More Stimulus Package Waste in Bangor, Maine

What can you get for $53,000,000? Well apparently, you can get a fresh coat of paint and some cosmetic work on a federal building that is smaller than a Walmart store. As part of the Obama stimulus package, the Bangor Federal Building has been approved for a $53 million renovation project. As reported in the 4 July, 2009 issue of the Bangor Daily News, this expenditure is raising a few eyebrows in the central Maine area.

With the national debt soaring to staggering new heights, one wonders if this is a wise investment at this time. If the there truly is the need to spend away our future to provide work projects now, there might be some more worthwhile projects out their. The Maine DOT biennial budget including paving projects is projected at $673 million dollars so this money could represent an 8% increase in the budget for the whole state. Job creation projects like the new Bangor Auditorium could be paid for with this type of federal outlay. This "investment" represents an expenditure of $360 by every single resident of Penobscot county.\
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Chairman of the Penobscot County Commissioners, Thomas Davis, has stated that this project does not make any sense. Many members of the Bangor City Council have raised concerns about the high cost of the project. It seems like such a luxury for this economically troubled area. According to the offices of Senator Collins and Senator Snowe, these projects are being closely watched and the spending is on critical projects.

The critical project in question is specifically the renovation of the Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building in Bangor, Maine. The Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building contains offices for 15 federal agencies and was constructed in 1966. Apparently the building has not had major renovations during its life. The proposed renovations will include new heating and cooling systems, new windows, electrical systems, security systems and other updates. The total size of the building is 165,897 square feet and the original construction cost was $4.5 million.

I do not agree with the whole idea of mortgaging our future to provide some temporary jobs today. But, if this is the policy that the President and Congress seem determined to pursue could we just spend the money a little more wisely? How about projects that will create more jobs in the future? How many wind turbines could be built for this money? How many small business loans for projects could be made?

Why do public "servants" always work in the nicest facilities in town? I believe that these buildings should be extremely low on the priority list. The needs of the citizens should come before the needs of the public "servants". Even with the policy of spending trillions of dollars of borrowed money on short term projects as a long term solution, we can do better.