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Keep track of power generated for the station on our Windmill page.

Wind-Powered station opens in Saco
Amtrak Magazine, April 2009

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Transportation Center Committee Minutes
Transportation Center Committee minutes can now be found through the city's Find-A-Doc system.

Saco Transportation Center
Located adjacent to the large windmill and featuring a graceful clock tower, the new Saco Transportation Center is hard to miss on its prominent Saco Island site. Boasting 5,000 square feet of usable space, the center, designed by Lassel Architects of Berwick, is a green facility. Daniela Moebius was architect of record. The station provides ticketing and waiting for the Amtrak Downeaster to Boston and Portland, as well as office space for the Biddeford Saco Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Saco Transportation Center opened on February 27, 2009, after many years of effort. It was conceived in 1991 by former Mayor Mark Johnston and Planner Peter Morelli when the Amtrak Downeaster passenger train service was first being planned. The Doweaster actually began operations in 2001. At the grand opening, Trainriders Northeast President Wayne Davis called the transportation center "America's first truly green train station."

Among other green technologies, the center uses a wind power generator, geo-thermal heating and cooling, and radiant heating in the waiting room. The roofing material used is actually a composite made of recycled soda bottles, but looks like expensive slate and will last 70 years. The building also has a solar orientation, is super-insulated, and has special low-flow water fixtures.

The maple wooden furniture in the station was made in Biddeford by the Richardson Allen Company of Saco.

The station has won the Maine Downtown Center's 20009 award for Outstanding Smart Growth Project. The architects Lasell Architects have won an Urbanism Award from the Congress for New Urbanism - New England Chapter, which stated "The jury was particularly impressed by the recently_completed building's sustainable design, which is integrated environmentally and urbanistically with the surrounding area, including a former mill complex and the adjoining communities' downtown areas." See http://www.slideshare.net/cnune/2009-cnu-new-england-urbanism-awards

In addition Peter Morelli was recognized at the annual meeting for TrainRiders Northeast for bringing the station "from mud to magnificent."

The station and the transportation services it encourages have always been considered part of the rehabilitation of the Saco Island mill district. The current development efforts by Mattson Development -called Island Point- will create 70 new housing units and 160,000 square feet of office and hundreds of jobs space in the mills of Saco Island. Saco Island and the neighboring mill district in Biddeford were entered on to the National Register of Historic Places on December 30, 2008.

The developer considers the redevelopment a "transit oriented development" (TOD) and considers the train station an integral component of the successful operation and marketing of the new neighborhood being created in the old mills. The station is served by the the Shuttlebus and by a special bus to the University of New England.

The project is owned and was built by the City of Saco, with the assistance of Lassel Architects of Berwick and Hardypond Construction of Portland. The $2.5 million project was entirely paid for by the city, with funding from a land sale to Mattson Development and from a tax increment financing district (TIF) created to promote Saco Island redevelopment. The TIF uses taxes from Saco Island to make improvements in the island district. The project serves about 75,000 persons in the region. Some of the station's additional smart growth and green features:

Located on a reclaimed brownfield site in historic mill district.
The project is located in the historic center of Saco and Biddeford.
Provides public transportation opportunities. Connects with local bus services, called the Shuttlebus.
Electricity is provided by a 125 foot windmill just 50 feet from Main Street, which generates most of the electricity of the building and its parking lots.
The building is heated and cooled by a geo-thermal system, which utilizes a 1200 foot deep well.
The furniture was made locally by the Richardson Allen Company of Saco and Biddeford Maine. It is constructed of native maple.

Other features and details:

Geothermal/ Mechanical systems:
The geothermal system provides both heating as well as cooling. High-efficiency fan-coil units are used to heat and cool the office space. The transportation center's lobby is heated using radiant heat tubes, embedded in the insulated concrete slab. Radiant heat stratifies at approximately 7 feet above the finish floor, making this an efficient method of heating large volumes of space. Vestibules are provided at all main entries, with automatic sliding doors that have winter and summer settings in order to control the amount of air moving through the entries.
Wind Turbine
The wind generator on Saco Island is EW15 model built by Entegrity Wind Systems of Boulder, Colorado. It was installed March 1, 2008. The generator is on a 100 foot monopole. Blades are 24 feet long and each weighs 330 pounds. The generator produces 50 kw when the wind speed is 25 mph. It is designed to shut down when the wind speed is 50 mph to avoid potential damage, although the design speed is 133 mph. The microprocessor controls also allow the remote performance readouts seen on this page. The City's contract with Entregity guaranteed first year production of 90,000 kwh of electricity. The electricity will be used for the Saco Transportation Center and the parking lots associated with the station. For additional information about this particular wind generator www.entegritywind.com. For information about winds www.tradewinds.com.
Building Orientation and Glazing:
The building is oriented along a east-west axis, with generous south-facing glazing that provides valuable daylight and winter solar gain. These windows are protected by the 6 foot overhangs, eliminating solar gain in the summer. The overhangs also help protect the building's skin and provide protected passage for the building's users. Smaller window openings towards the west reduce glare. Low-E Argon filled double glazing with thermally separated frames were used throughout the project.
Daylighting:
Daylighting is increased with the use of translucent panels at the eastern gable end and at a central skylight. The Translucent panel system diffuses the sun's light, blocks Infra-red and Ultra-violet light, and provides a high R-value to limit heat gain and loss.
Materials:
A substantial portion of the structural wall system consists of metal studs, which have a high percentage of recycled steel and are recyclable at the end of their life. The trim material (MiraTEC) is a composite trim board that is made from trees that cannot be used to make dimensional lumber, and wood by-products from a variety of sources along with non-formaldehyde emitting resins. The roofing material, an artificial slate product, contains recycled soda bottles. A variety of local products were used in order to avoid unnecessary energy use thru transport and processing. Local brick out of Lewiston, ME was used, and wood trusses were manufactured in Saco by a local company.
Insulation:
To provide a highly-insulated and air-tight building shell, rigid insulation is applied to the exterior of the structure, thus eliminating thermal bridging. SIP panels (Structurally Insulated Panels) are used to enclose the roof over the glu-laminated trusses of the lobby. These panels limit thermal bridging and air infiltration. Over the office spaces, blown-in cellulose insulation, a recycled product, provides a minimum of R-49 of insulation.
Lighting:
The lighting system employs a variety of different energy efficient fixtures, including fluorescent and metal halide fixtures. Few incandescent fixtures were used. Throughout the building, occupancy sensors are used to save electricity. The exterior lights use a combination of time schedule-based control and photocell sensors to save electricity.
Plumbing:
Low-consumption plumbing fixtures, such as toilets, urinals, and faucets are provided. Motion sensors at the sinks reduce water usage further.
Site:
Drought-resistant vegetation is specified to reduce water usage. Site lighting consists of fixtures with high cut-offs to reduce light pollution (dark-sky rated).
Interior Air-Quality:
Low VOC products, including carpet, paints and stains are specified to support a healthy interior environment. Durable, high quality materials are used to reduce amount of future maintenance.