Aroostook developer converts old school into four-season retreat.

Todd Thompson bought the Wellington School in Monticello and has transformed it into Old School Plaza with services for snowmobilers and year-round visitors; he intends to open most of the complex in about a month while the restaurant remains unfinished.

Todd Thompson, a Littleton native and finish carpenter, bought the 16,000-square-foot Wellington School in Monticello five years ago along with 25 acres of riverside land. He has been converting the building into Old School Plaza, a four-season destination serving snowmobilers, local residents and year-round outdoor visitors. The project preserves original features such as water fountains, hand-painted murals and classroom numbers while adding services including a laundromat, grocery space, barber shop, storage units, cabins and a camping area. Thompson completed most of the work himself and says he plans to open most of the complex in about a month, with the restaurant still unfinished. Key facts: - Thompson bought the former Wellington School for $84,000; the property includes a 16,000-square-foot building and about 25 acres of partially wooded riverside land. - Old School Plaza already houses a commercial laundromat, a 25-by-100-foot grocery space with 65 feet of refrigerator and freezer space, a barber shop, a taxi service, 25 storage units and a campground with cabins. - Thompson milled logs from his land to build cabins and storage units; the extra-large storage units were reported as available for $99 a month after a previous storm damaged an earlier frame. - He completed much of the work himself and described difficulty finding local help during construction. - Thompson previously led restoration work in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and the Washington Park Revitalization Association won the 2002 National Trust for Historic Preservation Award for that effort. - The project aligns with expanding regional multiuse trail access and with Maine’s outdoor recreation economy, which the Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation reports accounts for about 4% of the state economy and ranks sixth nationally in its contribution to GDP. Summary: Old School Plaza repurposes a former school into a mixed-use facility intended to serve snowmobilers, local residents and year-round outdoor visitors, while retaining interior reminders of its school past. Thompson plans to open most of the complex in about a month, though the restaurant remains incomplete, and he has offered spaces for entrepreneurs to rent. The project fits into a broader regional trend of expanding trail access and the state’s growing outdoor recreation sector.