, 2027) This year the Downtown Bangor Partnership is focused on connecting with the new stakeholders brought in through the district expansion to develop assets and infrastructure that support the look, feel, goals and scale of the additional zones and create unique identities for the distinct areas of downtown. DBP will also focus its resources on continuing to promote Downtown Bangor as a place to shop, dine, play and stay locally and within our targeted tourism outreach zones which are built on piggyback campaigns with Maine Office of Tourism and fine tuned to target Bangor's specific demographics. There were over 300,000 overnight trips to Downtown Bangor, the majority of which involved more than one person with an average stay of just under three days. Downtown Bangor plans to work with City Staff and Council to ensure a clean, safe and welcoming environment for all through its ambassador program, volunteer collaborations and supplemental asset contributions. MARKETING FY2027 will see continued investment in tourism marketing. Our marketing capital focuses on positioning downtown Bangor as the shopping, dining and arts and culture destination for Central and Northern Maine. As part of this effort, the DBP will continue to update and maintain existing assets like the Bangor Culture and Arts Collective website and interactive public art map funding for a unified, city-wide effort in promoting arts and culture. We will continue our multi -year video project to produce, and update video content as we move through each season, building out our asset library. We will be aided in this effort by marketing interns from Husson University, who have shown a keen interest in capturing Downtown Bangor. The digital content produced by student interns thus far has resulted in solid audience engagement (and many positive comments) and helps us access a demographic we actively seek to bring downtown. We look forward to expanding content driven by their unique points of view. We use these videos in our digital and social campaigns, especially in major metropolitan areas with direct flight paths to Bangor. We credit much of our success in drawing website visitors to the quality of these assets and our strategic placement of them. Building on the momentum of FY26's success in this area, we plan to increase our advertising budget in digital spending, in FY27. We also plan to grow our YouTube channel, taking advantage of the world's second largest search engine to show viewers the natural and architectural beauty of Downtown Bangor, as well as its unique events, activities, and lifestyle. Each piece of content will have descriptive text to drive traffic to the DBP website. Additionally, we will add to existing playlists of user -generated content of people experiencing Downtown Bangor and the region. Goals for downtownbangor.com include expanding content in areas that educate visitors on topics like hosting events in Downtown, sample itineraries for target demographics, and additional landing pages for marketing collaboration. Additional goals include streamlining analytic data and creating custom reports with less labor and auditing site content to reflect current best practices for traditional SEO and Al search. Since users come to us largely through organic content creation, we plan to increase awareness and visitation through targeted dollars spent across digital, social, and print campaigns, in addition to content marketing. We hope to continue our trend of organic visibility, ideally exceeding the more than six million impressions of 2026. We plan to continue to cultivate the community events page which is the most popular page on our website, and grow it further by continuing to publish week and weekend event round -up posts on social 26-210 JUNE 8. 2026 media channels, which have been incredibly popular. Since starting to post them, we have received an uptick in requests to be included, resulting in additional event content in the Downtown event calendar. We will also invest in Downtown Bangor social media platforms to reach new viewers and convert them to become lovers of Bangor. We've seen excellent results with "slice of life" content over the past year, and will lean into that kind of positive content. In partnership with the City of Bangor, our current plan for the Visit Downtown Bangor guide is to expand to include a section about assets in the City of Bangor that are outside of Downtown, which will direct visitors to the most appropriate digital location, whether it is a City site or a custom landing page. We anticipate a print run of 15,000 of both the guide and brochure map, which will lead visitors to a more detailed online map to help them explore Downtown. We look forward to a continued partnership with Mix Maine Media and WKIT as they move into 33 State Street and broadcast from their street -level studio. The relationship has generated positive collaborations, including live streams and live broadcasts of DBP events which provide a real benefit to participating businesses. DBP will continue to offer reduced -rate co-op marketing opportunities in key print publications, including Visit Maine, Portland Mag and DownEast Magazine, while increasing investment in district -wide campaigns that position Downtown Bangor as a destination, drawing visitors in by showcasing the full experience of "shop, dine, play, stay" and letting them discover businesses organically. Based on the success of digital campaigns last year, we will increase our digital marketing spend running concurrent campaigns locally and in large urban centers with direct flights to Bangor. Our website and social traffic indicate that Downtown Bangor holds interest as a destination for people looking for small-town charm, "nature lite" and an urban experience, for couples from The County coming for a concert to folks "from away" visiting the region for the first time. NETWORKING & OUTREACH Networking & Outreach Committee to conduct outreach efforts to build cohesion within downtown and create connections with underserved stakeholders in the service