Frequently Asked Questions

The aging Central Fire Station, Police Station, Main Library, City Hall and Assessing outbuilding, and former Hamlin School building all need major repairs  and no longer functionally meet the needs of the community. If the Mahoney project were not to happen, each of these current buildings would need major renovations to prolong their lives, which could be much more expensive for the community over the long run. Download the informational brochure.

These buildings:

• fail to meet today’s building codes
• fail to meet ADA requirements
• fail to meet fire safety standards
• have old and deteriorating mechanical and electrical systems
• contain hazardous materials
• suffer damages from water intrusion
• rely on inefficient heating and cooling systems, and 
• are inadequate to perform today’s city functions

Offices currently located at City Hall, Assessing, the former Hamlin School (Planning & Development offices), and the Main Library would be relocated to the Mahoney building.

A new Police Station would be built next to Mahoney (on the current field) and a new Central Fire Station would be rebuilt at its current location on Broadway. Learn more.

• In 2018, the city hired a Facilities Director to oversee the maintenance and planning for municipal buildings. 
• In 2019, the City Council directed the city to plan a long-term solution to the needs of multiple city facilities. 
• The new South Portland Middle School was completed and the vacant Mahoney School property came into the City’s possession in 2023. 
• In 2024, after a two-year study and recommendation by the Facilities Committee, and various workshops to obtain public feedback, the City Council approved pursuing a plan to consolidate various city offices at Mahoney and rebuild public safety facilities. 
• In 2025, Council formed the Mahoney City Center Committee, which includes residents from every district in the city, to help guide the project and transform the property into a lively center for city services, culture, and community connection.

The Mahoney City Center Committee (M3C) is seeking community input to plan spaces reserved for community use inside the new City Center. Take the Community Space Needs Survey today!

Look for more opportunities to provide input at www.southportland.gov/mahoney or email M3C@southportland.gov to share your ideas.

Yes, outdoor spaces for community use will be part of the campus design. Community input will help the designers and committee plan the specific outdoor amenities.

Housing is being considered in a broader context. For example, there is more potential for housing on the three sites that the City would vacate than there is on the Mahoney site alone. This was verified by a third-party reviewer prior to City Council recommending that the City pursue a plan to consolidate at Mahoney.

Yes, residents will vote in a future Bond Referendum, tentatively planned for November 2026.

The City Council will invite input from the public and ultimately determine what happens to the properties that would be vacated. Some sites could potentially be sold and redeveloped for the benefit of the community.

Initial cost projections are expected in December 2025 once initial conceptual design options are complete. By July 2026, the City Council is expected to vote on the amount to be included in a Bond Referendum. South Portland residents will then vote in the Bond Referendum, which is tentatively planned for November 2026.

City Council allocated $4.5 million in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds in the fiscal year 2025 budget for an owner's representative, design team, site survey and environment testing to support the initial design phase of the project. Very early and rough estimates from the Facilities Committee's initial research put the project at around $74 million. However, the City expects this number to shift as the more detailed plans are developed and current constructions costs are incorporated. 

In the FY25 budget, the City Council approved $4.5M in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds for the initial design phase of the project. This design work is required to determine an accurate cost estimate and bond figure that the City Council must approve to put forward to voters in a referendum (tentatively planned for November 2026). Public budget meetings and workshops were held between April and June of 2024. City Council also allocated American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to hire an Owner's Representative for the project. You can view all budget documents, link to meeting agendas and materials, and link to videos of the council meetings from the homepage of the city website: southportland.gov

City Council awarded the bid in the amount of $256,000 to Colliers Project Leaders at the December 17, 2024 meeting. City Council awarded the bid for phase 1 of the design services to SMRT Architects and Engineers in the amount of $691,898 at the June 3, 2025 meeting. This money is part of the $4.5M allocated in TIF funds in the FY25 budget; no additional funding was required. All bids are posted on BoardDocs, the City's meeting agenda platform (click the "Agendas & Minutes" button to access from the City's homepage).

Yes, the Mahoney City Center Committee formed a Funding Plan Subcommittee to research additional funding possibilities such as grants, Tax Increment Financing (TIF), and other opportunities to reduce the impact to taxpayers.

