New England 18 August 27, 2025

The New England area is no stranger to heavy snowfall during the winter months, and Proscape is no stranger to hauling it away.

As experts in snow removal, lawn care and landscape design, Proscape New England understands that customers need equipment that is durable enough to handle all seasons, and versatile enough to tackle different types of jobs. That’s why the company added more than 40 Hitachi wheel loaders

to its fleet.

“We chose Hitachi after using some of the other major brands basically because of the quality of the machine,” said John Pontarelli, innovation officer of Proscape. “They’re excellent in the field and the value of the machine has been fantastic compared to other brands.”

That real world performance is what Hitachi Construction

MassDOT to Demolish Major Century-Old Bridge in Haverhill to Build Replacement

A quarter-billion dollar effort to replace the Basiliere Bridge across the Merrimack River in downtown Haverhill, Mass., with a new span was approved on July 30, 2025, by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) board of directors.

The project is designed to include wider sidewalks, protected bike lanes and an improved connection to the Bradford Rail Trail on the city’s southern riverbank.

The current Basiliere Bridge connects Mass. Highway 125/Main Street over the river from Haverhill’s downtown on the

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Crews Deconstruct Century-Old Dam in West Rutland, Vt.

The Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC), in collaboration with the town of West Rutland and a pair of landowners, started the process in early August 2025, to deconstruct and remove the old Youngs Brook Dam.

The massive concrete dam on the Youngs Brook watershed, built 100 years ago, is 250 ft. long and 40 ft. high. More importantly, it is one of many examples of derelict and hazardous dam infrastructure in Vermont that exacerbates flood risk.

Originally constructed as a water supply for West Rutland, it was abandoned in the 1980s for a more efficient water supply system, according to an Aug. 11 VNRC news release.

After years of fundraising and regulatory review, the dam’s deconstruction is expected to run through October.

“As is often the case with old dams, there are no plans for their decommissioning, and even after a dam is abandoned, its public safety risk remains,” said Karina Dailey, a VNRC restoration ecologist and project manager for the Youngs Brook dam removal.

Its dismantling is seen as a celebration for the community in that the dam’s removal will not only eliminate a major safety hazard but significantly improve the ecology of the Youngs Brook watershed by restoring natural stream processes, including sediment and nutrient transport essential to maintaining a healthy waterway habitat and equilibrium while also enhancing aquatic organism passage and increasing flood storage, VNRC noted.

Flooding From Youngs Brook Is Constant Threat

Youngs Brook Dam sits in 2008. They noted recently that the reservoir above the dam was open water at that time and had no signs of marshy growth.

Then, in late 2011, floodwaters from the remnants of Hurricane Irene’s roared through Vermont and changed everything, the couple said.

“We watched out our kitchen window as what looked like a mini-Niagara Falls carved a huge new riverbend below the dam, and tree after tree fell in. It forever altered the stream flow into the reservoir. Large amounts of sediment filled much of the pond, so marshy islands formed permanently and summer heating harmed aquatic organisms in the shallow pond.”

Fourteen years later, the couple is excited that the dam’s deconstruction is finally at hand.

“We are pleased to allow this dam removal and stream restoration now since Irene destroyed the open pond habitat and demonstrated the danger to downstream inhabitants. Trout will once again be able to enjoy Youngs Brook.”

Big Equipment Moves to Dam Site

For decades, Youngs Brook has been the subject of a series of flash flooding events that have severely impacted West Rutland’s infrastructure and threatened the community’s public safety.

The cold-water tributary originates high in the Taconic Mountains above 2,000 ft. before falling steeply over a series of bedrock outcroppings as it winds alongside Dewey Avenue into downtown West Rutland at its confluence with the Clarendon River.

In 1995, a September flood event breached the dam, causing damage to downstream infrastructure. Other storm events also saw record water levels on Youngs Brook and caused substantial damage downstream.

“Flooding in Youngs Brook has been a recurring and escalating concern for West Rutland,” said Mary Ann Goulette, West Rutland’s town manager. “The dam breach in 1995, along with major storm events in 2011, 2019 and, more recently, in 2023, 2024 and 2025, have all caused significant damage to downstream infrastructure. These events highlight the urgent need to address flood hazards proactively to protect public safety, property and the long-term resilience of our community.”

