Sanford Fire Station Moves Ahead – Springvale to Follow

Updated rendering – Sanford

Updated rendering – Springvale

Photos: Submitted

By Megan Boisvert, Sanford Springvale Communications Coordinator

On Nov. 5, 2024, Sanford and Springvale residents voted to approve the construction of two new fire stations: one in Sanford (Fire & EMS Headquarters) and one in Springvale (District Station). The new stations will replace facilities that no longer meet modern needs or current firefighting safety standards.

City administration has been working closely with WBRC Inc. and Mitchell Associates Architects to finalize construction designs for the main station, to be built at the former site of Springvale Nurseries. All engineering and mechanical components of the station have been finalized, and work continues on the remaining design elements. Once the headquarters design is complete and a contractor is chosen, construction will begin on the building, and design for the Springvale District Station will start. At that time, an updated tentative timeline for the Springvale station, to be built on the site of the former Notre Dame Catholic Church, will be released.

Permit applications have been submitted to both the city and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The headquarters site plan appeared before the Site Plan Review Committee for the first time on May 6. The plan is expected to move forward to the Planning Board on May 21. The permit with the state DEP is currently under review.

Here is the tentative timeline for the main station, as of May 7:

• Design completion: fall 2025

• Permitting: spring – December 2025

• Bidding: February 2026

• Construction start: late spring 2026

• Construction completion: summer 2027

The city applied for Congressional Directed Spending (CDS) grant funds in April 2025 and is awaiting Congress to decide which projects will be funded this year. The city continues to explore additional grant opportunities to support the project.

To stay up to date on this project, visit www.sanfordmeconnects.com/new-fire-stations.