BRUNSWICK — A groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 10 at 11:30 a.m. with a rain date of Wednesday, Oct.17, new 88,000 square foot Kate Furbish Elementary School for grades pre-K-2. The ceremony will take place at the new site located on Jordan Avenue in Brunswick.

The new $20.3 million school will be built at the site of the Jordan Acres School, which has been closed due to structural issues since 2011 and will be demolished during the new construction process. This ceremony will also include a farewell to the former Jordan Acres School.
In 2017, Brunswick voters approved a bond to build a new elementary school. Original estimates for the new school came in at $22.3 million.

Ledgewood Construction from South Portland was the selected General Contractor and PDT Architects is the design architect for the project.
In order to fit in with the surrounding neighborhood, the building was broken down into smaller forms composed of common areas and school houses, according to a release from Ledgewood Construction. The common areas will have residential size windows to fit in with the neighborhood feel. Brick will be used on the lower portion of the building, while architectural panels to be used on upper areas, creating smaller visual fields.
The school name of Kate Furbish Elementary School was chosen in honor of a Victorian-era resident known for her paintings and drawings of Maine flora.

The interior design theme will be forests and paths meandering throughout the school. The theme will transition from acorns and pinecones for Pre-K, to maple, oak, pine and spruce for the 1st and 2nd grade levels and continue through the corridors with river and meadow-inspired elements.