The $57.8 million cost to expand the Bangor Region YMCA will be supported by $4 million in new-market tax credit financing recently approved by the Finance Authority of Maine, a quasi-independent state agency whose mission is to provide financial support for business growth and education.
The project broke ground last fall and is expected to transform a vacant stretch of downtown Bangor into a community hub.
Additional financing includes a fundraising campaign that raised over $40 million. The city of Bangor allocated $2 million to the project and Penobscot County used $3 million from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to support the effort.
Expanded programs
The Bangor Region YMCA is building an 82,000-square-foot community center to replace a 45,000-square-foot facility that’s considered obsolete. The project will allow the organization to significantly expand programming.
Project components include an early learning center with 104 seats for children ages six weeks to five years. The center will double the overall capacity of the Y’s before- and after-school program to 200 children ages 5 to 12.
The current facility is at 17 Second St. The new facility will be several blocks away on Main Street near Davis Court and Talbot Park.
The facility will include a STEAM makerspace and teen center to expand out-of-school programs, a four-room health care suite to be operated by St. Joseph Healthcare and Community Health and Counseling, a community kitchen and food pantry and fitness and recreational spaces.
“The facility’s programs help to strengthen the local workforce by ensuring that businesses have access to healthy, skilled employees,” said Renee Ouellette, chair of FAME’s board.
The facility is slated to open in August 2027
Once completed, it will be named the Cathy Gero Bangor Region YMCA. Gero was a longtime member and supporter of the Bangor Region Y.
The facility is on 7.5 acres with playgrounds, outdoor learning classrooms and recreational space. The project is expected to support 242 jobs.
A/Z Corp., a Cianbro company, is the contractor overseeing construction. The design was provided by Portland-based SMRT Architects and Engineers.
The Bangor Y’s service area reaches across Penobscot, Aroostook, Hancock, Piscataquis, Somerset, Waldo and Washington counties. The project is expected to serve an estimated 35,450 individuals annually.
“This new facility, which will double the size of the current space, will better serve the Bangor region and offer new and expanded services to the community,” said Diane Dickerson, CEO of the Bangor Y.
FAME administers the Maine New Markets Capital Investment Program in cooperation with Maine Revenue Services. The program allows eligible investors to claim tax credits against state taxes in amounts up to 39% of a project’s total cost.
