SANFORD — Residents are being asked to attend an informational meeting about the site for the new high school and technical center, and cast a vote in a straw poll Wednesday. The presentation is set for 6-7:30 p.m. at the Sanford High School cafeteria.
Civil engineers from Sebago Technics of Portland, along with building project manager Lance Whitehead of Lavallee-Brensinger Architects, will present findings regarding the proposed site, which is located roughly behind VIP Auto, Burger King and Manor Circle apartments on lower Main Street.
The site is comprised of about 167 acres, with about 47 acres preserved for conservation, according to city documents. The city will contribute about 40 acres, the state is poised to purchase 49 acres ”“ and perhaps more, according to City Manager Steve Buck ”“ and the community would purchase about 78 acres.
Information on site layout, roads, athletic fields, parking, traffic, wetlands, environmental impact and the negotiated price will be presented at the session, according to Superintendent David Theoharides.
Aside from the 40 acres of land to be contributed from the city, 77 acres is owned by Great Works Realty LLC, and 50 acres by Townhouse Properties.
The city council on Tuesday approved option agreements for the properties. The prices negotiated for the land are the assessed values. The Genest Works Realty LLC parcels are assessed at $271,000, while the Townhouse Properties parcels are assessed at $425,700, Buck said.
The state’s share is estimated at $90,600 for 49 acres. Buck on Tuesday said he planned to ask the state education department to consider purchasing more of the land. The state has taken into consideration the population of Sanford High School in its agreement to buy 49 acres, but hasn’t considered the number of students attending the technical center from both Sanford and the six sending communities, he said.
Deputy Mayor Maura Herlihy abstained from the council vote. She is one of a number of owners of Townhouse Properties, a company owned by the children and grandchildren of Gerard and Gertrude Genest. Herlihy on Friday said she has not participated in school construction meetings that involved the building site.
Theoharides said additional information will also be presented after the straw poll describing the building design, features, layout, educational pathways and timeline.
Sanford in 2010 won approval for a new high school and technical center to replace the 1970 Sanford High School that is currently ringed by a dozen portable classrooms.
— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or twells@journaltribune.com.
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