SACO — Neighbors of the proposed Thornton Academy dormitory at 95 King St. recently weighed in on the issue of Winterhaven.

Thornton Academy is a private academy that through contracts with the Saco School Department and other communities and provides publicly funded education to local students.

Eight years ago, the private school began a residential program to help offset the decline in local enrollment. The school’s international program now has 162 students from a number of different countries.

Some of the students live in dormitories on campus, while about 50 live in placements in private homes throughout the community.

The school is under contract to purchase Winterhaven, a former elderly, assisted-living facility at 95 King St. to use as an 18-bed dormitory with an attached faculty apartment.

The Winterhaven facility was permitted at the location by a contract zone that allowed for a higher residential density than is allowed by city zoning in that area.

The school is asking the city to update the contract zone to accommodate students instead of elderly residents, and to run the facility as a tax-exempt entity.

Thornton Academy Headmaster Rene Menard said at a public hearing Monday that though the private home placements have worked out well, many students would like to live on or near the school to fully participate in campus life. He said the King Street building is ideal as it is in “turn key” condition and within walking distance from the school.

Menard noted the international program has added to the cultural diversity of the school and has allowed the school the ability to provide high quality programing. He said as the school is private, capital projects are handled privately without help from taxpayers. He also said the addition of international students has had a positive impact on the local economy.

“We hope the city will recognize the long standing partnership between Thornton Academy and Saco and the tremendous economic values that TA provides to the city,” Menard said.

David Galli, who lives down the street from the former Winterhaven facility, is a former educator who has a retirement job providing transportation for international students. He said has found the international students to be very nice, polite and courteous.

“To have them as neighbors I think would be a tremendous asset. I think this would be an ideal use for this facility,” he said.

Cynthia Thurston, a resident of nearby Washington Avenue, was concerned with the safety of students living at the facility, as they would have to walk across the U.S. Route 1, which is a busy thoroughfare, to get to school. She also thought the school, which would be exempt from taxes, should have to contribute to the cost of services in the neighborhood such as police control and plowing.

King Street resident Perley Hodgkin said he thought using the formerly elderly facility for students was a good idea, as parents of the international pupils would rather see them in one location near campus than scattered around the city.

— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 325 or egotthelf@journaltribune.com.