Students are the stars of the show at groundbreaking for Biddeford Primary School expansion project

The focus was on a new addition to Biddeford Primary School, but it was the students who stole the show at a Sept. 20 groundbreaking.

The group of young pupils — some wearing tiger ears in honor of the Biddeford schools’ mascot – started the occasion by singing “This Land Is Your Land” followed by the BPS Tiger Pride song, to enthusiastic applause by more than two dozen attendees.

The event celebrated the beginning of construction on a new $30 million wing that will “improve educational facilities for students and provide long-term savings for taxpayers,” according to a news release by Karen Garnett, communications director for Biddeford, Saco and Dayton schools.

Performing “This Land Is Your Land” was “a great tribute as we break ground,” said Superintendent Jeremy Ray at the event.

Ray called the project “an important milestone in the history of Biddeford Primary School,” and “a testament to the support we have for our schools.”

Proposals for the two-story, 23,000-square-foot wing at 320 Hill St. included feedback from the students, said Ray, adding, “Their young voices will remind us of why we are here.”

John F. Kennedy Memorial School, located at 64 West St., will close when the new wings opens in about a year, according to school officials, and all PreK-2 students will attend Biddeford Primary School.

Thirteen years ago, when Ray became superintendent, he said the question was, “What to do with JFK (John F. Kennedy Memorial School), Biddeford’s oldest public school building. After 70 years the school no longer meets needs.”

The answer was “to expand and create a state-of-the-art facility” to house four grades, make sure educators have the resources they need “and decrease and reduce the cost to the taxpayer base.”

The $9 million addition to Biddeford Primary School will be paid by taxpayers via a construction bond. This is estimated to save up to $16 million compared to the $25 million price tag to fix inefficiencies and meet safety regulations at JFK.

Through budgeting and federal funding, the BPS expansion would “not only yield significant savings to taxpayers but also have a near-neutral impact on the budget,” the superintendent of schools said.

The low bid of $ 8,997,997 by Gorham-based Great Falls Construction will include not only the structure, but also a hydraulic elevator, paving, fire suppression and select demolition of the existing building.

According to the contract with Great Falls Construction, the work is targeted for completion on or before Aug. 12, 2025.

“In 12 months or so here, we’ll have the opportunity to welcome you all. You guys get to sing the Tiger song again,” Ray said to the young students.

Calling it “an opportunity to build something better,” Ray continued, “Together we’re not just building a new wing, but a new future.”

Biddeford Mayor Martin Grohman thanked voters for approving the bond last November and their continuing investment in both the Biddeford education and the community at large.

“We say yes to projects like this,” Grohman said. “We say yes to new people enrolling in our schools, we say yes to 12 straight years of enrollment growth. …Thank you to our community for saying yes.”

Speaking for Great Falls, Project Manager Zach Waters said his mother taught at Biddeford Primary for 25 years and “it’s neat to be back here for another project” as the firm recently built an addition to Biddeford Regional Center of Technology.

Great Falls Construction is “excited to create space to serve children for years to come,” Waters said.

Ann Fisher is a freelance journalist based in Saco. She can be reached at 432-7483.