A milestone is approaching as the community prepares to break ground on a project that will shape the future of education. At 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Windham Raymond Middle School will be held at 61 Windham Center Road in Windham.
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| Groundbreaking for the new Windham Raymond Middle School will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 21. The new school, set to be completed by fall 2027, is 77 percent state-funded and an opportunity for Windham and Raymond to get back some hard-earned tx dollars and invest it in the community. FILE PHOTO |
“It is like we have won the lottery with this new school,” Howell said.
The superintendent explained how RSU 14 became the lucky recipient of a building with phenomenally low debt.
“The board submitted an application to the Maine Capital Construction Program in 2017. The application highlighted undersized classrooms, overcrowding, structural issues in the classroom wing and an outdated heating and ventilation system. After reviewing all applications within the state, the school was ranked as number five on the list of schools to be approved for construction.”
Howell said that each year the Maine Legislature designates a certain amount of funding for debt service toward Maine school construction. As older schools become too expensive to repair and/or the student population grows, the allocated funding provides the State of Maine with safer and better educational environments.
Upon receiving the state funding, the school board of directors moved forward to approve the Middle School Construction Committee on March 24, 2021. The first meeting occurred the following day on March 25. McLean, a RSU 14 School Board member at the time, was appointed as the chair.
“I was appointed chair of the project during that meeting due to my experience with serving as Chair of the Facilities Committee for the RSU 14 Board of Directors and my experience as co-chair with Windham Town Councilor Dave Nadeau on the Shared Vehicle Maintenance Facility,” McLean said.
There were several goals and objectives the committee wanted to accomplish.
“We looked to build a beautiful middle school that represents two communities that both towns would be proud of,” McLean said. “We wanted to provide all future middle school students with the same opportunities for learning.”
In addition to ensuring the new school meets current and future needs, McLean emphasized the importance of creating a lasting, impactful learning environment that will evolve with the community.
Howell echoed this forward-thinking approach by highlighting several key successes in the planning process.
“We have worked with an amazing architecture team who designed the building to meet our vision rather than giving us a cookie-cutter package for the school,” he said. “Also, the State is allowing us to build one grade level larger than the original application, so we can now include universal Pre-K.”
Howell also said that the Town of Windham traded 10 acres of property at the building construction site for Andrews School located in South Windham and the five acres it sits on.
“This site will be used as a senior and family housing building,” Howell said. “This is a Win-Win for everyone.”
McLean agreed, saying that he has been extremely pleased with all the participants on this project.
“From Chris Howell to the fine folks on the architectural side, to the feedback meetings with RSU 14 staff members and students, I’ve been impressed with what they would like to see on the design of the building, and the many hours of the folks also serving on the committee.”
Mclean explains why he has always been a supporter of the new building.
“This project is 77 percent state funded and an opportunity for our community to get back some of our hard-earned tax dollars and invest it into our community. If the RSU 14 School Board would've rejected this offer, then we would've watched some of our tax dollars go toward another community's school and then we still have a Windham Middle School that would require roughly the same amount of money required for renovations.”
The district will move Grade Three students to Manchester School, giving Windham Primary School more space to expand the district's Pre-K program. Once the new school is built, Grade Five students at Manchester School will attend Windham Raymond Middle School.
The current timeline for completion and move-in for the Windham Raymond Middle School building is Fall 2027. At that time, Windham Middle School will become the property of the town of Windham and ownership of Jordan-Small Middle School will transfer to the town of Raymond.
McLean said he is very appreciative of everyone who has participated in this project.
“I’m grateful for the folks who volunteered on the committee, sacrificing many Thursday nights away from their family and friends to stay involved with this project,” he said. “I have always loved working with passionate people, and I can't say enough about how thankful I am for everything that everyone has contributed to this process. It is truly remarkable.” <
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