Renovations under way at Bangor federal building

BANGOR – The Margaret Chase Smith federal building on Harlow Street is getting its exterior revamped this summer, a process that has brought a crane, drills, trucks and construction crews to share sidewalk space with Bangor residents who scurry by, trying to get into the Bangor Post Office or the Social Security office inside.

The three-story building, which also houses federal and bankruptcy courts, needs its roof replaced, according to officials at the General Services Administration in Boston. In addition, the brick terrace walkway at the front of the building has been removed and will be replaced by pre-cast concrete pavers, the same style as seen on many of the city’s sidewalks. Several strong posts called “bollards” will be installed where the walkway meets the road to prevent wayward drivers from lurching up over the sidewalk onto the pavers, according to a federal official. More than one unsuspecting motorist has bounced his or her vehicle up on the curb in front of the federal building, blowing tires and causing other concerns.

“It’s a security issue,” said the official.

The Margaret Chase Smith federal building opened in 1968.

The cost of the roof replacement is approximately $752,000. An estimated $75,000 will be spent on the paver and post installations, according to Cathy Menzies, public affairs officer for the New England Regional Office of the GSA in Boston.

The money will be taken from GSA accounts. The roof replacement is expected to be completed by mid-October and the pavers and posts should be installed by the end of October, according to Menzies.

Eventually, renovations will be done inside the building, where space on the first floor will be revamped to house the Bangor branch of the U.S. Attorney’s Office. No date has been set for the internal renovations, according to Menzies.

As reported in a June Bangor Daily News story, the 26 employees of the U.S. Attorney’s Office will move back to the Margaret Chase Smith Federal Building in early 2002 and will occupy space vacated in 1994 by the U.S. Postal Service. The postal service still runs a retail window and a box lobby on the first floor but a cavernous, empty area lies just behind the post-office boxes that has been designated for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office has been located at 99 Franklin St. for several years but Bangor Savings Bank, the owner of the building, needs the space and did not extend the government lease on the office space.