Russ and Ellen Green purchased the land where the

The removal sequence began with the mobilization of heavy equipment and will soon see construction of site access routes and equipment staging, followed by the implementation of flow bypass and erosion control measures, according to the VNRC.

Crews also will remove approximately 11,000 cu. yds. of impounded sediment from behind the dam, as well as restore 850 linear ft. of stream channel and about a half-acre of floodplain. Part of the restoration also will include the planting of native seed mixes, trees and shrubs.

For Jessica Louisos of SLR Consulting in Waterbury, Vt., the rebuilding of a natural waterway is an exciting prospect.

“The transformation from a failing dam to a restored flowing river and vegetated floodplain is amazing to watch and [it is] extremely fulfilling to be a part of the design team for [a] project that also provides significantly reduced flood risk,” she said.

Her engineering firm is responsible for the project’s design, and the construction firm completing the removal is Fabian Earth Moving Inc. of West Rutland.

On the federal level, funding for the design, permitting and construction was provided by congressionally-delegated funds by since-retired U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont and administered by FEMA.

Locally, the Youngs Brook Dam removal also received monies from the Addison County Regional Planning Commission in its capacity as Clean Water Service Provider for the Otter Creek Basin; Watersheds United Vermont, in partnership with the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation; the Rutland Natural Resources Conservation District; and Vermont Natural Resources Council.

Work On Structure at Acadia National Park Set to Finish

Five years after the U.S. Congress passed the act that funded the project, the new maintenance building at Maine’s Acadia National Park is nearing completion.

Located at Acadia’s headquarters on Eagle Lake Road in Bar Harbor, Maine, the new facility will replace an old structure that no longer meets current building codes. It was originally built in the 1930s before being expanded in the 1960s.

Work on the modern 32,000-sq.-ft. building, along with a handful of associated outbuildings, began in the spring of 2023 and is expected to wrap up in fall 2025, according to an Aug. 4, 2025, report in the Bangor Daily News.

For years, Acadia and other National Park Service (NPS) properties struggled with limited funding that resulted in maintenance being neglected and projects being deferred. This remained the case even as visitation to the park jumped significantly in 2016, when both Acadia and the park service celebrated their 100th anniversaries.

In 2020, to address the maintenance backlog at the NPS, Congress passed the Great American Outdoors Act, which designated $12 billion in funding for park service building and upkeep efforts, including funds for various Acadia projects like the new

maintenance building, which was projected to cost around $30 million.

Kevin Schneider, the coastal Maine park’s superintendent, told the Daily News on Aug. 1 that he did not have an updated cost estimate for the project, but added that since the funding act was passed, both construction costs and the number of people who visit Acadia each year have risen sharply.

Removing ledge at the building site ended up being more time-consuming and expensive than expected, he said, but the new maintenance facility is expected to meet Acadia’s needs for several decades.

“The park’s visitation has changed dramatically and building requirements also have changed significantly” since the prior maintenance building was constructed decades ago, said Schneider.

New Facility to Upgrade Service

Throughout the Park

Schneider described the new facility as “a modern building that will last 100 years.”

At approximately 400 ft. long and 90 ft. wide, the new structure will primarily house shop space for carpentry, welding, plumbing, electrical, masonry and painting projects, in addition to room for vehicle maintenance, washing bays and space for the trails

crew and other maintenance workers to store and tune their equipment and tools.

In addition, the facility was designed to include offices and desk work spaces for intermittent users, small conference rooms and storage for cleaning and restroom supplies. Lockers for employees and volunteers, along with showers, modern IT network facilities and a large conference room that can accommodate up to 100 people also will be available.

Outside the main entrance of the maintenance building will be a landscaped courtyard area with a large overhanging roof under which is enough space for gatherings, the Bangor news source noted.

More than 100 new parking spaces — often in short supply at the park headquarters — and a new septic system to serve the entire campus also are due to be ready by the end of 2025.

Jason Flynn, Acadia’s project manager for the building’s construction, said that with the new facilities, the national park hopes to get longer usage out of its equipment, vehicles and tools that may not have been maintained as well due to the limited resources available at the existing maintenance structure.

The older building will be demolished and removed after the new facility is com-

pleted, according to Flynn.

Although the new building will not be open to park visitors, he said it is expected to upgrade services throughout the 49,000acre park. He compared it to a restaurant, where a properly designed and equipped kitchen helps to improve the dining experience in the front of the house.

