School Union 29
is trying to cap the project at $250,000.
POLAND – Leaders of School Union 29 hope to build a new central office beside the Poland Community School.
On Tuesday, the board overwhelmingly approved the plan that would cap spending at $250,000 between the union’s three member towns: Poland, Minot and Mechanic Falls.
The union’s current leased headquarters, home to the superintendent and other top administrators, has fallen into disrepair. Mold has contaminated the basement and structural supports show signs of weakening.
The proposal moves the offices from the leased building in downtown Mechanic Falls to a lot beside the elementary school, where construction could be modular, prefabricated or even metal, said Assistant Superintendent William Doughty.
“We’re still getting estimates,” he said. And even those are preliminary.
First, leaders plan to open talks with Poland selectmen over purchase or lease of the town-owned land. Then, the union will issue a request for proposals from area contractors.
Meanwhile, the plan will have to be approved by voters at each of the three member towns’ annual meetings.
Though the budgeted $250,000 has been approved by all three, the money was originally intended to purchase the current office, not build one.
It has led the union to a kind of squeeze, Doughty said Tuesday.
The current building has about 4,000 square feet of space and was considered too small. After finding storage space in Elm Street School in Mechanic Falls, the new building would have about 2,400 feet of space.
“How does that work?” asked Ike Levine, a member from Poland. “The union’s not going to get smaller.”
That’s as big as the budget will allow, Doughty said. One estimate would allow for 11 offices, ranging in size from 12 by 12 feet to 10 by 10 feet.
The school district had other plans, but there was nothing else available in the area within the price range, Levine said.
Leaders in Mechanic Falls have been especially reluctant to approve any rise in the price.
“I’m sorry,” said Mechanic Falls member Dave Griffiths. “We are struggling financially and it’s not going away.”
dhartill@sunjournal.com
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.