By Amanda Estes

Staff Writer

    Construction on Southern Maine Community College’s
(SMCC) new 320-bed residence hall is moving along smoothly and school
officials said the dorm will likely be finished by the end of the year,
months ahead of the anticipated summer 2008 completion date.  

    With a budget of $12.1 million, the SMCC dorm is the
largest component of the Maine Community College System’s (MCCS)
residential housing expansion project, according to Helen Pelletier,
Interim Director of Public Affairs.  

    In November 2005, the MCCS Board of Trustees
authorized MCCS President John Fitzsimmons to enter into a contract
with Pizzagalli Construction to construct new dorms at three of the
MCCS’ seven schools: Central Maine Community College in Auburn, Eastern
Maine Community College in Bangor and SMCC. The expansion project will
be paid for with student room and board fees.

    Pelletier said Central Maine’s 150-bed dorm ($5.3
million) and Eastern Maine’s 160-bed dorm ($5.7 million) are scheduled
to open this fall.

    Scott Beatty, of SMCC’s Construction Projects
Department, said because it is difficult to move students into a new
building mid-semester, he expects the dorm will open sometime next
summer.  

    While Beatty said the agreement with Pizzagalli did
not include an early completion clause, the earlier completion date
will save the construction firm money. Beatty said the project budget
largely hasn’t changed since construction began.

    As part of the project, the South Portland Planning
Board has required that SMCC be responsible for minor traffic
adjustments aimed at improving traffic flow at the Cottage Road and
Sawyer Street intersections with Broadway. The adjustments mainly
involve lane restriping.

    South Portland Director of Planning and Development,
Tex Haeuser said the left turn near Holy Cross School at the
intersection of Cottage and Broadway will be closed.

    “That left turn has shown up in a number of traffic
studies as being a problem,” he said. “A traffic engineer at SMCC
recommended it be closed [and] the planning board made it a requirement
of the SMCC project.”  

    Haeuser said closing the left turn lane will allow
motorists to travel through the intersection in two lanes, whereas now,
one lane is essentially closed for motorists turning left.

    Another improvement also at the Cottage and Broadway
intersection will include modifying the lanes as motorists approach
Broadway from city hall to consist of an exclusive left turn lane and a
shared through right lane.

    “The through people many times can’t get through because the traffic is queued up,” Haeuser said.

      The planning board, Haeuser said, also
required SMCC to install three fluorescent paint pedestrian warning
signs between Benjamin W. Pickett Street and Broadway. In addition, he
said SMCC will be establishing a traffic demand coordinator position to
help inform students and others about alternative methods of
transportation.   

    Beatty said depending on when he can obtain a
contractor for the improvements, that part of the project could get
underway within a month or so. He said the work could be completed
within a few days.  

    Currently, SMCC houses 127 students within its two
residence halls: Surfsite and Harborview. This fall, residents will
have the opportunity to vote on a bond that could fund, among other
projects, renovations to the Surfsite dorm, said Beatty. He said the
building is roughly 40 years old and is need of mechanical system
upgrades, new paint and new windows. He also said work needs to be done
to make the building more energy efficient.