AUBURN – The Auburn School Department has secured three of the seven properties it needs to expand Lake Street Elementary School.

But the large parcel at the center of the project remains in dispute.

Owner Rachel Feeley still fears that the city will destroy her forest and gully areas if she gives up her land.

In a letter sent to school officials in April, Feeley said she would sell a small portion of her land, but only if it were used for a play space, only if it remained forever undeveloped and only if it were named “Feeley Park.”

“We’re still negotiating,” Feeley said.

Set on less than 2 acres in the heart of an old, tree-lined neighborhood, the 77-year-old school has catered to area children for more than three generations. But over the years, the brick building has grown crowded and inadequate.

With 145 students from kindergarten through grade three, the school has no art or music room, no cafeteria or gymnasium. Sitting at the corner of Lake and Fern streets, outdoor play areas and parking places were limited.

Without renovations, Lake Street School would be forced to close.

To accommodate an expansion and state regulations governing minimum school sizes, Auburn must more than double the school lot to over four and a half acres.

But before it can go to the State Board of Education for site approval, the School Department must have option agreements from all seven property owners on parcels that range in size from a tenth of an acre to more than half an acre.

“The longer that takes, obviously, that is going to extend it down on the other end,” said Jude Cyr, business manager for the Auburn School Department.

The project has been marred by rumors and angry neighbors. Some said the city planned to take everyone’s land by eminent domain if they refused to sell. Others said the school’s design was already set and included a mammoth recreational baseball field that would be built at the expense of trees, natural habitats and neighborhood homes.

Some of that anger has abated in recent months as communication improved between school officials and property owners. Two area residents were invited to join the Lake Street Building Committee.

Officials hoped to present the site to the state board during its next meeting in mid-July.

If Auburn gets site approval, it will then have to get building design approval from local voters and the State Board of Education in the fall. Officials want to hold a referendum to get voters’ approval on the project and its costs in November, with final state approval in December or January.

Officials would like to start construction next June.

The School Department plan calls for dramatic renovations to the school, with the addition of about a dozen classrooms, art and music space, a gymnasium and a cafeteria. It also wants to create separate areas for buses and parents to drop off students, and for children who walk to school to enter school grounds.

ltice@sunjournal.com

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