City Services

Infrastructure: Public Works

Welcome to Bangor Public Works

• Electrical          
• Forestry
• Cemetery
• Highway
• Recycling
• Sanitation
• Contacts

The mission of Public Works is to provide the citizens of Bangor with ongoing and seasonally appropriate operation and maintenance programs on an extensive network of municipal service systems. These include drainage infrastructure, municipal streets and sidewalks, highway arterials, and bridges; providing for an orderly and efficient flow of motor vehicles through modern signalization systems, traffic delineation, street identification, informational signage, construction and winter road maintenance.

The Department also contributes to the community's sense of safety through modern street lighting networks and fire alarm systems.

The aesthetic and natural beauty of the community is enhanced through annual planting of replacement trees, shrubbery and flowers, the removal of dead or diseased trees, and the creation and maintenance of small nature parks, walking paths and fountains.

The Department also supports general community appearance and health through the oversight of refuse collection and disposal, and a growing city wide recycling program.

Electrical Division

The Electrical Division is responsible for maintaining the City’s traffic signal and street lighting systems. To report a street light that has burned out, call Public Works at 992-4500 and report the problem to our dispatcher. Street light replacement work is generally held until a group of repairs can be made at the same time. As a result, please allow for a few days for the repair to be made.

The City has an adopted policy governing the location of street lights. They are generally installed at intersections and on every other utility pole in heavily developed areas and every third to fourth pole in more rural areas. Requests for a street light should be made in writing to the Public Works Department, 530 Maine Avenue, Bangor 04401. Requests are reviewed against the City’s placement policy. Special consideration may be given to unusual circumstances after review with the Chief of Police and City Engineer.

To report a traffic signal that is malfunctioning, please call the Public Works Dispatcher at 992-4500. The City is regularly in the process of upgrading its traffic signal systems to make use of today’s computerized technology. Upgrades are currently under design for the downtown traffic control system. Many intersections are traffic controlled through the use of systems that recognize the presence of vehicles and activate the signal cycle. Some of these systems use video cameras. These cameras are solely for the purpose of traffic system control.

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Forestry

The Forestry Division is responsible for the maintenance of the City’s street trees, ornamental plantings, and forest properties. It also periodically reviews public trees throughout the City to determine which of them might pose a hazard due to storm damage or disease.

New and replacement trees are planted in the City rights of way each spring. This planting schedule has shown the best long-term results for tree survival. If you have a question regarding the condition of a tree located in the City right of way or if you would like us to consider planting a tree at a specific location, please contact us with your request.

The Forestry Department also maintains the City’s Forest Property and trail systems. City Forests Include:

• Brown Woods, located on Union Street north of Griffin
• Prentiss Woods, located on Grandview near Bangor High
• Essex Woods, located near Essex on Grandview
• The City Forest, located near Stillwater off Tripp Lane

Please click on the links to the right to access maps of these properties and the trail systems that they include.

The City’s trail system also includes areas along the Kenduskeag Stream from downtown Bangor to above the I-95 bridge.

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Cemetery

There are four municipal cemeteries located in Bangor. Pinegrove, Oakgrove, and Maplegrove Cemeteries are maintained and managed by the Bangor Public Works Department. Mt. Hope Cemetery Corporation maintains the City section of Mt. Hope Cemetery on a contractual basis.

Pinegrove Cemetery, located on Hammond Street Extension, is the largest of the three cemeteries that city crews maintain. The northern section of the cemetery, often referred to as the Old Section, was established during the eighteen hundreds and, as time passed, newer sections were constructed. Pinegrove Cemetery consists of 13 acres of well-maintained lawns that serve as cemetery lots. Blue Spruce, Silver Maples and Crimson King trees have been planted in specific locations throughout the cemetery and add to its overall beauty. An abundance of two-grave lots are available for sale in the north east corner of Pinegrove.

