“We really appreciate the state recognizing the importance of this critical project,” said Portland Schools Superintendent Emmanuel Caulk. “Replacing Hall has been our district’s top priority for building improvements. Securing state funding allows us to move forward with planning for Portland’s remaining mainland elementary schools that need major renovations: Reiche, Lyseth, Presumpscot and Longfellow. Combining state and local funding is the only way we can address our critical needs while reducing the burden on Portland taxpayers.”
Hall is a one-story building on Orono Road in the Deering neighborhood, a short walk from Sagamore Village. Built in 1956, the school has ponds on its roof after rainstorms, rotting wood siding and sills and some building materials that contain asbestos. Hall had an electrical fire in September 2012 that required the