“The back of your house needs to be dialed in,” Flynn told the Daily News.

Schneider said that it was great to be close to completing and moving into the new maintenance building at the fifth anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act on Aug. 4, but noted that there are more capital improvement projects that Acadia still needs to pursue.

If Congress were to approve the America the Beautiful Act, as proposed by current Maine U.S. Sen. and former Gov. Angus King, the park likely would seek funding from the National Parks and Public Land Legacy Restoration Fund for a new Jordan Pond House, according to Schneider.

That structure currently houses a restaurant and gift shop and is a heavily visited site in Acadia National Park. Much like the older maintenance building, though, it also has outlived its expected lifespan after serving park visitors since its construction in 1982, he said. 

Construction Begins On $6M JFK Aerospace Research Park

Under the familiar tones of famous science-fiction theme music, Presque Isle, Maine took its next step on Aug. 8, toward becoming a national figure in the growing race to monetize outer space.

In a hangar along the Presque Isle International Airport runway, city and state officials held a groundbreaking ceremony for what eventually will become the 72-acre John F. Kennedy Aerospace Research Park.

“[This] really marks the effort to bring the new space economy to our great state,” said Alan Lambert, Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) director of aviation, said during his remarks at the event.

It is an economy Lambert said could add more than $1 billion to Maine’s gross domestic product (GDP).

Lambert was joined at the ceremony by around 50 community leaders and residents.

Since 2021, the Presque Isle airport’s general aviation area has housed VALT Enterprizes, a local manufacturer that develops hypersonic delivery systems for both suborbital and orbital applications, according to The County, an online news source in the Presque Island/Aroostook County area of Maine.

The research park is designed to attract

similar aerospace investment to northern Maine, where VALT has found success. It focuses on the commercial space industry with the goal of providing fast, timely, reliable space access — something that is as yet unavailable.

“It’s very important to us to get this groundbreaking off,” said Karl Hoose, VALT president. “We’re going to be the first anchor tenant.”

The research park’s construction carries a nearly $6 million price tag, $4.5 million of which will be covered by a grant awarded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) in 2022. The rest will be met by $1.1 million in local funds, EDA officials said at the time, adding the park could create or retain up to 140 jobs.

Shortly after the groundbreaking, Presque Isle International Airport began soliciting engineering bids to plan the facility, noted Scott Wardwell, the airport’s director. Once the research park is completed, VALT will move into a new building at the site that will allow it to expand its capabilities, alongside buildings that will one day house other tenants.

In speaking to the assembled guests at the airport, Wardwell stressed the high degree

of planning that led to the construction process.

“One of the things that we want to make sure of is that we use the funds … in the best way possible,” he said. “One of the ways to do that is to have a sound plan — [one] that everybody is familiar with and can see the direction that we’re going.”

Space Pioneers Recieve Honors at Research Park

Naming the park after President Kennedy, who escalated the space race in 1961 by boldly announcing the goal to put a man on the moon, was a choice made by the Presque Isle Air Museum committee.

During its monthly meeting on Aug. 6, 2025, the Presque Isle City Council approved the name, along with those for the two new roads that will run through it — James McEachern Drive and Gus Grissom Street.

Kennedy’s 1960 presidential campaign stop at the airport was a defining reason for naming the research park after him, noted Kim Smith, Presque Isle’s public information officer and secretary of the air museum.

“He … led the nation through a critical period during which Presque Isle played a

very critical role,” said Smith. “In coming here and recognizing the importance of Presque Isle in the defense of the country, he really forged a direct connection with the community.”

McEachern was a Presque Isle native who spent 49 years as a flight test engineer with General Dynamics. In addition, he was the chief flight test engineer on the first flights of numerous planes, including the B36 and B58, and several of his flights still hold world records for speed, duration and altitude, among other factors. He died in 2010 at the age of 89.

Grissom was a U.S. Air Force pilot stationed at Presque Isle Air Force Base in 1951 during the Korean War. He later joined NASA and became the second American in space as the pilot of a suborbital Project Mercury flight. He was killed in 1967 during a pre-launch test of Apollo 1 alongside two other astronauts at Cape Kennedy in Florida.

“Naming this street after [Grissom] not only honors his service and sacrifice but also creates a lasting reminder of the human courage and commitment that have shaped this nation’s journey into space,” Smith said. 