sector, property owners, and residents, creating ties that will help the DBP better understand and meet their needs. The 2026 semiannual survey will provide a baseline for establishing areas of concern and pathways for action within each subset of the downtown community. The DBP will continue to host the property owner lunch and listening session to meet and advocate for this sector. The Networking & Outreach Committee will increase the frequency of retailer meetings, to help business owners connect and continue to support each other through collaborative efforts. The Networking & Outreach Committee will host meetings and public forums to engage stakeholders including an annual social and town hall event to promote both formal and informal channels of networking and communication. Connecting with residents remains a top priority though capturing the attention of a significant number has remained elusive. We hear from residents frequently, but would like to engage with them on a more consistent basis. Safety and security remain a top concern in the last four years. Addressing the issue is a combination of improvements to safety and shifting the perception of safety via our marketing initiatives. DBP plans to 26-210 JUNE 8. 2026 continue advocating for enforcement of existing ordinances and to encourage the adoption of ordinances that improve the quality of life in Downtown Bangor and make it a more welcoming community. EVENTS The Events Committee will kick off FY27 with the annual Sidewalk Arts Festival, enhancing downtown's image as an arts and cultural center for Central and Northern Maine. Bangor Savings Bank is returning as the Presenting Sponsor and we anticipate financial and volunteer support from other organizations as well. The event already has more than 100 jury -selected artist -vendors committed to attending. We will continue to offer free children's activities and live musical performances on the festival main stage. The PanStorm Summer Concert Series will return to West Market Square in late summer. In October, we will host the ARTober Sidewalk Art Festival, with additional promotion of the event as part of Maine Craft Weekend. Plaid Friday and Small Business Saturday represent the start of major retail season in the US, and DBP will continue to encourage visitation by ensuring that there are appealing activities for a wide variety of interests. The Wabanaki Art Market provides a way for Indigenous microbusinesses to have a presence Downtown during this weekend and has become an annual favorite for shoppers. The holiday tree lighting and light show, as well as the photo -ready decorations that have been added to the tree base, are significant attractions throughout the holiday season. Downtown Bangor has become a resource for organizations seeking to execute events in Downtown Bangor. One of the goals of the Downtown Bangor Partnership is to make Bangor an easy and inviting place to host events of every scale and size. We have been compiling information on event venues and will be sharing more information on how to hold events in Downtown Bangor on our website. DBP provides organizational and marketing support for individuals and organizations seeking to execute events in Downtown Bangor. We will continue to provide marketing support for events like First Friday Art Walks, Bangor Pride, Stephen King Birthday Carnival, Janes Walks, and the Maine Witch Walk, among others. The Events Committee will continue to assist in promoting seasonal visitation opportunities like Valentine's Day, Maine Basketball Tournament, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Halloween, Bangor Rotary Festival of Lights Parade, and New Year's Eve. They will also seek out and support the many events already happening within the district. The availability of items of DBP-owned infrastructure, including popup tents, tables, and chairs, have been leveraged by organizations who are hosting events Downtown, including a spring resource fair and the 33rd Annual Pan New England Steel Band Festival. Finally, it will remain the great pleasure of DBP staff and Board members to participate in some of the most impactful events that happen in any Downtown community — celebrations of Downtown businesses, from ribbon cutting ceremonies to anniversaries, expansions, and rededications. BEAUTIFICATION The Beautification Committee will focus its energy on gardens, lighting, and placemaking in FY 27 with a specific focus on working with the newly annexed areas to develop the look and feel of the new district. This includes a new banner program at major entry points to downtown. oo-210 JuwEa.0000 theadopt-a-garda program). gardens inDowntown Bangor. Existing seasonal and year-round planters and flower boxes will continue hobring colorful blossoms to downtown. This year OBP completed the replacement of 28ofthe aging wooden box planters and can now focus onexpanding our summer flower program with new |nhonor ofthe aamiaayquintannia|.wewill bedecorating guard nai|a, flower boxes and buildings with red white and blue for the entire season. Adopt-A-Garden.which now has over 15Ogardens throughout downtown will continue inFY27with improved collaboration with Public Works Staff (shout out toPublic Works for the amazing job they dosupporting The invasive species program will continue to ensure the vitality of City Lighting during the holidays will continue tobrighten the darkest part ofthe year with i1Ulamp posts wrapped in lights. Our Downtown Ambassadors plan to assess and replace damaged and non functioning lights. The color -changing Hamlin bistro lights will mark special holidays and occasions such as Pride Month and St. Patrick's Day to ensure downtown is a community center for shopping, gathering, and celebration. We plan to add lighting to additional atnaet|ampa as they are updated to allow for lighting. Downtown Bangor partnered with Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness and City of Bangor to apply for a T Mobile Hometown Grant to provide an all ages activation in Broad Street Park as Phase I of improving the