Work to spruce up Pickering Square in downtown Bangor, which was torn up last summer and has sat empty for months, will resume next week and with plans to finish in mid-July.
Crews from Street’s Landscape & Lawn Care in Old Town will return to the site on Monday to finish improving the area between the Pickering Square Parking Garage and the Bangor Area Transit Center, said Jeff Davis, Bangor’s engineering director.
“I was hoping the contractor would have been there by now, but it just didn’t play out that way,” Davis said. “I’m confident that they’ll be there next week and will be there until they finish.”
Last summer, crews tore up the site, which was previously a grassy area, and laid a base layer of pavement along the paths. The contractor also installed underground infrastructure for utilities like electrical wiring and storm drains, as well as a new electrical cabinet and light posts, Davis said.
“It was all the subsurface stuff and demolition so it didn’t seem like much was getting done,” Davis said. “Now, folks will actually start to see what it’s going to look like here in the next few weeks.”
City leaders considered the project to be the finishing touch on a years-long endeavor to transform the corner of downtown, which previously hosted everything from a market to a parking lot. Other changes the city has made in recent years include adding a transit hub, moving the vehicle entrance to the parking garage and replacing the footbridge across the Kenduskeag Stream.
The city initially hoped to have the project completed by the end of 2024, but delays getting necessary materials pushed the work back. The inground lighting, for example, was delayed significantly and crews couldn’t begin laying pavers until it arrived, Davis said.
Then, a temporary fence went up around the area and work stopped for the winter.
Once complete, the sidewalk around the perimeter of the triangular area will be made of pavers and have inground blue LED lighting, Davis said. Seating, including a covered swinging bench, a patio area and granite walls, will also be installed.
Five two-sided display boards that can be filled with art from local artists or students and changed periodically will line the sidewalk bordering Merchants Plaza, Davis said. Signs for visitors and informational kiosks will also be installed in the area.
An open lawn space will remain in the center of the area, which can be used for gatherings, recreation or other community events, such as outdoor concerts or movie nights, Davis said. Other plants will be added along the edge of the grassy area closest to the bus station to act as a buffer for the space.
“I think it’ll be a more usable space,” Davis said. “It’s something different; we haven’t done this sort of thing in Bangor so it’ll be exciting to see something new for folks to go down and try it.”
It should take the contractors roughly six weeks to complete the work, according to Davis.
The city’s contract with Street’s Landscape & Lawn Care to complete the work amounted to $960,000, according to Davis.
“This has been a long time coming and I will be very happy to see it done and being used,” Davis said. “I think folks will just be excited to have it done.”