Monroe Tractor Appoints Mark Gaines as Sales Rep of Hartford

Monroe Tractor welcomed Mark Gaines to its Hartford branch as an equipment sales representative, serving contractors across Fairfield County.

While Gaines is new to the construction and heavy equipment industry, he brings a proven track record in sales and a passion for helping customers succeed.

Before joining Monroe Tractor, Gaines worked at FedEx, where he held the role of worldwide account manager and partnered with businesses to deliver smart, solutions-based services tailored to their operations. That same approach to building long-term relationships and delivering real value will guide Gaines in his role at Monroe Tractor.

Bringing a strong customer-first approach and a focus on practical results, Gaines is dedicated to understanding the demands of each job site and delivering reliable equipment solutions.

“Mark is a driven problem-solver,” said Matt Dennehey, branch manager. “His dedication to customer satisfaction and solutionbased support is exactly why I wanted him on our team. Customers can rely on him to be responsive, proactive and committed to their success.”

“I look forward to helping customers find the right tools for the job,” Gaines said. “Most importantly, I enjoy keeping the customer working with efficient solutions that meet their needs.”

With 18 locations across New York State, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Vermont, Monroe Tractor offers a full line of Case construction equipment, Case IH agriculture equipment, Screen Machine, Okada demolition attachments, KAGE and Arctic snow pushers, Diamond and Alamo mowers and a full assortment of attachments and Precision products. 

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Proscape Uses Hitachi Wheel Loaders for Snow, Lawn Care

Machinery America’s latest ZW-7 wheel loaders series is engineered to provide, according to Hitachi. it gives companies like Proscape a harmonious experience in modern suburban environments.

“I think they chose Hitachi [wheel loaders] because it’s a great product line,” said Jeff Morse, sales manager of Chappell Tractor. “I also believe they chose Hitachi because of our company and our service.”

That combination of reliable equipment and responsive support is core to Chappell Tractor’s reputation in the region. Representing a brand that shares the company’s commitment to quality and service is something it take great pride in.

Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas is committed to supporting its dealers by offering solutions beyond machinery. Hitachi understands that companies like Proscape, who have multiple projects happening simultaneously around the region, need integrated solutions that create a deeper understanding of its machinery.

LANDCROS Connect is a fleet manage-

As experts in snow removal, lawn care and landscape design, Proscape New England understands that they need equipment that is durable enough to handle all seasons, and versatile enough to tackle different types of jobs.

ment platform that helps busy project managers keep track of not only where their machines are, but also machine health information. “The new Connect system ... has been instrumental for us as far as being able to see where our machines are anytime, any place in the world, as well as being able to

help you with your maintenance needs on the machines,” said Pontarelli. “It’ll show you when you need to get oil changes done [and] filters.”

Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas is dedicated to being a true solutions provider. it works closely with dealers

to ensure that the people keeping their communities beautiful and well maintained have the equipment and technology they need on modern job sites.

 *This story is reprinted with permission of Hitachi Construction Machinery Americas.

MassDOT’s Bridge Replacement in Haverhill to Cost $251M

northern bank to its Bradford neighborhood on the southern bank. The existing structure was built in 1925 and suffers from deteriorating arches and a potholed bridge deck.

StreetsblogMASS, an online news site, reported Aug. 1, 2025, that the new span will be slightly wider, with a similarly-sized roadway and expanded side paths separated from the street with curbs and guardrails.

The bridge replacement will be performed by Littleton, Mass.-based Middlesex Corp., which submitted the lowest bid among three shortlisted design-build firms. The construction contract is worth $215 million, and contingency costs will bring the project’s total budget to $251 million.

According to StreetsblogMASS, Middlesex’s bid was approximately $25 million, or 13 percent, above MassDOT’s initial estimate for the project.

When the state transportation agency’s board members asked about the discrepancy between the department’s estimate and the actual bids, Frank Welch, MassDOT’s deputy director of major projects, said, “it is a pretty complex project in downtown Haverhill.”

He said that the lack of a laydown area, in addition to several complex utility relocations, promised to add time to the project and led to the higher bid amount.

The construction will proceed in stages so

that at least one sidewalk and two lanes of motor vehicle traffic will remain open throughout the project.

Plans call for demolishing one half of the old bridge, then building that section of the new structure in its place before shifting traffic onto it. Following that, the remainder of the bridge will be razed so crews can complete the rest of the span.

