JAY — The RSU 73 board Wednesday night unanimously approved bonding a $1.8 million project to house all Spruce Mountain High School students in Jay starting next fall.
Spruce Mountain High School acting Principal Chris Hollingsworth leads a tour of the Jay school Wednesday night before the RSU 73 board meeting. Directors later approved bonding $1.8 million to renovate portions of the high school, middle school and Community Center in Jay to house all high school students.
But before the construction project can go ahead, voters in Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls must approve the funding at referendums in their towns.
A public hearing on the project is set for 6 p.m. Jan. 8, 2013, in the Spruce Mountain Middle School cafeteria. The referendum is set for Jan. 15.
If voters approve the proposal, Bunker and Savage architect Craig Boone said work would begin in early spring and be completed in August.
The district wants to have the 10th-, 11th- and 12th-graders at Spruce Mountain High School in Livermore Falls housed with the ninth, 10th-, 11th- and 12-graders at Spruce Mountain High School in Jay.
Now, buses transport students back and forth each day to classes that are offered only on one campus or the other.
Superintendent Robert Wall said the costs associated with that extra transportation can be used toward the renovation, if approved.
Residents in Livermore, Jay and Livermore Falls approved consolidating the former RSU 36 district with the Jay School Department in the summer of 2011. Voters turned down a proposed $5.3 million building addition for the Jay high school last May.
Wall said the district is applying for an interest-free loan through a Quality Schools program. If any part of the funding needed for the renovation project is approved by the program, the yearly payment would be less than what it would be at 3 to 4.25 percent, which were the rates used in the presentation.
Wall said money owed on the middle school and Livermore Elementary School will be paid off in a few years.
Since residents turned down the building project in May, the board and others have been researching ways to find the space for all high school students in Jay. The plan includes creating several classrooms in the high school by dividing large classrooms into smaller ones and reconfiguring parts of the library, hallway and other parts of the school; changing the use of some of the rooms in the middle school; and redeveloping space in the adjacent Community Building.
In addition, all bathrooms will become handicapped accessible, lighting will be made more energy efficient, and telecommunications and other technology will be upgraded.
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More Spending=Higher Taxes
I just hope that the taxpayers do not fall for this. This is all stuff that they should have done way PRIOR to consolidating. They had already told us that it would work the way it was, and we would be seeing some savings from closing one of the schools. Never Happened.
The District received approx. 500K for the past three years being in the bottom of standings, and did basically nothing with it. Again they could have consolidated the Administration first then after they had the FACTS they could have brought it to us and made recomendations for the students. They had all sorts of committees and sub comittees supposedly checking all this out before the consolidation. So why should we trust them now? Its not like this is a huge School System. I feel they have to earn the trust and respect from the community first before I would trust what they are recomending now. And this area can not afford any higher taxes then what we are already paying.
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