The flagpole that looms atop the Thomas Hill standpipe will be temporarily taken down as workers refurbish the 124-year-old flagstaff.
The Bangor Water District announced the news Tuesday after the agency said it had fielded phone calls from curious residents who had seen workers on the standpipe’s roof.
Kathy Moriarty, Bangor Water’s general manager, said that agency workers had noticed there was pitting on the side of the pole and decided to address the matter to ensure it was structurally sound.
The flagpole is the original one that was put in place when the 1.5 million-gallon water tank was built in 1897, Moriarty said, predating the Spanish-American War, the advent of the personal automobile and both World Wars.
Greg Sanborn of Limerick Steeplejacks said the pole was rusty, and that he and his workers had repaired it, taken the old paint off and given it a new coat.
Moriarty said she expected that the repairs would finish in a few weeks, after which the flagpole could fly its flag high again over Bangor.