Central Community Elementary School / Blind Dog Photography
Corinth, ME – Harriman, a multidisciplinary design and engineering firm, has completed the new 97,000sf Central Community Elementary School in a consolidated Pre-K to Grade 5 elementary school serving approximately 550 children from the towns of Bradford, Corinth, Hudson, Kenduskeag, and Stetson.
The new school replaces five outdated elementary schools previously located in each town, and adds a half-day Pre-K program that was not formerly available in the district.
Constructed on a 70-acre parcel of land already owned by the school district, the Central Community Elementary School is situated a little more than a mile from the district’s middle and high schools. All three schools are located on Route 15 along with new district offices, which were incorporated into the new elementary school.
Harriman’s design features a two-story classroom wing separated from the nonacademic spaces. Five classrooms per grade level are arranged in clusters to support collaboration among the teachers. There are dedicated rooms for special education services, and gathering spaces are available to accommodate multiple classes for common programs. There are three Pre-K classrooms located near the front of the school, which provides easy access for parents dropping off and picking up their children.
Connected to the academic wing is an interdisciplinary wing, which includes art and music rooms that were previously not available in the elementary schools. The cafeteria is designed to be subdivided into two smaller spaces to allow the space to be used for multiple functions. The school grounds include a multi-use athletic field, an open play area, and three separate playgrounds dedicated to different age groups. Adequate parking is provided for staff and visitors.
The building is situated to take advantage of natural daylight. A daylight harvesting system automatically adjusts the level of lighting in classrooms, and corridor and office lighting includes LED bulbs for energy efficiency. A book by Maine children’s author Chris Van Dusen was the inspiration for the color scheme, with muted shades of blue, green, yellow, and orange representing the abundant lakes, rivers, farmland, and trees in the surrounding area.
The heating system consists of a hybrid heating plant, with the primary biomass boiler providing 80% of the peak heat load, and a supplemental propane boiler for additional heat during peak heating periods. The biomass boiler is a wood pellet system complete with storage silos, a conveying system to deliver pellets to the boiler based on demand, and an automatic ash removal system to minimize maintenance. Radiant heat in slabs and all floors and displacement ventilation systems are also in place.
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“We are delighted to welcome students to our new elementary facility for the 2016-17 school year. As a community, we came together with the belief that education is a shared responsibility, and a mission to assist each student in reaching their full potential,” said Rhonda Sperrey, superintendent of schools for RSU #64. “Harriman was a pleasure to work with on this project, guiding us each step of the way with their in-depth knowledge of educational facility programming, planning and design. They created a school environment that will not only inspire discovery and facilitate the exchange of knowledge, but they did so under budget and without any delays.”
