In the local paper:

Extensive renovations to the interior and exterior of Bangor City Hall, which aim to make the building safer, more accessible and easier for residents to use, are expected to wrap up in late July or early August…

When the renovation was proposed, I blamed it on the city government getting architecture envy because the public library had just gone through a renovation boondoggle of its own, and I stand by that. I also won’t be giving City Hall credit for the “fire alarm system throughout the building,” because they should have had that already. Ditto the generator. The only thing they’ve mentioned so far that sounds worth spending money on is:

City Hall’s old elevator was small and didn’t meet standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act. It was also aged, making replacement pieces expensive and difficult to find…

I can confirm that the old elevator was indeed dinky and old.

I suppose I could also give them credit for the reported final cost of $10 million, which was maybe half of what I expected. Sure, when they proposed the renovation to voters they said it’d be more like $6 million…

They’re also no longer implying that they’re going to save money on utilities, which is a step toward honesty, I suppose.

And when they reopen, we’ll be able to see how much more efficient and customer-friendly it is for everyone to be lined up at that one front counter instead of spreading out amongst different offices, which are now off-limits to the public “unless escorted by a staff menber.”

Speaking of that counter, I remember the original concept art as if I still had a copy saved on my hard drive:

It did look inviting, didn’t it? How’s it looking now, when it’s basically finished?

…I’m actually impressed; I didn’t know you could make that style feel that claustrophobic. I think I can see how they did it, though, with the pillars narrowing your view and both sides being enclosed by very solid-looking glass:

I think the feeling they were aiming for here is “yikes.” Or maybe “eek.”

And I still want to know how a town that spent $37 million to build a new county courthouse from scratch could spend $10 million on this, or more accurately, I want to know what (I’m guessing) two-thirds of that money paid for in the majority of the building that city residents are no longer able to see.