Windham Town Council members received an update about committee plans for possible repurposing uses for Windham Middle School once the building becomes vacant in the fall of 2027.
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| Members of the Windham Town Council received an update during a meeting on March 10 about recommendations being formulated by a committee for the town about how to best repurpose Windham Middle School after the new Windham Raymond Middle School opens. PHOTO BY ED PIERCE |
Tibbetts said the committee has worked with an architect and design team and toured the Westbrook and Gorham Community Centers to see how those towns adapted old school buildings for community center facilities.
Based upon that and ongoing discussions about current municipal buildings, Tibbetts said acquiring the middle school building provides a unique opportunity for Windham to address shortfalls in the current municipal buildings, each of which carries long-term replacement costs and short-term maintenance and repair costs. The committee supports consolidating town hall offices, parks and recreation, social services, food pantry, clothing and medical closets and the library to the middle school building.
“The structure is good and we then looked at how do you take what we currently have, put it in there and be cost effective,” Tibbetts said. “The old middle school has 80,000 square feet of available space. After reviewing various municipal functions, it was determined that a number of municipal services could be located at this site for a fraction of the cost of renovating or replacing current buildings.”
Tibbetts said the site also includes space to construct a town pool and have adequate parking available. He said the building can be acquired by the town from RSU 14 for just $1.
Councilors attending the meeting took a straw vote to indicate their interest in possibly acquiring the middle school building even if it remains to be determined how to best proceed after that and all options are explored. All councilors said they were interested but wanted to hear more about costs and other issues before formally committing to proceeding.
“We want to make sure that we take advantage of the opportunity but at the same time balance it out against unintended consequences,” Windham Town Council Chair Mark Morrison said.
What happens next is the town will conduct a public survey to fine-tune options for the building, determine costs, instruct town staff to explore possible grants or alternative funding resources and create a timeline for the council to review.
During the meeting, councilors also appointed Pierre Paradis, a RSU 14 Katahdin Program staff member, to the East Windham Steering Committee and appointed Catherine Miller to an additional three-year term on the Library Board of Trustees to expire Feb. 15, 2029.
Councilors also reappointed Chris McDonald to the Zoning Board of Appeals for an additional three-year term to end February 15, 2029, and reappointed Francesco Farinella to the Zoning Board of Appeals for an additional three-year term to end Feb. 15, 2029.
The council also issued a proclamation formally commemorating the 250th Anniversary of the United States of America in 2026, honoring the courage and sacrifice of Windham’s veterans and active-duty service members, and expressing deep appreciation for the ongoing efforts of the Windham Historical Society in preserving the town’s history.
Councilors encouraged all Windham residents to participate in the Memorial Day commemorations on May 25 and to take part in Windham Summerfest on June 20 in celebration of community, history, and national heritage. <
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