Rides to Bangor cost $9 from Blue Hill and Orland, and $7 from Bucksport. The round-trip fare is the same as the one-way fare, provided you complete your trip in one day. Download Schedule.
Operated by Downeast Transportation Services at 667-5796

Wednesday Transportation Service - Connecting B & J Taxicab to Shuttle Bus Service and Bucksport Business District - Fare: $1.00 Includes Bus Transfer

For Residents of Orland, Verona Island and Rural Bucksport
Wednesday Service Hours 9:30 A.M. – 1:30 P.M.

For Service Call B&J’s Taxicab at 745-0940
Taxi Riders must make appointment for service 24 hours in advance.

Gardner Commons Now Open for Residents

Senior Citizens Invited to Apply for Housing at Bucksport Facility
Source: Bangor Daily News
Publication date: 2008-02-07
By RICH HEWITT; OF THE NEWS STAFF
BUCKSPORT - Elderly residents in the area interested in moving into one of the apartments at Gardner Commons can get their names on a waiting list beginning next week.

Although it will be June before the conversion of the former Gardner Middle School to apartments will be completed, Maine Development Associates, the property management company that will manage the apartment complex, has begun soliciting applications. The company will begin accepting applications on Feb. 15. Any applications received before that date will not be accepted.

Because the project will provide subsidized housing for elderly residents, the application process will involve a review process that can take some time, according to the company's vice president, Beth Mills.

"We're looking to fill the property as soon as we can once it's available," Mills said Wednesday. "So we want to start the process early."

Gardner Commons will have income requirements and, because it has been developed as elderly housing, the head of household must be at least 62 years of age.

The renovated building will house 26 one-bedroom apartments including two handicapped accessible units. The complex will include a community room, elevator, a secured entry system and emergency call system.

Although much of the work on the second floor of the building has been completed, there is still a lot of work to be done on the main floor, according to Bucksport Town Manager Roger Raymond.

"The contractor is confident that everything will be done by June," Raymond said.
The renovation has retained many of the features of the old school building including the high ceilings and has added new large windows that provide some of the apartments with views of the new Penobscot Narrows Bridge and Fort Knox. The apartments are spacious, he said, ranging between 650 and 680 square feet.

"It is going to be a beautiful facility," Raymond said. "I'm pleased to see that our senior citizens are going to be living in quality apartments like this, as they should be."
The town has worked with the Eastern Agency on Aging to develop the project. The agency sponsored the $3.8 million federal grant application that has funded the renovation project and, once the apartments are occupied, the EAA will provide on-site services for the residents there.

Meanwhile, the town has begun efforts to develop additional elderly housing in Bucksport. A recent marketing survey indicated that there is a need for additional housing for elderly residents in Bucksport and the surrounding area. Although plans are still in early stages, town officials have met with various state and federal funding agencies that could provide funds for the project.

According to Raymond, it is sometimes difficult to obtain funding for a project like this one that will not be limited to low-income residents. The town, he said, wants to provide housing for elderly residents without restrictions on their income levels that also offers different levels of services including assisted living and congregate housing.

The town has not established a timeline yet for this project, but Raymond estimated that it will be two to three years before it can be developed.
Anyone seeking an application or information on the Gardner Commons apartments can contact Mills at 947-6795 or 800-639-1747.