At both the School Board and Town Council meetings on October 11 and 12, 2022, Superintendent Christopher Record provided a presentation on updates relating to the new schools building project in advance of the November 8 school bond referendum.  The referendum asks voters to approve a $115,943,324 bond to build two new schools for the elementary and middle school grades and renovations at the high school.

Record shared renderings of the new buildings and aerial images showing how the schools would fit within the existing landscape.  Record noted increased green space in the center of town as a result of positioning the two schools further away from Scott Dyer Road and pulling parking away from surrounding neighborhoods.  Record pointed out that the existing kindergarten wing has been preserved as a potential location for a future pre-kindergarten school.

As the bond includes funds to partially renovate the high school, Record provided details on some the elements identified by previous building committees and reports as needing renovating.  Particular attention is being given to Title IX considerations.  These include: relocating the athletic trainer’s office to an equally accessible location; improving the women’s locker room; and a gender-neutral single-user restroom with shower.  Educational improvements are seen at the Achievement Center with the installation of a heat pump for year-round use and enhancing the environment for student collaboration and experiences.  Record said, “The Achievement Center is the hub of education at the high school; it’s where students come for enrichment and remediation.”  Science labs will be given upgraded finishes and improved storage space.  In addition, the plan looks to install an exterior walk-in cooler and freezer with an exterior vestibule for all-weather access.

Adjacent to the Hannaford Field turf, the renovation includes constructing a 3,750 square foot building to house a fitness center classroom, men and women’s restrooms, and a new snack shack with utilities.  The restrooms would be used by students and spectators.  Currently, there are two portable toilets available at the turf and no changing or indoor training areas for athletes.  The current snack shack, used by most booster clubs, does not have plumbing or food storage and preparation features.

Record also reviewed studies completed over the summer.  These include: geotechnical evaluations; site survey; subsurface utilities survey; and a one-day traffic count.  Record stated, “We found what we expected to find, and everything we found still indicates that we can build on this site.” Of the data collected from the traffic study, Record said that it would be shared with the Town Planner as the council continues to review a June 2020, Town Center Transportation Study.  A hazardous-materials study has yet to be completed, but previous studies have identified asbestos materials would need to be abated during demolition; an allowance for this abatement is included in the overall cost estimate.

During the School Board meeting, Finance Chair Philip Saucier pointed out that since the last School Board meeting, an update to the February 2020 renovation estimates had been delivered by the engineers and architects at the request of the school department.  Using current industry cost-escalation factors, the September 2022 cost analysis shows renovation of the two school buildings to cost between $83 million to $91 million.  Renovations would require an additional $5.3 million for temporary facilities, which could not be bonded nor address structural issues as listed in the addendum.  Board member Jennifer McVeigh said, “Imagining what our kids would have to live through if that were the case, walking between portables, the disruption of school, not having possibly certain applied arts; I don’t think that number shows the impact that it will have on our students.”

Additionally, Saucier pointed out that at the last workshop, information coming from the Maine Department of Education’s (MDOE) shows the average cost to build new schools is currently $500 per square foot, “The cost of this building project is almost exactly what the MDOE’s average square footage for new buildings are; the average square foot cost is $500 and this is coming in at $505.”  Saucier added, “There is not a lot more you can squeeze to get the kind of buildings we want.  It is already being designed to be where the department of education would be for those buildings.”

Following the Town Council presentation, Finance Chair Nicole Boucher asked the Superintendent if the financing option North Yarmouth is looking at to finance a school bond for MSAD 51 is being considered for Cape Elizabeth’s bond.  “I have looked at how they [North Yarmouth/Cumberland] are financing it [school bond] to better understand different ways we could do it here and one of the things I noticed is that they were able to smooth-out the increase by slowly increasing the taxes even before it was necessary,” Boucher said.  This would avoid one maximum tax increase, “Has there any been any talk about this with the finance team,” Boucher asked. Record answered that he is having conversations with the Town Manager and the school Business Manager to see if a model similar to North Yarmouth’s could be utilized to smoothen the tax impact.  North Yarmouth’s school bond for MSAD 51 is $74 million to build a one new school building for grades pre-K through Grade 2; and to provide renovation improvements at Mabel I. Wilson School for Grades 3-5.

An additional tour of the existing buildings will be on Saturday, November 5, 2022 at 10:00 a.m.  A "fly-through" virtual tour of the proposed buildings will be posted to the website once available; a draft version was shown at the October 11 School Board meeting.  For more information  relating to the bond and the proposed project, please visit the School Building Project website.   To view the Superintendent's presentations and corresponding discussion, please click here for the Town Council meeting video recording and the School Board meeting video recording.

Aerial view looking South.

Aerial view looking Northeast with high school in forefront.

Proposed design for high school fitness center, concession stand, and public bathrooms.

All photos courtesy of Colby Company Engineering and Simons Architects.