News

SAD plans referendum
Will address building renovation and maintenance
By Naomi Morrison

Gray-New Gloucester--After decades of teachers, students, administrators and residents watching the school department's buildings slowly dilapidate, MSAD #15 School Board plans to take the final step needed to bring forth a referendum to resolve the facilities issue.

At the November 17 Board meeting, members discussed contracting with engineering consultants of the Portland Design Team (PDT) for $72,000 (See sidebar). They will vote at the December 1 School Board meeting on whether or not to sign a contract with PDT for consulting purposes. Right, Windows in disrepair at Russell School. Monument: Prata file photo

PDT will use the Sewell Report as a tool to design a plan and do the engineering aspects of the next phase. They will assess the district's needs, list and price all the needs, and then prioritize accordingly. The package will also include what program driven needs the principals feel are necessary for the growth of the district.

"We can get to a point [by hiring PDT] of knowing what we have to do, and then get to where we know what we can do," said Board of Education Chair Alan Rich.

This is a necessary step not only for the district's ability to present logistics to the residents of the two towns, but to also be able to apply for a state revolving bond, which they will begin applying for immediately. By referendum time, which could possibly be May or June, the board will know how much money the town will get back from the state and how much the projects will cost locally.

"Our goal is trying to get the best deal for the taxpayers," said Facilities Committee Chair and Board Member Peter Pinkerton.

The last analysis was completed this spring and otherwise known as the Sewell Report. The Sewell Report was part of a state requirement for all school districts to identify areas in their facilities that need improvement. The cost was roughly $26,000 before the state reimbursed the town 50 percent. The town used this report to help long range planning, said Pinkerton. "But anything over what we could handle in-house, we needed an engineering and architecture group to provide a design that could be presented to the state for funding. This is where PDT, who is well known for their construction and design of schools, steps in," Pinkerton said.

PDT's plan would provide a time line of what has to be done now and what can be done after the priorities are taken care of. Pinkerton said PDT will negotiate with the state on behalf of the town to reprioritize the Sewell Report's category threes to ones and twos. By doing this, the state cannot deny the town funding.

In 2000, the town was unsuccessful with their application for the revolving loan when their information was provided by the previous PDT Report. Pinkerton said he believes the failing was from asking the state for a new construction of Memorial and Russell Schools rather than repairing or renovating priority areas. He said the state's administration is interested in seeing more, larger elementary schools than fewer, smaller ones.

At the time, residents spoke loud and clear that they valued the small schools rather than consolidating to save money. With this lesson learned, the plan is to apply for funding by each category's projects rather than as a whole project of renovating both schools. In 2000, the district was number 36 on the state list. If the board applied the same way now as was done then, Pinkerton said that the district wouldn't be much closer to receiving funding because the state usually selects only the first dozen.

Tearing down a school wing and adding another would have to be funded locally, but this application is about asking the state for money for items based on safety, health or legality. Funding cannot be denied and interest rates could be very low or at zero percent, not to mention any forgiveness amounts.

The revolving renovations bond would allow the district to borrow up to one million dollars per school to help pay for items that effect health and safety, as well as, code issues regarding the disability act. The town would have to match what the state lends, but according to Pinkerton, that doesn't mean an increase in money from the taxpayers. By the time the construction phases are due to begin, the money used to pay the Middle School bond over the last 18 years will be paid and available for a shift to the new bond.

Pinkerton also said that the maintenance of the facilities will improve. After the repairs and renovations are completed, he said, then the maintenance funds will be released for its designated use, which is to keep up maintenance. It isn't fiscally responsible to use maintenance money for playing catch up in capital expenses, he said.

Rich agreed, "we've been using our short term funds for our long term issues," he said... "The high quality level of the facilities hasn't been seen in decades. After the improvements are made, then we can use the short term funds for yearly maintenance."

Gray Resident Andy Upham said at the Board meeting he wants to see some substantive changes to demonstrate that this neglect won't happen again. He is an advocate for doing the necessary repairs on the facilities, but he also wants to feel comfortable that a maintenance plan is executed before the project is brought to voters.

"What's different now than when we built these schools for you in the first place?" he asked. "Show me that it's different...It's not what you're going to do, but what you have done by referendum time to get my vote."
Upham said he has smoke coming from his ears about the facilities maintenance program. If things aren't repaired, he said, then they affect more parts of the building and then become a huge expense. For instance, he said the walls in the back of Memorial School are almost see through. A coat of paint every five years would have prevented that damage.

He does however understand that education is the first priority. "When there's pressure on the needs of education, it's easy for them to steal money from maintenance," he said. Very secondary, he continued, is the preservation of the buildings. Part of the board's thinking should be how to preserve these facilities.

Sidebar:

At the November 17 Board meeting, Superintendent Victoria Burns requested of the Board the following: "…to use Capital Maintenance Funds for projects not anticipated in the 04-05 Operations/Maintenance Budget." The request is not for an additional expenditure but to request approval to reallocate some maintenance lines to others.

To: Nason Mech Systems $28,362 - Emergency Heating Memorial School
To: PDT Architects $72,000 - Emergency Fund Applications for 5 schools.
To: Contracted Cleaning $20,195 - New Cleaning Company
*Prorated for 7 months
Total: $120,557