Students show off rec. center plans

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HEALTH PLAN — Julianna Sclafani, a student in the Engineering and Architectural Design (EAD) program at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School, presented this floor plan to members of the SAD 17 school board Monday night. In all four plans, varying in size and cost were presented to the board by the students and EAD instructor John Bell.

PARIS — People have been talking about the need for a community recreation center in Oxford Hills for over 10 years, and on Monday night the SAD 17 School Board had an opportunity to see four visions of what the center might look like.

Students from the OHCHS Engineering and Architectural Design program and their teacher John Bell, presented an enthusiastic board with four designs for the building.

The students planned to attach the new addition to the south side of the high school, off of the current gym.

The students have been working on their plans since October, and were even able to present them to architects from Portland Design Team, and receive professional feedback.

The planned center would house a competition-sized swimming pool, rock climbing wall, strength conditioning and cardiovascular equipment areas, several multi-purpose rooms, a basketball court and a circular running track, as well as locker rooms, a lobby and offices.

Bell says that the idea for the center was brought to them by a group of people including OHCHS Principal Ted Moccia and SAD 17 Health Coordinator Pat Carson after the district received a $1.3 million Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) grant.

He says that the project is one of the larger projects the students have worked on this year.

Superintendent Rick Colpitts congratulated the students on all their hard work, and said that their efforts could help make such a center a reality in the future.

"If this project ever does come to fruition in the years down the road, it'll be because of their stamina and their willingness to take it out to the community," he said.

Carson says it has been 10 years since a plan for a recreation center was drafted by community leaders, and that it was time to look at the idea again.

"I think that with ... the PEP grant and some of the energy that's been evolving in the community, the timing is certainly right to revisit this," Carson told the board.

Bell says that the students plan to present their designs to a group of potential donors for the recreation center in the coming weeks.