PARIS — By fall of 2029, sixth, seventh and eighth grade students in Maine School Administrative School District 17 will attend classes in a new $88 million school. 

From there they will have front row seats to a historic change in Oxford Hills as the old middle school on Pine Street, which originally served as Paris High School, is torn down.

The more than 70-year-old structure will be replaced with what Harriman Associates principal architect Lisa Sawin said will serve as the middle school’s public spaces: wings for administration and operations; the gymnasium, art, and band/chorus areas; the library and cafeteria.

Construction will be completed in time for the fall 2030 academic year, although site work like athletic fields improvements could take longer.

Voters in Oxford Hills approved building the state-funded school last month, more than three years after the Maine Department of Education placed the school on its priority list for replacement.

At last week’s SAD 17 board of directors meeting, Sawin shared next and long-term steps for the project.

“What we did at referendum was essentially set the scope of work and the budget,” she explained. “Post-referendum we’re getting more into the detailed work, defining the details of the school design.”

Over the next six months Harriman will focus on design development, meeting with district staff and other stakeholders to finalize plans, working on cost estimates, refining and finalizing designs, developing construction documents and preparing to put the project out for bid.

Harriman will pre-qualify contractors, with determinations made by the state Department of Education and SAD 17. 

The lowest qualified bidder will be awarded the project, per state requirements.

For the duration of the project, Harriman, based in Auburn, will manage the construction contracts to make sure the work complies with the stated requirements.

Sawin said it will take about 30 months to complete the new school.

The volunteer middle school building committee implemented about three years ago will continue to meet regularly as construction progresses. But Sawin said other stakeholders will become involved with project oversight.

“The clerk of the works will be brought in as an employee of Harriman,” Sawin said. “That person will be the day-to-day site manager and responsible for reporting progress back to the Harriman team, the Department of Education and SAD 17.

“They will essentially be the eyes and ears and will alert us to anything they feel is not within compliance,” she said.

The project coordinator will represent the state in their oversight role. The clerk of the works and the project coordinator positions will be funded from the $88 million provided by the state.

The third position would not be, but Sawin strongly recommended that SAD 17 hire an owner’s project manager to be the district’s onsite eyes and ears.

“It is something to consider,” she said. The district is “embarking on multiple projects. It is the district’s responsibility to attend construction meetings and communicate decisions throughout the process. This person would act as the district’s representative, with the authority to sign off on things (like change-orders) or make recommendations to the superintendent.”

The salary for the owner’s representative would be paid by the district, she said, and could be assigned to the multiple projects that SAD 17 plans to pursue, including construction of a partially-consolidated elementary school and upgrading the transportation and facilities and adult education programs.

West Paris Director and Budget Committee Chair Veronica Poland, who also serves on the district’s elementary building committee, has been a strong proponent of retaining the services of a construction professional to serve the school district’s interests as it pursues construction of a second school and renovation and upgrade projects over the next several years.

Mark Curran, director from Harrison, has also spoken of the position’s merits and often offers perspective from such a manager’s point of view during board meetings.

It would be a long-term but not permanent position, Sawin said, adding that people working in such roles generally are retired from the commercial construction industry.