Auburn officials have to come up with an alternative for a school project.
By Lindsay Tice
Staff Writer

Lake Street Elementary School will not expand.

The State Board of Education’s review committee has told Auburn that it can no longer support the city’s plan to dramatically renovate and expand the 77-year-old school.

In a letter sent to Auburn Superintendent Barbara Eretzian, Education Commissioner Susan Gendron said the city’s plan was too expensive, the site was too small and the project had too many constraints.

If it wants state support, Auburn must now find a different site and build a whole new school.

“It’s like starting all over again,” Eretzian said.

Set on less than 2 acres in a tree-lined neighborhood, Lake Street Elementary School has catered to area children for more than three generations. But the old brick building has become inadequate.

With 145 students from kindergarten through grade three, the school has no art or music room, no cafeteria or gymnasium. Outdoor play areas and parking places are limited.

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

The school department first applied in 1998 for state funding to expand Lake Street school. In January 2002, the state told Auburn officials it would support the expansion.

But the project has been plagued with problems since, including size constraints in a city neighborhood bordered by small lots and houses.

The school system spent 10 months negotiating with 13 landowners for properties that ranged from a tenth of an acre to more than half an acre. Auburn bought one property, had option agreements on six parcels and was negotiatiating for three others.

According to Auburn school system’s business manager, the city was ready to spend $800,000 for all of the properties. Because the parcels were so small, that amounted to $300,000 an acre.

It was more than the state was willing to spend on a couple of acres, especially since the school would still be 4 acres short of state land requirements and would need a waiver to exist.

“They were just awed at the cost of land and the minimum amount of land being purchased for that money,” said Auburn schools’ Business Manager Jude Cyr.

Gendron told school officials that the committee could still support the project if the school system quickly purchased two nearby properties in their entirety. But the landowners didn’t want to sell and school officials didn’t want to force them.

In late October, the state advised Auburn to look at alternatives.

Auburn school officials agreed.

They have now decided to build a new school on a new site in the Lake Street area. The $6 million to $8 million project likely won’t cost any less than the original plan since officials will have to buy land and complete the infrastructure from scratch. But the new school will have at least 8 acres instead of 4 and will be built to the school system’s needs.

Officials are now looking for land.

After they find the new property and get Auburn School Committee approval to buy it, school officials will hold a straw poll to seek community support for the project’s concept.

The Lake Street expansion was scheduled to be completed by fall 2005. Officials said the new project may be finished by the end of that year.

“We’re going to keep plugging,” Eretzian said.

The school system will sell the one piece of Lake Street property that it bought outright this summer.

If a new school is built, Eretzian said she would like to see the old building used for Head Start, day care or some other “compatible use.”

ltice@sunjournal.com

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