By Gillian Graham

Staff Writer

Renovations to Biddeford High School are slated to begin this summer.

The Biddeford Planning Board last week reviewed plans to renovate the school on Maplewood Avenue. Board members will do a site walk before they decide whether  to approve the $34 million project at their April meeting. 

Final approval in April is contingent upon results of a May study to determine if a wet area behind the parking lot is a significant vernal pool, said City Planner Greg Tansley.

Dan Diffim, a civil engineer with Harriman Architects and Engineers, said the project has been designed to minimally impact the potential vernal pool area by limiting parking lot expansion to previously developed areas. Snow removal plans also are designed to minimally impact vernal pools, he said.

Diffim said the project will begin early this summer with an expansion and repairs of the school’s main parking lot. The lot will expand by 90 spaces, including 30 to offset parking spots closer to the school that will be eliminated to make way for green space.

Project plans also call for replacement of all flooring, ceilings, the electrical system, the heating and ventilation systems, student lockers, doors and much of the building’s roof. The front entrance will be relocated to provide more security, a new library will be built on the second floor and the entire building will be made handicap accessible, according to Architect Jeff Larimer.

The project will be done in nine phases and is expected to be completed in August 2012, Larimer said. Construction will be done vertically, meaning one wing will be closed at a time while workers renovate it from top to bottom, he said.

Superintendent Sarah-Jane Poli said about eight portable classrooms and three Center of Technology classrooms will be used to accommodate displaced students and teachers. Major work will be done during summer months to minimize impact on students.

Tansley said the planning board will consider two requested waivers connected to traffic and parking. Project planners have asked the board to waive requirements for a traffic study and install a landscape buffer between the parking lot and Maplewood Avenue.

Diffim said a traffic study is not needed “because the improvements to the school are not a result of increased population.” More traffic is not expected in the area and police respond to an average of one accident each year on the street, he said.

The board also will be asked to waive the requirement for a landscape buffer between the parking lot and road, although a few trees would still be planted, Diffim said.

“The school wants to make sure they have clean views into the lot so they can make sure no one is misbehaving,” he said.

Board Member Larry Patoine said he was concerned about the school’s roof and would like to see it replaced as soon as possible. He also expressed reservations about the amount of construction material and equipment that will be stored on campus during the project.

Larimer said subcontractors will be required to store nearly all of their equipment off-site. A small staging area will be set up near the Steve White Gym, where security cameras are already in place. Rules also will be in place to restrict contact between workers and students, he said.

Board Member Roch Angers said he was concerned about traffic on Highland Street, which runs behind the school. Two Highland Street residents also voiced concerns about the amount of truck traffic on their street, especially during construction.

Bruce Tourigny of Highland Street said truck traffic from a rear entrance to the school already is heavy on his street. He asked the board to consider requiring improvements to the street, which he described as “a very basic residential street” with no sidewalks.

“You have a street that’s already beat up,” he said.

Gloria D’Amico echoed her neighbor’s concerns and said the street is “a mess” even without construction traffic. Angers urged residents to talk to city councilors about their concerns and said street repairs should not be included in the project budget.

Facilities Manager Phil Radding said traffic on Highland Street will decrease because school buses will stay on Maplewood Avenue. The exit to Highland Street likely will be used by only a small number of delivery trucks, he said.

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.