As Bangor embarks on its new arena, Portland weighs three visions for the city's event space
Forefront at Thompson's Point
A plan for a $100 million hotel and event center at Thompson's Point will include office space, a performance hall and a 4,000-seat arena for conventions and sporting events. Now under planning board review, the project backed by Jon Jennings, president and general manager of the Maine Red Claws, and William Ryan Jr. of Oxford Plains Speedway, is moving full steam ahead. "We've gotten a lot of great response from not only the city, but the business community as well," Ryan says. He and Jennings continue to pursue private financing with hopes of breaking ground in the spring of 2012.
Waterfront convention center and culinary school
Shipyard Brewing Co. owner Fred Forsley is working to line up partners for his proposed hotel, convention center and culinary school on land next to the brewery between Hancock, Newbury and Mountfort streets. "We're still working on the concept," he says, adding that he doesn't foresee any major developments in the next six months. His facility would serve the business convention crowd as opposed to sporting events and concerts, and could include flex space that transitions from classes in late fall and spring to conference space in the summer, Forsley says.
He sees Bangor, where Shipyard owns a Seadog Brewing Co. restaurant, as an entirely separate market. And Ryan says Bangor's new arena and convention center could complement his project by convincing big acts to head north after shows in Boston. "In talking with promoters, they like to route shows so they can have multiple stops along the way," he says.
Civic Center renovations
Cumberland County voters in November will weigh in on a $33 million bond referendum to renovate the Cumberland County Civic Center. Proposed renovations include making the civic center handicapped-accessible, improving the loading docks and facade, and adding 500 club seats.
Regardless of the vote's outcome, the Thompson's Point project will move forward, Ryan says. "Our project is totally different than the civic center," he says. "We're filling a niche for a building that doesn't exist in Portland." The facility won't have an ice hockey component and will accommodate concerts half the size of those hosted at the civic center, he says.
Read the accompanying story, "Show time | Small donations and a nonpartisan atmosphere rally Bangor's business community behind a new arena."
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