area underneath and adjacent to the Union Street Bridge overpass. If approved, the $50,000 grant will create an interactive park -like setting with oversized topiary animals inthe form of native species selected by Wabanaki Public Health. Future phases of the project will provide lighting enhancements to the underside of the bridge and create water filtering planters that clean the dirty water from the roadway above before it enters the Penobscot River, ORGANIZATION As many of the goals from Downtown Bangor's 2022 strategic plan have been implemented or are well undemvay, the Board plans tocreate a new strategic plan tuformalize and organize priorities and initiatives including plans tuopen the Welcome Center. The D8Pcontinues toinvest inpmfesaiomdizingits staffing bysending both staff people to the International Downtown Association's (IDA) Fall Conference along with City Staff to learn best practices and new ideas for urban placemaking through workshops, seminars and mentorship. As a Main Streets Affiliate, DBP will continue investing in the knowledge bank of Maine Development Foundation and Main Streets and DBP Board Directors and staff have been attending workshops that will ' shore up organizational systems and capacity. We will host the annual Maine Downtown Center Conference in 2027 bringing placemakers from across the state to Bangor. SAFETY AND SECURITY The DBP's number one priority for visitors, residents, and owners within Downtown Bangor is the enjoyment of our unique downtown by everyone without compromising the ability of one group to enjoy it versus another. The DBP has supported initiatives to expand services for people experiencing homelessness and for services at "points of service" for people experiencing substance use disorder and in need of mental health services. We support the City of Bangor's investments in these arenas. 26-210 JUNE 8. 2026 Simultaneously, the City has made considerable investments in providing assets to Bangor residents as well as in supporting tourism marketing via numerous organizations working in tandem to highlight the City as a recreation destination. The recreation economy in Bangor is strong with established parks and trails, public art and various visual and performing arts venues of nearly every size. Downtown Bangor is home to a casino, a race track, a world class art museum, a professional theater and a top performing concert venue. There are few communities, certainly not of this size, with so many assets in play. The Park Ranger program, SCAT, and numerous other programs dedicated to helping those in need are all welcome and important factors in improving safety and the perception of safety in Bangor. Additionally, the DBP benefits from the presence of Officer Larby, our downtown walking officer and the downtown custodian from Public Works. Although the downtown foot patrol and custodian has a tangible effect, and is appreciated by the downtown community, the hours are generally limited to 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday and downtown has an active night and weekend scene. The Downtown Ambassadors will continue to monitor public and private spaces on nights and weekends ensuring Downtown remains safe and clean for visitors. Bangor Police Department has been helpful and collaborative in helping the Downtown Ambassadors navigate the continuously shifting landscape of ordinances and community standards that are being enforced. Over the past year there has been an influx of day and night time activity for Ambassadors to manage. Ambassadors will continue to enforce shared community standards. The Ambassadors have been incredibly successful in mitigating the impact of disruptive behaviors downtown within the boundaries of what they are allowed to do. One of our biggest challenges is that a key KPI is that services are delivered without a complaint being issued, i.e. a proactive approach to removing problems before they are noticed. Delivering services in this way often means that the public is unaware of the scope of issues that are being addressed. In FY 27 Downtown Bangor plans to better enhance service communication strategies. Additionally ambassadors plan to strengthen relationships with service providers in downtown and use downtown warming shelters -as a base of operations during the coldest months so they can provide supportive services to those using and running shelters. 26-210 JUNE 8. 2026 V 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 a 0 O 0 a 0 �4 cqqqqq.0.q.qq.0.0.0 o.qq. m 0 0 0 0 0 a 0 a 0 0 cj a 0 a w 0 0 0 N 0 0 0 0 a N a 0 0 0 0 0 0 oow- I- 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 a 0 0 00' 0 0 0 0 0 q 0 m 0 Ccl� q w cl 0 0 0i C� 0 6 0 0 0 0 N 0 O q . 0 0 0 w 0 0 0 C� Q 0 r-� mw N a .0 u m E 0 0) 0 I E E 0 1 c . o u C 0 > 0 0 w o < Q i a >v v o. m w I Z2 > W �2 r LL > w 26-210 JUNE 8. 2026 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o O o 0 O o 0 o Lq O o o o 0 0 0 O O O O h O N O V O O O (p N o O h O h O O O o O o N o O O] O H3 m N O N � fhfl NM � E/3 E9 � f9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 O O O O O (n O O O O O O O O O O O O O O h O N 0 O O O 0 O 0 (o O O O o 1 O h O O O O O O O O Vl 0 0 O w 0 (9 N N N O O O N fl 9 0� � OCT� n coo o rNi o ro a m M h O O m h O N (O M c m C4 C6 yVy V E9 ffl •M HY v o m o m 00 O O N 0 (0 (MO m O N N3 EH f9 C N a U. 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Motion made and seconded to Close Public Hearing Vote: 7—0 Councilors Voting Yes: Beck, Carson, Deane, Faloon, Fish, Leonard, Mallar Councilors Voting No: None Public Hearing Closed Motion made and seconded for Passage Motion made and seconded to Postpone to June 22, 2026 City Council Meeting Vote: 5—2 Councilors Voting Yes: Beck, Carson, Deane, Fish, Mallar Councilors Voting No: Faloon, Leonard Passed to Postpone �� .�" � M,�� w��-�� ' CITY CLERK IN CITY COUNCIL JUNE 22, 2026 CO 26-210 Motion made and seconded for Passage Vote: 6—2 Councilors Voting Yes: Beck, Carson, Deane, Faloon, Leonard, Walker Councilors Voting No: Mallar, Hawes Passed ��:,w�� ;��;��.�� CITY CLERK