HOLDEN, Maine — Members of the RSU 63 board continued Monday night to grapple with the question of what to do with its aging, but well-maintained, school facilities.
At issue is whether to upgrade the three existing schools or replace them with one consolidated school that would serve prekindergarten through eighth-grade students from the district’s member towns of Holden, Eddington and Clifton.
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.
During Monday’s meeting, Oak Point Associates architect Tyler Barter and senior interior designer Sarah Smith presented some of the pros and cons of constructing a new school, as well as two conceptual designs — one of which included an auditorium.
Among the pros were that a new school could be located away from busy Route 1A, Route 9 and Route 46, where RSU 63’s existing schools are located, and that significant operating cost savings could be achieved by only having to run one kitchen versus three and allowing for a more efficient use of staff.
A new school also would allow school officials to improve security while allowing for an increased use of the building by the community, Barter said.
Arguably the biggest con, however, could be the cost. While the project has not entered the design phase, and such costs as land acquisition, construction and equipment have yet to be determined and are based on assumptions at this point, Barter estimated that the option without an auditorium could cost about $35.6 million, or it could cost $38.5 million with an auditorium.
While a decision on what direction the school district ultimately will go is months away, the school committee could send a referendum question to voters by as early as November, according to Rusty Gagnon, deputy chairman.
The first phase of the evaluation, which was presented in January, 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 building evaluation 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 school.
Barter said at the time 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 was 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 had 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.