Cape Elizabeth Owner’s Representative Supports School Board’s Phased Three-School Building Plan

 Phased Three-School Building Plan is ‘best plan for taxpayer dollars’

 For Immediate Release

March 14, 2025 – At the March 10 Town Council Meeting, Cape Elizabeth’s Owner’s Representative Turner & Townsend Heery, represented by Chuck Adam, officially provided their professional opinion on the School Board’s Phased Three-School Building Plan. Turner & Townsend Heery—one of the largest Owner’s Project Management (OPM) firms in the United States—has nearly 50 years of experience advising towns on K-12 building projects.

“Since the beginning of 2021, we have agreed with all of the design professionals who have worked on this project: the replacement of the Middle School should be the first thing that you do,” said Adam. “The Middle School has passed its useful life. The mechanicals are not supplying the quality of services required for school buildings. You have to provide a building that provides safe educational spaces. The Cape Elizabeth Middle School can no longer do that.”

Adam emphasized the safety concerns identified by design professionals with the current Middle School. “There is no denying major security concerns with that building. The need for delivery personnel to travel in the corridors with students is frightening. The large number of exterior doors on this building because of the iterations… need constant monitoring. It’s a security concern.”

Adam also addressed the financial implications of the plan. “We have looked at the cost implications and have not come to this decision lightly. This is all about protecting [Cape Elizabeth] tax dollars for us. We want to make sure you are getting the best value for your money, and we believe if [the town builds] a new Middle School, that’s the best value for your money.”

Beyond the financial considerations, Turner & Townsend Heery agreed with the school administration and design professionals that the current buildings are limiting educational opportunities for Cape Elizabeth students. “The building is not allowing the educators to do what they want to do because of the physical constraints of the building,” he said.

Adam also agreed with the School Board’s plan to use the Capital Investment Plan to address needs at the High School and Pond Cove. Acknowledging that the town is currently unable to replace both the Middle School and Pond Cove, Adam stressed that the best solution is to prioritize the Middle School while allowing the facilities team to address repairs to the other schools. “This is the best option for what you’ve told us your budget constraints are,” he said.

“Building the Middle School allows Pond Cove to breathe—Pond Cove is restricted by the age and condition of the Middle School,” Adam added. “[In the current plan] a new mechanical wing is added- that will improve the mechanicals for that building. The project will provide a new, safer entrance. All of that couldn't be done with the Middle School where it currently is.”

Adam acknowledged the extensive planning and exploration that has already occurred. “You’ve been looking at this for seven years. You’ve explored all the options,” he said, endorsing the School Board’s Phased Three-School Building Plan.

He also supported the School Board’s strategy to “reset the clock” on one of the three schools, allowing the facilities team to focus on addressing needs at Pond Cove and Cape Elizabeth High School.

As the town’s Owner’s Representative, Turner & Townsend Heery provided an independent review of every building condition in the Cape Elizabeth school district. They have personally evaluated each of the three buildings, from the roof to the basement and everything in between. Since being contracted by the town, the team at Turner & Townsend Heery has conducted independent reviews of every design iteration intended to address Cape Elizabeth’s aging school buildings.

Adam underscored the urgency of addressing the Middle School’s condition. “Those of us who drive cars with 200,000 miles on them know we are on borrowed time. You have a building that far exceeds a car with 200,000 miles on it,” he said.

The Cape Elizabeth School Board unanimously approved the Phased Three-School Building Plan in a special meeting on February 24 and urged the Town Council to place the bond on the June ballot, warning that delaying the vote until November would increase project costs by at least $1 million. Residents can share their thoughts about the project with the council at the March 24 public forum.

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