The project’s footprint includes the bridge and its two nearest intersections: On the north shore at Main, Water and Merrimack streets; and at South Main and Middlesex street, across the river to the south. MassDOT noted that work also will take place along a short section of Main Street between Merrimack Street and Ginty Boulevard.

Beloved Basiliere Bridge Has Serviced Area Well

Officially known as the PFC Ralph T. Basiliere Bridge, the current structure carries Mass. 125/Main Street across the river on seven spans.

Despite its advanced age, it serves as a vital connector for the northeast Massachusetts city. Indeed, more than 25,000 vehicles traverse the Basiliere Bridge each day, including cars, heavy trucks, school buses and Merrimack Valley Transit Authority (MEVA) buses.

MassDOT noted that every part of the

bridge reveals the heavy wear of a full century of service — even those components that users cannot see are in poor condition.

For instance, the structure’s foundations have been severely scoured due to the Merrimack River’s current constantly wearing away the bridge’s piers. As a result, the riverbed around the piers also is eroding.

Frequent inspections and repairs keep the span safe for its users, MassDOT maintains, but have a real impact on the traveling public.

Modern Designs Promise New Source of Pride for Haverhill

The new Basiliere Bridge is the result of a partnership between MassDOT and the Haverhill community — one working to produce a structure that reflects its host community and can be as much of a source of pride as the old bridge has been for the last 100 years.

The major design elements of the replacement bridge that are direct results of this partnership include:

• an arched appearance that references the existing Basiliere Bridge;

• under-bridge lighting that highlights the span’s arches at night;

• vertical beacons that echo the existing bridge’s towers and can be lit at night;

• a central seating area to invite Haverhill

community members to the bridge for enjoyable views of the Merrimack River;

• a formally defined, four-lane cross-section with separate bicycle and pedestrian facilities; and

• reuse of the existing bridge’s tower roofs in the Bradford Rail Trail Park.

A new bridge will meet MassDOT’s project goals by:

• serving Haverhill’s current and future traffic needs;

• improving cycling and walking conditions;

• improving the Merrimack River’s water quality;

• reducing the number of piers in the river;

• allowing continued boating on the Merrimack during and after construction;

• minimizing impacts to nearby properties;

• supporting utilities while the new bridge is being built;

• providing opportunities for accelerated construction methods to reduce the project’s impacts;

• providing a look which reflects the old bridge while embracing the modern; and

• reconstructing a local landmark.

MassDOT hopes to begin the bridge replacement in the fall of 2025. Welch told its board members that the construction project is expected last more than six years, until winter 2032. 

School District Finds Funding for $156M Middle School

Chris Howell, the superintendent of Windham, Maine’s Regional School Unit 14 District (RSU 14) stepped through damp soil imprinted with tire treads from large construction equipment on a stretch of land near Sebago Lake.

In a few years, the site will be home to a nearly $156 million middle school.

Howell said the project is necessary because one of the district’s two middle schools, a nearly 50-year-old building in Windham, has reached the end of its life and is no longer large enough to fit all its students. Classrooms are too small and do not meet the state standard for instruction, he added, and the 1977 air and construction standards used for the original build are no longer sufficient.

There also is little space for special education services like speech therapy, Howell told Maine Monitor.

Renderings of the updated middle school.

“It also gave us an opportunity. JordanSmall Middle School is a 1964 building and those students will be consolidating in as well,” he said, referencing the district’s facility in the nearby community of Raymond. “For the first time, we’ll be able to offer equal programming to students in both Windham and Raymond.”

The project, which broke ground in fall of 2024, is the most expensive state-funded school construction in Maine to date. The last school building effort to hold that title was Auburn’s Edward Little High School, which opened in 2023 at an approximate cost of $122 million, according to state Department of Education (DOE) records.

RSU 14 is an above-average public school district with approximately 3,100 students across all grade levels. It maintains a student-teacher ratio of 12 to 1.

Not surprisingly, many Maine schools built between the 1950s and 1970s are showing their age, and communities like Windham must grapple with the hefty cost of replacing or maintaining them. Some districts fund the projects entirely through local tax dollars, while others try their luck at getting state funding to cover most of the costs. However, only a small fraction of school construction projects win financial assistance — just nine of 74 applicants won state dollars in the last funding cycle, which occurs every seven years, Maine Monitor noted in a July 6, 2025, article. This year, the Maine DOE received 94 applicants; recipients will be announced later this year.

