BIDDEFORD — Those familiar with the former Knights of Columbus building on Pool Street might not recognize much about it today. Parts of the building have been demolished, the interior has been gutted and a new entrance has added.

All of this work is in preparation for a new home for Biddeford’s popular public access station. The station has outgrown its current home at the J. Richard Martin Community Center on Alfred Street.

The $470,000 renovation project that began last week will create a state-of-the-art center where people of all ages can harness the means of production to create their own television programming to be aired on the city’s two cable channels.

Facilities Manager Phil Radding said the city is getting a good deal renovating the structure. To build new could cost up to twice as much, he said.

The building has “good bones,” said Radding, and has been structurally fortified with new beams.

On Thursday, the building was fairly quiet, those involved in the construction held a meeting to ensure all were “on the same page,” said Paul Lind who is designing the interior of the building.

Lind works with the firm Copen & Lind Consulting based in Amherst, Mass.

The new station will include a large, soundproof studio that will seat up to 49 people for programs that can have a live audience. Several days a year, that space will perform double duty as it will continue to serve as the polling place for elections for Wards 1 and 2.

The building renovations will also include a control room for productions in the large studio, another smaller studio, a large room with multiple editing bays and a smaller room with a single edit bay for a large production, a room for program guests, a conference room, offices, storage space and other miscellaneous rooms.

Allied/Cook Construction of Scarborough is doing the renovations. This is the first contract it’s landed with the city although the company has worked in Biddeford previously.

One of the principals of the company, Dan Cook, said they have performed a lot of work for the University of New England, including the Sokokis residence hall, which completed in 2010. It is also the contractor renovating the former Emery School into 24 units of affordable senior housing.

One of the perks of this project for local companies is that the city asked that Allied/Cook make an effort to hire its subcontractors locally. The roofing contract was awarded to Richard F. Nadeau & Son Inc. of Biddeford, and Jim Godbout Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning, also of Biddeford, was awarded the plumbing contract.

Radding said the renovations are scheduled to be complete by April 1.

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.