Two Waldo County towns took ownership of shuttered elementary schools this summer, seeking to repurpose them for community benefit. But they’re pursuing very different strategies.
Regional School Unit 3 closed two elementary schools — the Morse Memorial School in Brooks and the Walker Elementary School in Liberty — in 2025 and transferred ownership of the buildings to each town on July 1.
Brooks has opted to sell the Morse building and is seeking a developer to turn it into something that will meet community needs, such as housing or childcare. Liberty, on the other hand, is raising funds to turn the Walker School into a community hub that will house the town offices, rent space to nonprofits and entrepreneurs, and foster social connections.
These efforts to find new uses for old schools are part of a broader phenomenon across the state as the populations of school-age children continue to decline and districts close schools in a bid to cut costs. There are at least 30 vacant schools in Maine, according to the Maine Redevelopment Land Bank Authority, a state-funded entity that is providing technical assistance to Liberty and Brooks.
The authority is developing a toolkit for towns seeking to repurpose vacant schools.
The prospect of losing a school is often devastating for small towns, but organizers in Liberty and Brooks say they’re trying to make the best of a difficult situation.
When Liberty’s Walker School closed, many feared losing a social hub, said Elise Brown, who chairs the Walker School Repurposing Committee.
“Parents and grandparents and uncles would all be in the hallway picking up the kids and talking. And the kids got a sense of belonging there,” she said. “And then all of a sudden that was gone.”
Providing space for social connection has emerged as a priority, Brown said. Other needs identified by the community include early childhood programming, afterschool programming and senior activities.
The town intends to move its offices to the Walker School, and it could potentially serve as an emergency shelter in case of disasters, Brown said.
The repurposing committee recently put out a survey to prospective tenants to gather information about who might want to rent space and the infrastructure they would need.
The school has many assets, including a commercial-grade kitchen, a gym and outdoor space, Brown said. But bringing it up to code and preparing it for new tenants will likely cost $3.5 to $4 million, and the goal is to avoid increasing the town’s tax burden.
“We are fully aware of our mandate to create a viable future for the community center that’s affordable for the town,” Brown said.
To do that, the committee has been applying for federal and state grants and will launch a capital campaign in September, kicking off local fundraising efforts like cornhole tournaments and walkathons. One resident is planning to sell peach jam to raise funds, Brown said.
Brooks, which is about 20 miles away from Liberty, does not intend to keep its vacant school. But taking on its ownership, even temporarily, was important because it gives the community a say over how it could be used, said Ray Quimby, who is on the town committee dedicated to redeveloping the school.
“The district probably would have just sold it on the open market to the highest bidder and we wouldn’t have had any input on its use,” he said.
The town wants to sell the property to a developer that will turn it into something beneficial to the town while also being compatible with the community and neighborhood, Quimby said.
Based on community feedback and market and architectural studies, housing, daycare and recreation are some of the uses that could be considered.
Brooks is working with the Maine Redevelopment Land Bank Authority to find a developer to take on the property. The town has put $75,000 toward keeping the building running while it seeks a buyer. But it’s up against a deadline: if it can’t sell the building within a year, ownership will transfer to the land bank.
The arrangement is an “off-ramp” that reduces the risk for the town, where many residents are concerned about increasing tax rates, Quimby said.
As Liberty moves forward with its plans for the Walker School building, Brown said she is feeling positive.
“In spite of the complexity of it and the concerns for the cost, it’s looking more and more viable as we go,” she said. “That’s a good direction to be heading in.”