WHY STATIONS MATTER
Saco, ME
On February 27, the community of Saco, ME opened its new $2.2 million train station with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The station, which officials hope will boost tourism and economic activity, is said to be one of the first "green" stations in the Amtrak system.
The facility, a 5,000-square foot building, is powered by a 100-foot wind turbine and heated and cooled by a geothermal energy system using an adjacent 1,200-foot well, and was built with passive solar design. Designed by Paul Fowler of Lassel Architects in South Berwick, the station features a clock tower and a brick facade that resembles the nearby windmill. Its furniture was handmade in nearby Biddeford by the Richardson Allen Company. Heat is distributed via tubing from the wells under the lobby's tile floors. South-facing windows and a central skylight help with both heat and light, while the windmill provides most of the structure's electricity.
Business owners say the comfortable station, with information about the area's attractions, such as shopping malls and the Saco Museum, will encourage visitors to explore the nearby downtowns of Saco and Biddeford. The station will also house the Biddeford-Saco Chamber of Commerce, beginning around March 9th, as well as providing much-needed shelter for arriving and departing riders of the Amtrak Downeaster and Shuttlebus Tri-town service. The station will have an Amtrak self-service ticket kiosk.
The station has been a long time coming. Former Saco Mayor Mark Johnston remarked that the project was started during his tenure in the 1990s, when Saco and Biddeford were vying to be the host city for the train station. It was a major achievement, Johnston said, to have the station located so centrally, between the two towns. Biddeford officials were recommending a site on the far side of Biddeford's downtown, well out of walking distance from downtown Saco. Saco was awarded the location for Amtrak service in 1991.
About eight years ago, a sheltered platform and parking lot for Downeaster passengers were built on Saco Island near the intersection of Main and Gooch streets. A roof and plexiglass windbreaks provided the only protection from the cold and wind. Doors of the new station, in contrast, open directly onto the platform; additional parking is now available on the northwest side of the building.
The city owns the new facility, which is being paid for by tax increment financing in conjunction with the Saco Island revitalization underway by Augusta-based Mattson Development.
The Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA) manages the Downeaster, which connects Portland and Boston and is operated by Amtrak under contract. The train stops five times daily in each direction in Saco.
The mills abundant in that part of Maine are practical monuments "designed for hard and often mundane work" that "stand with authority to convey a larger purpose," said Bob Martin, Mattson's chief operating officer during his opening remarks at the dedication ceremony. "This station does the same." It conveys how serious we are about the future, "bound to the needs of today, but deeply respectful of and rooted in our community’s heritage."
See the Video about the event!
Photo by Bill Lord
