Saco board hears detailed update on new school site; foundation drilling set for March

Assistant Superintendent Parkhurst told the Saco School Board on Feb. 11 that work at the new school site is advancing rapidly and that foundation drilling is expected to begin in March.

“The drill rigs will be arriving in the next week or so,” Parkhurst said, adding the project currently has “about between 30 to 35 workers on‑site daily” performing earthwork and material excavation. Parkhurst said stormwater drainage installation and water‑management piping are in progress as the team prepares for foundation work.

Parkhurst warned that crews will perform test drilling to identify potential ledge and that, depending on what they find, the schedule could require additional effort or blasting restrictions tied to wildlife permits. “Hopefully, there won't be unexpected ledge there but as they've said, you never know until you're actually in the exact spot,” Parkhurst said.

The assistant superintendent described access‑road changes tied to the site: the Route 1 access is presently shut down for construction traffic and a new construction access off Millbrook is open. Parkhurst said the district is also advancing the design for an Eastern Trail bridge that will cross Millbrook and provide pedestrian access to the site.

On energy systems, Parkhurst said the district is pursuing a geothermal procurement that requires all‑American products and that staff are working with a vendor to ensure material tracing so the district can capture available tax refunds. “We are working with competitive energy solutions to make sure that all of our material tracing and tracking is up to date,” Parkhurst said.

Board members thanked Parkhurst and district staff for the pacing of work and for outreach to nearby landowners. School Board Member Beth Johnston said she had recently visited the site and that it already “looks like a road now” compared with photos taken in January. A school board member raised concerns about recent public discussion of larger Route 1 redesigns and asked the board to clarify that the district had not advocated for sweeping changes to Route 1; Parkhurst responded that the district’s traffic movement permit with the Department of Transportation covers corridor improvements such as sidewalks but does not determine regional bike‑lane plans.

Parkhurst stressed that temporary easements the district has negotiated with several businesses are short‑term and limited to right‑of‑way impacts during construction, and that staff have worked with landowners to minimize disruptions. The district plans to release drone video showing site progress soon and will continue to update the board as milestones approach.

The update concluded with the board and staff agreeing to continue community outreach about construction timing and traffic impacts.