Central Fire Station (1955), The Police Station (1967), Main Library (1965), City Hall (1881) and Assessing outbuilding (1955), and former Hamlin School building (1961) are aging public facilities. These facilities are between 58 and 144 years old, and with age come issues. At a certain point, the issues are so numerous, expensive, and/or complex to address, that it makes sense to consider a new facility or major renovation. This is the current status of all of these buildings.

Problems with the buildings
For several years before the Mahoney property came into the City’s possession, the City and City Council have been discussing how to address the numerous significant deficiencies across these facilities. The buildings:

• are not up to code
• have water intrusion issues that cause damage and risk to documents, equipment, and health
• have outdated building systems and equipment well past its useful life
• have expensive repairs on the immediate horizon (new roof, elevator, boilers, etc.)
• do not have sprinkler systems or compliant fire systems – a significant safety concern
• have building materials containing hazardous materials like asbestos and lead, requiring remediation
• are not accessible or compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act
• have inadequate insulation, roofs and outdated heating and cooling systems

Any one of these issues in any one building would be costly and in some cases complicated to address. Now consider that all these problems (and more) currently exist across six different city buildings.

How did the buildings get this way? 
Many issues are the result of these heavily used buildings and their systems and infrastructure aging. Unlike someone’s private home, which can see a small family living in it with occasional guests, these facilities house numerous City staff, in some cases staff that work there 24/7. Some of these facilities also see hundreds of members of the public utilize them on a daily basis. Even with maintenance, time and constant heavy use will take their toll. 

One important thing to note is that it was only in 2019 that the city hired its first Facilities Director to oversee all city buildings. Prior to this time, heads of departments were responsible for the maintenance of their individual buildings. So, for example, the Police Chief was not only in charge of the city’s law enforcement (their area of expertise), but they were also in charge of maintaining the Police Station. Staff did a good job keeping the facilities functional over the years, but it became clear as the buildings aged and problems multiplied that a streamlined approach to the city’s facilities was needed.

The new Facilities Director was charged with examining the issues across the buildings and creating a plan to address them. Around this time, the City Council directed staff to defer non-urgent maintenance issues in these buildings while the study and plan were underway. The Facilities director led a Facilities Committee that worked for two years on the task, the results of which are detailed in the 800+ Facilities Committee Study (2024). Ultimately, the Committee recommended the plan to consolidate many city offices at Mahoney and build a new Police and Central Fire Station, and the City Council – after much discussion and input from the public and consultants – directed the city to pursue this plan.

What will happen if the Mahoney City Center & Public Safety Buildings project doesn’t move forward?
It is critical to note that even if this plan doesn’t move forward, our community will still need to invest significantly in our declining public facilities over the next few years. It is very likely to be more costly to renovate and/or rebuild each individual building. (The City is currently conducting an analysis to better understand the cost of renovating Mahoney and building new PD and FD stations versus making renovations to each). At some sites there may not be enough space to renovate and meet current needs of the community. It is possible that renovating or rebuilding at current locations could also impact future service delivery or prompt the need for satellite buildings in other locations.

Consolidating four buildings into a single City Center at a renovated Mahoney building (which tests have found is structurally very solid) will make maintenance and planning for future needs much easier and more cost effective. Consolidating at Mahoney will also yield a facility that will last much longer than if the community were to invest significant dollars into existing facilities.

The City expects to save significantly on general maintenance, emergency repairs, and ongoing operating expenses such as heating, cooling, utilities, and more.

The City will still need to invest significantly in its declining facilities over the next few years. It is very likely to be more costly to renovate and/or rebuild each individual building. At some sites there may not be enough space to renovate and meet current needs of the community, and it is possible this could impact future service delivery or prompt the need for satellite buildings in other locations.

The City Council decided on the location of the proposed new Police Station after months of public discussion in 2024-2025. They selected the Mahoney property as the location at their June 17, 2025 meeting. Learn more about the site selection process and read this post that breaks down how our public safety buildings are at the heart of the City Center project.

The primary reasons the Mahoney site was selected are:

• It has enough space for the new station
• It does not require the purchase of new land
• Its prominent location supports PD’s community-centered goals to build greater trust, transparency and partnerships to proactively reduce crime
• This plan avoids needing to temporarily relocate the Police Department during an extensive reconstruction of the current site (a very costly and challenging endeavor)
• The plan enables Central Fire Station to be rebuilt on the current public safety site with the building and drive aprons oriented to improve safety and access

Fire and EMS response is based on industry-accepted time guidelines and we locate facilities to best meet these guidelines.

