EDDINGTON, Maine — Residents of the RSU 63 member towns of Holden, Eddington and Clifton were briefed on the condition of their school buildings during a special presentation last week at Eddington Elementary School.
The point of the evaluation is to help RSU 63 decide if it should upgrade its current school buildings or move to a single, consolidated new school.
“The more people who have information and ask questions, the better,” interim Superintendent Kenneth Smith — who has overseen 26 school construction projects during his career — said as the presentation got underway.
The school board contracted with Oak Point Associates of Falmouth and Portsmouth, New Hampshire, last fall to conduct a two-phase evaluation of the educational facilities in the district, according to Rusty Gagnon, deputy chairwoman.
The first phase involved an evaluation of the school unit’s buildings, namely Eddington Elementary School, Holden Elementary School and Holbrook Middle School. The three schools house the district’s prekindergarten through eighth-grade students. Students in grades nine through 12 are tuitioned to the area high school of their choice.
The 97-page report covered the structural systems, building envelope, interior finishes, mechanical and electrical systems, as well as compliance with life safety codes and the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act for each of the district’s three schools.
During the presentation, architect Tyler Barter discussed the firm’s findings.
Barter said that while the buildings have been well maintained, they are showing the expected signs of age and are out of compliance with today’s stricter building codes.
Holden Elementary was built in 1955 and expanded and renovated in 1990, he said. Holbrook Middle school was constructed in 1968, with additions made in 1974, 1995 and 2000. Eddington Elementary School was built in 1955 and was expanded and upgrades in 1992.
While Barter and his team came up with $7,250,000 in recommended repairs and upgrades, none of the problems were serious enough to shut down any of the schools.
The recommended to-do list includes roof reinforcement and a change to more efficient LED lighting at all three schools and sprinkler systems for Holden Elementary and Holbrook.
The Oak Point team’s recommendations for Holden Elementary include a new roof, handicapped-accessible bathroom fixtures, a switch from its oil-fired burners to a gas-fired system, new doors and insulation for the original classroom wing, among other things.
With regard to Holbrook, the firm recommended that sprinklers be installed, insulation be beefed up, and a new roof and new wall, floor and ceiling finishes be installed, among other things. The firm also noted that the fire alarm system needs to be replaced by new devices in certain locations.
Eddington Elementary should consider moving utilities to an above-grade structure because the boiler room floods regularly, the consultants said. Neither of the school’s bathrooms are handicapped-accessible; the roof is reaching the end of its useful lifespan, and about half the windows are in need of repair. The firm also recommended that a new high-efficiency water heating system be installed.
“This is a smart move,” Rep. Peter Lyford, R-Eddington, said of the facilities study after the findings were presented. Noting that there currently are 71 school construction proposals on the Department of Education’s list, having the school building’s deficiencies documented was a good step toward getting a local project funded, whether by the state or through a bond.
During the second phase of the contracted work, which is now under way, Oak Point will evaluate the educational adequacy of the three buildings and develop a proposed master plan to meet the district’s long-term educational needs.