Community center and grounds undergoing renovations

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A Newsletter by the City of Saco, Maine	June, 2008	Return to newsletter index

The Parks & Recreation Department continues to grow with an increased interest in our program offerings and facilities. To meet these demands we are well underway on an ambitious plan and schedule on the renovations of both the community center and grounds on 75 Franklin Street. The building is currently undergoing a complete transformation with old vehicle storage bays being turned into a senior wing, meeting room, bathrooms, and new main entrance and reception area.

The new gymnasium floor

The original gym floor has been replaced due to years of neglect along with all new equipment that includes basketball hoops, divider curtains, and an indoor batting cage. Along with the obvious changes there have been many unseen upgrades to the building that will increase the efficiency in building utility costs. Many of these upgrades have taken advantage of current rebate programs available.

The outside grounds improvements are notably the most obvious improvement to the site. The gravel parking lot that was often reduced to mud in the winter and spring is being paved. This improvement also addresses the long standing water issues that the whole neighborhood has been dealing with for a great many years. A complete storm water collection system has been engineered and installed that catches all run off from the site as well as some sections of Franklin Street. It was evident from our initial neighborhood preconstruction meeting last fall that the largest concern of the neighborhood was to address the storm water issue that stemmed from when the armory was originally built.

In addition to the new parking lot other new site amenities include an open playing field and playground. These additions have truly transformed what once was a gravel staging area for surplus military equipment into a neighborhood park and community asset.

The new playground

The Saco Recreation Complex (adjacent to the Foss Road Transfer Station) has moved on to Phase II. Phase I included the construction of over six acres of athletic fields that have been named Phoenix Fields through a community field naming contest. Phase II is well underway with the construction of the Sandy Brook Fields and gravel parking areas. The eight acre Sandy Brook fields where constructed last fall and seeded this spring. It is the hope of the department to have these fields online in the spring of 2009.

The construction of either of these two fields could not have been possible without the generous support and help from the Public Works Department. The amount of time and energy these construction projects took truly shows how cooperatively our city departments work together to meet a common goal.

Phase III will include the construction of permanent parking areas as well as the on site relocation of the transfer activities to better separate the two distinct activities that take place at this site. Phase III is still in the preliminary planning stages but we are hopeful that these improvements will be developed in the near future.