The Sanford School Department and the York County Emergency Management Agency joined forces to help CMP workers during last week's storm.
Central Maine Power (CMP) immediately took action in Sanford to assist with restoration efforts, but with several hundred auxiliary crews arriving, they faced the challenge of finding suitable accommodations for the line workers.
That's when York County Emergency Management Agency (YCEMA) and the Sanford School Department collaborated to provide a solution.
On Friday, April 5th, Superintendent of Schools Matt Nelson worked with YCEMA to determine how the widespread outages would impact school operations. Learning of CMP's need for lodging, Nelson contacted the district facilities and maintenance team, led by Jason Dudley and Steve Brown. They determined that housing crews temporarily in a school gymnasium would benefit the community by expediting power restoration.
Initial plans were made to host 150 workers at Sanford Pride Elementary School's gym starting on Saturday.
However, once power was restored at Sanford Middle School later that day, the middle school became the preferred site due to its shower facilities for the crews.
District staff quickly transitioned the logistics to Sanford Middle School.
CMP provided cots, towels, and linens, which volunteers from Curtis Lake Church assisted in setting up around 9 p.m. Saturday, the first crews arrived for their mandated rest period before continuing work on Sunday.
The crews stayed at the school again Sunday night. Early Monday morning, head custodians and the maintenance team arrived before dawn to clean and prepare the building for students' return.
This was a true community partnership between the utility company, emergency management, the school district, and volunteers.