Richard Wing and Son Logging solves South Portland schools outdoor

Seating Problem

In early September, Gretchen McCloy,, director of Community Partnerships for the South Portland School Department, had a problem. Eight schools creating outdoor classroom spaces in response to the COVID-19 pandemic needed seating for students. PLC Member Richard Wing and Son Logging of Standish had the answer.

Early on the morning of Sept. 23, Richard Wing and employees sawed up hemlock logs donated by Phinney Lumber for the purpose into about 100 bucket-sized chunks to be used as outdoor seats, transporting them hours later to South Portland High School where McCloy met workers to unload them.

The hemlock logs were ideal to be used outside and also met the approval of the school nursing staff as a seating surface deemed better than most conventional seats for reducing the risk of spreading viruses, McCloy said, thanking the Wings for stepping up and solving the problem when they heard about the need.

“We’re happy to do it,” Richard said. “We did a similar ting for the Gorham schools not long ago.”

The hemlock logs are now in use throughout the school system, and Alicia Heyburn, Executive Director of Teens to Trails, which has been working with schools including those in South Portland to make outdoor learning spaces a reality, said they are part of making being outdoors - always mentally and physically good for children but especially vital now - a major part of attending school in a pandemic.

“That’s where it’s healthy to be,” Alicia said. ”That was the origin of the outdoor classroom initiative - we’ve got to get kids back in school because that’s where they need to be, ”