Gretchen Shaefer News Today

Five single-stall public bathrooms will be installed in parks around the city and another in downtown Bangor. They will be open 24/7.

Bangor city councilors approved the purchases Wednesday using some of the city's remaining $3.4 million in pandemic relief funding.

A rental registry and pre-approved building plans are among the ideas proposed by city leaders for what they've dubbed "the year of housing."

It's been years since the Bangor council first listed creating a rental registry as a priority.

Local groups vying for the funds include the Bangor Area Homeless Shelter, Together Place Peer Run Recovery Center and local health care agencies.