A vacant 30,000-square-foot storefront at the Center for Shopping in Sanford will be the site of a mass vaccination site – the first large site in York County. County commissioners approved the lease on Friday, Feb. 5, and are working with Southern Maine Health Care and the Maine CDC. County officials are hopeful the site will be ready to open by the middle of the month. Tammy Wells photo
ALFRED — A large COVID-19 vaccination site will soon be located in a vacant 30,000-square-foot space at the Center for Shopping in Sanford and York County government officials say they hope to have it open by mid-February.
York County Emergency Management Agency director Art Cleaves said all of the internal furniture and fixtures are being set up this week.
The specific opening date won’t be announced until the agency can confirm the staffing and availability of vaccine, Cleaves said on Tuesday.
The vaccination center will operate with the help of Southern Maine Health Care.
The Center for Shopping is at 1364 Main St. in Sanford, close to the roundabout and the intersection of Routes 4 and 109. It is considered geographically close to the center of the county.
“There’s a lot of work to do,” Cleaves said on Friday as York County Commissioners inked a lease for the 29,373-square-foot vacant space at the shopping center.
Cleaves said it will take about 50 personnel daily to operate the center. Southern Maine Health Care will provide staffing and other support, along with people from the Emergency Management Agency, and some from the county’s municipalities. Sanford Police have agreed to provide security for the site, he said.
“We’ll work with the towns to get the balance of the staff put together,” Cleaves said.
The move to open a large center in York County came at the behest of the Maine Centers for Disease Control, which approached the county government. Another large vaccination site recently opened in Cumberland County at Scarborough Downs, operated by MaineHealth, and another at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, operated by Northern Light Health.
While the number of vaccinations to be administered daily is dependent on vaccine supply, the space will have the capacity to administer the vaccine to as many as 1,000 people a day.
“
This is very significant for York County,” said York County Manager Greg Zinser.
Vaccinations will be by appointment, and officials will soon roll out information on the process.
Currently, there are other vaccine sites in York County, clinics operated by SMHC and by York Hospital, but they are smaller and don’t have the capacity to administer doses to large numbers of people.
York County commissioners unanimously approved the lease, through Dec. 31, with CFC Limited Partnership. The monthly fee is just under $30,000. Cleaves said the county will be reimbursed for those costs, plus other expenses like personnel and equipment, by the federal government.
“All expenses will be (reimbursed) through the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” Cleaves told county commissioners at a recent meeting, including expenses for staffing.
The heating ventilation and cooling systems of the building are in working order and the facility is “broom clean” and ready for equipment.
Southern Maine Health Care will supply the computer system used to register those seeking vaccinations. On Feb. 4, hospital spokeswoman Allison Kenty said more details about the site and how it will operate will be available in the coming days.
As of Feb. 7, York County had 427.4 cases of COVID-19 per 10,000 people — the most of any county in Maine, followed by Androscoggin County at 417.9 per 10,000, according to the Maine CDC. The total number of overall cases in York County since the counts began was 8,814. Cumberland County, the most populous county in Maine, topped the list statewide, with 11,705 cases since the count began.
As of Feb. 4, the CDC shows 15,990, or 7.7 percent of York County’s estimated 207,000 population had received their first dose of vaccine.
County commissioners authorized Cleaves to sign the contract for the space. Commissioner Richard Clark asked about dedicated parking, since, he said, for the first few months, most of those being vaccinated will be older and some will have mobility issues.
People working at the site will be able to provide assistance to those who need it, Cleaves said.
Commissioner Donna Ring asked whether the rental fees associated with the property are at market value. Zinser said they are.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
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