KVCC unveils new campus proposal

Kennebec Valley Community College has released more details about its planned 702-acre campus in Fairfield on property previously owned by Good Will-Hinckley.

The plan, developed by Portland architecture firm Mohr & Seredin, includes expanding existing campus buildings, adding a 1,000-seat performing arts center and new student dorms, according to the Kennebec Journal. The college plans to preserve the historic architecture of former Good Will-Hinckley buildings and natural features of the land, and will use its organic farm for the college's new agriculture program. It will take 15-25 years to finish the KVCC campus, though students could be on site as early as the 2013-2014 academic year, and the current enrollment of approximately 2,400 is expected to expand by 1,500-2,000 students. Infrastructure work, including water, sewer and technology, is already under way.

In January, a $10.85 million gift from the Harold Alfond Foundation funded the Maine Community College System's purchase of the property. After shutting down its educational programs in 2009, Good Will-Hinckley reorganized last year and launched a residential and day program focused on agriculture, sustainability, forestry and environmental studies. Selling the land will help give Good Will-Hinckley the funds to run its Maine Academy of Natural Sciences.