Convenient MD Coming to a Roundabout Near You

Convenient MD, a chain of urgent care clinics, will soon begin construction on their newest location at the intersection of Main St. and Alfred Rd., at the roundabout in South Sanford. The Site Plan Review Committee granted conditional approval to the project at their meeting on April 6.

The company plans to build a 5,200 square foot building, which will look similar to their clinic in Londonderry, NH, pictured above. There will be 36 parking spaces, with access from both Main St. and Route 4.

The Farnham-Dorr cemetery on the property will be protected by a 25-foot buffer with new stone walls to be built on the south and east sides. The existing stone wall on the northwest corner will remain. Cary and Kathy Wainwright, who maintain the cemetery on the property, asked if the builders could clear brush and carefully remove the dead and dangerous trees. They agreed to do so, but will leave the stumps. By law, no digging can take place within that 25-foot boundary.

Access to the cemetery, for maintenance and visitation, will be provided from the parking area of the clinic. Mrs. Wainwright’s great uncle, Civil War Veteran Stephen Farnham, is buried in the cemetery, along with other family members.

The property slopes down dramatically toward the wetland on the eastern side, and will require retaining walls for the parking lot. Sanford Planning Director Beth Della Valle praised the landscaping plan for the clinic, which she called “a step up in this area.” The plan includes several native species of trees, shrubs and perennials, including serviceberry, scarlet oak, winterberry and New England asters.

Convenient MD is based in Portsmouth, and has 26 locations throughout Maine, New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Currently, the closest locations to Sanford are in Saco and Dover.

A representative of the company told the Committee that Convenient MD specializes in offering services that many urgent care clinics do not, including IVs, EKGs and x-rays, and each location has a full lab onsite. They can treat up to 70% of patients, as compared to most urgent care clinics, which can only treat 30%, referring others to hospitals. All of their staff members have emergency room backgrounds, and most patients are seen within an hour.

The Farnham-Dorr cemetery near the roundabout in South Sanford. The back of Shaw’s Supermarket is visible at left. Civil War Veteran Stephen Farnham’s broken headstone rests against a dead tree.

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