Biddeford celebrated a red letter day last week, the start of comprehensive renovations at Biddeford High School.

The project was set in motion eight months ago, when Biddeford voters approved a $34 million bond to pay for the project. It was a vote of confidence in a complicated plan that will take years to accomplish, but will preserve and improve the Maplewood Avenue campus encompassing both BHS and the Biddeford Regional Center of Technology.

BHS was built in 1961, and a major addition was built in 1971. The old-fashioned layout is not ideal for today’s needs and the structure and its systems are showing their age.

Additions and renovations will make better use of the eight-acre site, improve safety and efficiency, and redress many long-standing maintenance issues. Building security will be  improved and it will be made fully accessible to handicapped students.

Phase one of the nine-phase project will include site work, the expansion and improvement of the main parking lot, work on three new elevators and laying the foundation for the school’s new administrative wing.

Although critics of the project argued that the city could not afford the large investment, renovation was found to be a far cheaper option than buying land and building a new school. And although it is daunting to start a big project in a poor economy, the city is getting the benefit of a very competitive bidding environment. The bid for phase one was $3.8 million, $90,000 below budget.

Mayor Joanne Twomey was right last week to call the groundbreaking a “celebration of community.” The investments in Biddeford High School will serve both students and the city for many generations.

— Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Nick Cowenhoven at nickc@journaltribune.com.