BRUNSWICK, Maine — School Superintendent Paul Perzanoski sent a letter Monday to Town Manager John Eldridge and town councilors with a list of questions following the council’s decision not to move forward with the School Board’s proposed $12.5 million repair project.
The School Board’s recommendation for repairs to Coffin Elementary and Brunswick Junior High schools did not go to a public hearing per a Town Council vote on Aug. 3.
The repair plan would have fallen short of a renovation and only addressed structural needs in the two buildings, perhaps extending their useful life another 15 years.
A failing floor in the junior high, asbestos, PCBs and failed insulation in numerous windows, paired with system failures that have caused flooding as well as outdated building practices leading to the erosion of mortar and moisture problems in the walls, have compounded problems at the two buildings.
Also at issue are safety concerns at the junior high with its large, open stairwells, absence of fire doors and the current inability to safeguard the open lobby.
Perzanoski’s letter asked for a consensus on which items on the broad list of repairs to the schools that town councilors were willing to leave in and which ones they wanted cut. The letter also asked how much capital was available to carry out immediate repairs.
Following the council vote, School Board member Rich Ellis said that over the course of two years there have been 25 public meetings about PDT Architects’ proposed repair plans. Ellis expressed doubts that a broad consensus will ever be found in the matter.
Perzanoski posed several questions to Eldridge, including: What information the council has gathered showing support for a locally funded school; the amount of capital available to continue working with PDT Architects; how the Town Council will handle the effect on the operational school budget when a new school is built; and the names of professionals the Town Council consulted with prior to voting against a public hearing on suggested repairs.
Perzanoski also informed Eldridge and town councilors that in the meantime he will be applying to the Maine Department of Education for school revolving renovation funds for both schools.
This fund provides loans up to $1 million per school to finance project expenditures with a portion forgiven based on the district’s free and reduced lunch prevalence.
Councilor Dan Harris called the letter “not helpful,” but said that he has no worries the two boards will work things out for the better for both students and staff.
“All the people from both boards really need to do what’s right for the town,” Harris said. “My own feeling is that the schools need to be made safe for the kids and for the teachers, and work should be done to protect the buildings from further deterioration.”
Harris said that over the years, maintenance on the schools has “not been appropriate.” Harris further said that he’s looked at the list of repairs and doesn’t agree that all items listed were necessary for safety or protection from further decay.
Harris said he believes that PDT has more of an eye for building new structures than for renovations. However, he doesn’t see the School Board and Town Council squabbling, saying he believes they are all in this for the same thing — the education of the children.