A Maine Monitor analysis of state data from September 2024 also shows that construction costs in the state have risen significantly in recent years, part of a nationwide trend.

For instance, the cost per square foot to build an elementary school in Maine increased from $270 in 2015 to $661 in 2024.

Last year, Gov. Janet Mills established a commission to review school construction and financing for school renovations, acknowledging that “the need for construction and renovation of public school facilities across the state far outpaces available funding.”

Howell, who sits on the commission, said that he is looking at how to increase the funding available to help get expensive projects off the ground.

“What Maine’s going to have to figure out is, number one, how do we maintain all the square footage that we have,” he said.

“But then also the process of prioritizing school funding for school projects. How do we do that moving forward, given that everybody right now is competing for resources at the state level?”

RSU 14 Middle School Project Now Under Way

Windham’s new RSU 14 middle school site consists of wetlands, a former horse barn, a private soccer field and a longretired town gravel pit that held logs and deer carcasses before it was cleaned up prior to construction.

The school district paid about $1.7 million for the land, while the construction itself will cost around $123 million.

The contract, which is a fixed price unless the state or school were to request a large addition to the build, was awarded to Landry/French Construction, a company based in Scarborough, Maine, which has handled multiple school projects across the state. It also oversees the work of 40 sub-

contractors who set their own bids for labor and materials.

Figuring out how much labor and materials will cost for the RSU 14 project is not easy to pin down, Maine Monitor noted.

Landry/French COO Denis Garriepy said that company received multiple bids for trades needed on the job and evaluated the bids for “completeness,” meaning that the firm determined whether each subcontractor had the resources to complete the full scope of the work within the scheduled timeline, and whether the price was reasonable.

That process can take as long as a month, he said, after which Landry/French puts in its bid for the school construction using the subcontractor figures. Labor and materials costs are not broken down in the subcontractor bids.

“From our perspective as a general contractor, it doesn’t actually matter, because we’re not buying drywall labor, we’re not buying drywall material. We’re buying the work,” Garriepy said. “And that holds true for every single trade, whether it’s masonry, drywall, paint, ceilings, electrical or mechanical. That labor and material breakdown is not something we have or even need.”

Working Through Rising Costs

Valerie Chiang, the Maine school construction coordinator with the state DOE, noted that a few factors have contributed to the rising cost of these projects. For one, she said, Maine has limited staffing for building projects, which has prompted companies to bring in labor from out of state and pay per diem rates for lodging and other costs.

Laborers must be paid prevailing wage rates for state public works contracts; for

example, in Cumberland County this year, a construction worker makes a minimum hourly wage of $21.90. For an electrician, the minimum hourly wage is $37.43.

Regulations and building codes also play a role; energy efficiency standards, for instance, demand an increase in insulation.

“It’s kind of an overall increase in everything,” Chiang said.

Still, the RSU 14 project has found savings along the way, according to Maine Monitor.

The original estimate for the middle school amounted to $171 million, Howell said, but the district was able to slice about $16 million from the budget, in part through competitive bidding.

14 render

The remainder of the budget, about $33 million, included purchasing the land, establishing a project contingency budget and its architectural and engineering services.

Balancing State, Local Funding

Windham and Raymond residents are responsible for about $40 million of the building cost of the new middle school, with the state covering the other $116 million, or about 74 percent. The local contribution covers aspects of the school that go beyond core instruction, such as a greenhouse and a larger gym.

Howell pointed out that the local contribution often makes up for what the state cannot cover. For instance, the school district wants to build an auditorium in the middle school for about $13 million — a cost not covered by state funding.

The district also needs to cover the funding for common areas in the 12 classroom clusters that will be built throughout the school. Each of these spaces, which are about 900 sq. ft., will cost around $1 million.

Construction on the new middle school is about two months into its two-and-a-half year timeline and will eventually replace a pair of aging middle schools in the district. The move to combine both facilities within was not part of the original plan, Howell said.

The consolidated district came into existence in 2009, and while Raymond has attempted to withdraw a few times in the past decade, he said that with this new project both district towns will be locked in together for the next 20 years.

For the annual bond payments of the $40 million local share, Windham will pay 82 percent and Raymond 18 percent. The debt ratio is based on enrollment, Howell said. 

THE DOER’S DREAM