• The City operates 3 stations: West End, Cash Corner, and Central.
• The current Central Station location balances coverage between these facilities.
• This positioning helps the department meet required response-time standards.

To continue to meet these standards, locating the new Fire Headquarters in another location would not be viable.

• Acquiring new land elsewhere would be cost-prohibitive.
• Relocating would interrupt the balance of coverage between the 3 stations.

With PD relocated on the Mahoney site, a new Central Fire Station can be built with all the safety measures in place to serve the community and ensure a safe, healthy facility for our firefighters. Unlike the current Central Fire Station,

• The new design includes properly separated living spaces, apparatus bays, and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) storage.
• It provides adequate decontamination facilities.
• It ensures appropriate facilities for male and female firefighters (ex: bathrooms).
• It includes an above-grade Emergency Operations Center (EOC) that is protected from flooding.

After analysis and discussion between the design firm, owners representatives  and City staff, including the Fire Department, the decision was made to build a brand-new station.  A new station:

• Improves the site layout, especially grades needed for apparatus ramps.
• Addresses anticipated flood-inundation concerns.
• Maintains a visible, public-facing presence along Broadway.
• Avoids conflicts between apparatus movement and Rusty Lantern market traffic.
• Prevents direct response routes into the Anthoine Street neighborhood.
• Creates flexibility with larger bays, including space for a ladder truck.
• Enhances readiness with a new on-site training building.

Keeping the current building, or part of the current building, was ruled out because the facility is considered critical infrastructure and must meet certain standards.

• Upgrading the current structure to these standards would significantly increase costs.
• The design team and Owner’s Representatives identified major concerns with the building envelope and the cost of bringing it to modern standards.
• The existing building footprint prevents improvements to the steep apparatus ramp without changing exit directions.
• Maintaining the building would force apparatus to exit into the Anthoine neighborhood or toward the Rusty Lantern market.
• Retaining the current structure would limit the department’s ability to create a fully resilient site.

The new building will be built to resiliency standards with specific consideration of the site. 

• The new building and floor elevation will be designed to be above the flood plain elevation.
• The design will factor in future sea rise potential.

Elements that capture the history of Central Fire Station may be incorporated into the new building.

Keeping the building or portion of the building would conflict with the goal of creating a long-lasting, climate-ready, safe, and cost-effective new fire station to serve the South Portland Community. However, the current building is an important part of the City’s history, and the design team and city staff are discussing ways to incorporate historical elements and features into the new station.

Visit www.southportland.gov/mahoney/police-and-fire. Information will be added as the project progresses. 

To ask a question or share a concern, email M3C@southportland.gov.

A traffic study will be completed as part of the project and will analyze anticipated trip generation at various days and times. The study will identify off-site traffic improvements that will be integrated into the project.

M3C is considering input from the Historic Preservation Committee on ways to preserve the historic character and certain design elements of the building. Consideration will be given to the best ways the City can honor the important role the building has played in our community’s history

The design of the new City Center will strive for the most efficient, electrified, resilient campus designed to align with leading building science and technology. Achieving the goals of the City’s One Climate Future plan is a guiding principle of the project.

Timelines for construction and a target open date will be determined following voter approval. The scale of this project will likely require a phased construction schedule over several years to full completion. 

The sale or lease of current City sites, like the current City Hall property, could bring revenue to the City. There is also potential for community spaces at Mahoney to be revenue-generating.

You can make a public comment at an M3C Meeting at the beginning or end of any meeting. Meeting dates and times are posted on the project web page. You can also email the Committee at M3C@southportland.gov, and look for engagement opportunities on the project page:  www.southportland.gov/mahoney

There were many considerations that went into SPSD’s decision to build a new Middle School. Most significantly, the State of Maine was to pay most of the cost for a new consolidated Middle School that complied with all of the required school design standards. The Mahoney site did not meet those standards. Building new also meant students did not need to be relocated during a lengthy renovation. For more information, visit www.spsdme.org.