BANGOR, Maine — The City Council recognized retiring Assistant Chief Richard Cheverie on Monday for 37 years and 11 months of service with the Bangor Fire Department.
Cheverie will retire Saturday, having worked with more than 200 firefighters and eight fire chiefs.
A mayoral recognition noted he served as incident commander during the 2004 Masonic Hall fire as well as his service as lead fire investigator for more than a decade.
Addressing the council, Cheverie said it was an honor and a privilege to serve with the department and that he would miss the camaraderie.
“Most people don’t understand that we are brothers, and it’s because we have shared experiences,” he said. “We have seen, we have experienced things that should have been in the pages of a Stephen King novel and they were all too real.”
During the presentation, Council Chairman Nelson Durgin thanked the department for its service, particularly its recent work to save John Bapst Memorial High School from a fire that injured one firefighter.
In other matters, the council introduced a proposed ordinance that would prohibit cars from parking too close to driveways and give police the authority to order cars towed if they are blocking driveways.
If approved, the measure would ban parking within 10 feet of the centerline of any driveway in the city. Thus, if a driveway is 10 feet wide, it would have at least a 5-foot buffer in either direction in which vehicles cannot park to allow for better visibility and maneuvering.
After the first reading, the council referred the ordinance back to the Government Operations Committee so that it can review amendments regarding the towing of vehicles.
If the ordinance survives in committee without significant change, it will go back to the City Council for final approval, said Councilor Pauline Civiello, who is sponsoring the proposal.
The council also approved an agreement Monday granting Bangor developer John Karnes exclusivity to negotiate with the city for the possible purchase and improvement of the former Pine Tree Inn at 22 Cleveland St. for use as “extended stay suites.”
The building, which the city inherited years ago from the U.S. military, is vacant, said Community and Economic Development Director Tanya Emery. Karnes’ exclusive status as tentative developer of the site expires May 29.
Karnes, who is known for redeveloping buildings along Randolph Drive in Bangor as well as the building at 49 Park St. that is home to Pepino’s Mexican Restaurant, is president of R&K Construction Inc.
Follow Evan Belanger on Twitter at @evanbelanger.