Oakgrove Cemetery is located on the Finson Road. This cemetery has a unique design. The terrain varies from flat land that borders the Finson road to a gradually rising hill that overlooks the Kenduskeag Stream. Oakgrove cemetery was also constructed during the eighteen hundreds with roads originally designed for horse and carriage. Oak and Maple trees border this cemetery, and a mausoleum belonging to the Merrill family is positioned towards its rear. The view from the rear of the cemetery is spectacular during peak foliage. The view as you look towards the east reveals the Kenduskeag Stream and colorful woodlands.

Maplegrove Cemetery is the smallest of the three City maintained cemeteries. Maplegrove, located at the intersection of the Pushaw and Church roads, is a four acre site that was also developed during the eighteen hundreds. This picturesque cemetery is a combination of flat lands and rounded hills. Silver Maple trees border the eastern portion of the cemetery, and an old fashioned New England church is located directly in front of it.

The City Section of Mt. Hope is located on the north side of Mt. Hope Avenue and also includes a portion of land south of Mt. Hope within the Mt. Hope Cemetery fence. This 30-acre site began to take form in 1834, the same year that Bangor was incorporated. Development continued during the Roosevelt Administration under the Works Progress Administration. Today, this section of Mt. Hope Cemetery consists of approximately 4000 lots and is maintained by maintenance crews that work for the Mt. Hope Cemetery Corporation.

The municipal cemeteries are a source of pride for those who maintain them and the citizens of Bangor who have relatives buried in these peaceful resting-places. Public Works crews and Mt. Hope Cemetery staff are available to bury people during every month of the year and to answer questions regarding the purchase of lots, genealogy, or rules and regulations. Please call Bangor Public Works at 992-4500 or Mt. Hope Cemetery at 945-6589.

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Highway

The Highway Division maintains the City’s streets and sidewalks, drainageways, bridges, and other public infrastructure. The Division is particularly busy during weather events, whether snowstorms when plowing is necessary or rain when storm drains must be kept free flowing. It is not an exaggeration to say that the highway division is the City’s housekeeper, with duties ranging from fall leaf collection, to spring cleanup, to removing dead animals from our streets.

Please click on the links to your right to learn more about some of the programs we offer with the highest public interest.

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Recycling

The City of Bangor operates a comprehensive recycling program with both residential curbside collection and a drop-off center located on Maine Avenue across the street from Public Works headquarters. Curbside recycling is available to residential properties in Bangor with four or fewer housing units. The drop-off center is available to all Bangor residents.

The following materials are accepted at curbside. To recycle these items, please observe the following do's and don'ts.  Recycling Guide

The same materials are also accepted at the drop-off center. Bins are located outside the center and marked for the appropriate materials. Materials can be deposited in the outside bin twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are new to the community, live in a single family home or an apartment complex with four or fewer units, and don’t have a recycling bin, come to Public Works, 530 Maine Avenue, during regular working hours (M-F, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) to pick one up.

Place your recycling bin curbside on the same day your rubbish is put out for collection. We recommend that the bin be out by 6:30 a.m. to insure collection.

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Sanitation

Household garbage collection is provided on a weekly basis. The City contracts with a private firm for this service. It is available to all residential properties in the City with four or fewer residences. Click on the link to the right to find the day collection is done on your street.

With the closure of many landfills and stricter regulations on the disposal of solid waste, it has become more difficult for residents to find the appropriate method of disposal for some wastes generated by the household. Click on the link to the right for some information on how to dispose of household hazardous waste, appliances containing freon, and other bulky wastes. The City offers special collections at certain times of the year including our spring clean-up program and our annual hazardous waste collection. Click on these links to the right to find a description of our most recent programs in these areas. These programs are offered annually at approximately the same time each year. They are publicized in advance.

The Department also offers Bangor residents the opportunity to drop off yard waste and branches and tree limbs. This material is accepted at Bangor Public Works, 530 Maine Avenue, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Monday through Saturday. Please check in at the dispatch office just beyond the entry gate before depositing material.

Contacts

For additional information on Public Works and our programs or to request services from the Department, you can:

EMAIL US at: public.works@bangormaine.gov

CALL US at: 207-992-4500

FAX US at: (207) 942-6631

Or

WRITE US at: Bangor Public Works
530 Maine Avenue
Bangor, Maine 04401

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