After the Feb. 18 demolition of Crossland Hall, university officials are evaluating whether rising deferred maintenance costs mean the historic 120 year old Central Steam Plant could be demolished as early as 2027, pending approval from the University of Maine System Board of Trustees (UMS BoT) as early as April this year. The Maine Campus spoke with University of Maine Student Government (UMSG) Vice President Cynthia Shelmerdine, UMS representatives and students about developments linked to the University of Maine Energy Center (UMEC) project, which would preserve historically valuable existing infrastructure at the Steam Plant at a newly proposed, more cost efficient structure.
According to an assessment made by Gordian’s State of Facilities in Higher Education in December 2025, the University of Maine has currently been experiencing systematic deterioration issues where buildings are beginning to reach their maximum age and may require more significant investment or demolition altogether. This lack of investment over time has put 79% of the buildings across campus at high risk for failing to meet production standards.
One building with deferred maintenance costs that exceed value is the historic Central Steam Plant, which provides heat to 85% of the campus but has been relying on equipment from the 1950s and 1960s. This facility is also the 13th largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions in the state, and in recent years, there have been two separate emergency repairs that have resulted in a cost exceeding $1 million.
The historical status of multiple buildings across campus, such as the Steam Plant, have given rise to conversations around historical preservation. In an interview with the Maine Campus, UMSG Vice President Cynthia Shelmerdine said that if the Steam Plant were to be stripped down, the historical parts would be taken out for preservation and then relocated back into the renovated facility.
Although there are currently no specific interim plans in place to ensure consistent heating and energy production while the new transition to a new facility for the Steam Plant is underway, Shelmerdine and President Keegan Tripp are actively working with facility and auxiliary services, and the administration, to manage these concerns one step at a time.
“We have an open line of communication that provides us updates on new construction. Tripp and I have monthly meetings with vice president for Facilities and Operations, Joe Farley, [and] the director of Space and Capital Management Service Ryan Ward,” said Shelmerdine.
The proposed project of the UMEC aims to modernize how the institution is heated by including a substantial system that uses existing and new infrastructure to integrate flexible and dual-fuel boilers. These boilers can transition between renewable liquid or natural gas, which may better support the university’s goal to reduce emissions.
Chief of External and Governmental Affairs Officer Samantha Warren provided a statement to the Maine Campus detailing the steps that UMaine is taking when evaluating aspects of the UMEC project. UMS BoT gave an initial approval in 2019 to launch the engineering design phase.
Information about the BoT’s Finance, Facilities and Technology (FFT) Committee meeting earlier this month about the UMEC project can be found in a recently published executive summary. According to the committee, the UMEC’s design and costs total project budget are estimated to be at $110 million. Warren expressed that if the UMEC project does not come to fruition, the deferred maintenance costs will further escalate, as will the risk of major system failure.
Warren shared that ensuring access to quality academic and research facilities will remain a priority during construction, as will “minimizing disruption and managing costs.” She added that as the new UMEC design and Steam Plant demolition timeline are finalized, the university is “committed to keeping our community informed about the project.”
UMaine plans to seek the BoT’s authorization this spring to advance the UMEC project, with the project’s first review by the FFT Committee likely in April. Pending the full BoT authorization, demolition of the old site and construction of the new site could begin in 2027.
Second-year mechanical engineering student Ezra Crabtree spoke to the Maine Campus and offered insight on what students may think about the potential changes.
“I was not aware of all the infrastructure changes that were happening across campus. I think that Maine is a good leader for environmental movements in the United States and it is important for the university to contribute as a way to maintain sustainable efforts,” said Crabtree. “If the University had a sort of town hall meeting that provided more detailed presentations about how maintenance fees are being used in terms of renovations that would be helpful.”
Shelmerdine said she is consistently having meetings about the project with the university’s Financial Affairs president and recognizes that financial transparency is important to communicate to students.
“I know I hold a position to voice students’ concerns and I do so during those meetings. I remind senators when I am meeting with services so that they can give me questions to ask to maintain this communication pathway. I want to create a reporting back structure instead of having communication behind closed doors,” said Shelmerdine.
While she believes that upcoming plans linked to the Steam Plant can be communicated through social media platforms, Shelmerdine wants to make sure that the information that she is communicating to the students is concrete.
She urges students to book meetings or visit her office hours if they have any concerns regarding the project.
