LEWISTON – Andover College has already outgrown its newest campus.
The school announced plans Wednesday to begin a $500,000 expansion of its downtown campus, crossing Lisbon Street to create space for 100 more students.
The work could begin as early as next week.
New classrooms, lounges and laboratories will be created in the building at 430 Lisbon St. that currently houses the Good Shepherd Food Pantry.
Meanwhile, the charity will move several blocks east to the corner of Bates and Walnut streets, at the former Wallace School.
“It’s a big milestone in the Southern Gateway,” Lewiston City Administrator Jim Bennett said during Wednesday’s announcement at the school.
Every business that has moved into the Southern Gateway area, the growing development at the entrance to lower Lisbon Street, has done better than it expected before moving in, Bennett said.
Andover College came here less than two years ago, opening its doors in March 2004 with 70 students. The school currently has more than 400 students.
The school’s growth has been so fast that future expansions are already being examined, Andover President Steve Ingram said. They could include additions to the rear of the main building or an expansion of the new 5,500-square-foot annex, potentially even joining it to the main building with a walkway above Lisbon Street.
“Hopefully, this will last at least another two years,” Ingram said.
At the food pantry, leaders say they are similarly happy with the move.
Its new home will be far bigger than the current Lisbon Street address, and it’s more centrally located to the population it serves, said a spokeswoman for Sisters of Charity Health System, which oversees the food pantry.
The food pantry serves about 2,500 people each month. Many of those people live near the former Wallace School.
“We’re hoping to offer new programs with the extra space,” said Jennifer Radel, community relations manager for Sisters of Charity.
Aiding the charity’s move will be the city itself, which has pledged $145,000 in Heritage Initiative funds for the purchase of the old school, Bennett said.
Both moves ought to help people in the neighborhood and the wider region. People go to the food pantry from several local towns. Leaders hope a growing number will also attend the school.
In Androscoggin County, about 25 percent of workers have earned at least a two-year degree, said Jan Phillips, a teacher with the College for Me program. That compares to 33 percent of Maine workers and 42 percent of workers across New England.
Andover College offers certificates and associate degree programs in accounting, business administration, computer technology, criminal justice, early childhood education, medical assisting, paralegal studies, travel and hospitality.
The expansion is scheduled to be complete by the end of February, Ingram said.
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