MINOT – Members of the Minot Citizen Coalition for the Performing Arts Facility pleaded their case Thursday night for a $3 million expansion at the Minot Consolidated School.

Coalition members Belinda Dubois and Nancy Boucher detailed the school’s shortcomings when measured against state requirements: inadequate cafeteria and gymnasium space; inadequate space for library, computer lab, art and special education; no space for a stage, or middle or elementary school music; no locker rooms for the gym; and no space for tutorial, gifted and talented programs or physical and occupational therapy.

“Students with an arts education are likely to be productive citizens and lifelong learners,” said Larry Williams, instrumental music teacher at Poland Regional High School.

Lack of a music program for Minot middle schoolers leaves them playing catch-up when they join their Mechanic Falls and Poland classmates at the regional high school, Williams noted. He said that the concert band, with 43 members, has only one from Minot.

Coalition member Wendy Simard said that Minot, the eighth fastest growing town in Maine and one of the wealthiest in the county, could well afford the addition.

Minot, she pointed out, spends 47 percent of its town taxes on schools, far short of the 68 percent state average.

“We can add the center without raising taxes, all we have to do is reallocate our current tax dollars. We’ve allowed $1 million for paving in the past four years and $646,000 is being asked for roads in 2004,” said Simard.

Resident Kevin Gagne cautioned against raiding the road accounts, noting that roads, unless constantly maintained, deteriorate rapidly and, once behind, costs escalate tremendously.

“I don’t want this to turn into a competition between the town and the school. The Budget Committee tried to keep taxpayers in mind,” said Budget Committee member Todd Olfene.

Resident Peter Kelleher questioned whether the state requirements were guidelines or mandates, and whether the town would be penalized for failing to meet them.

Resident Dan Cannan asked whether the School Committee had applied for state funding.

“We were told we were so far below the needs of others, would be so far down the list that we shouldn’t even apply,” said School Committee Chairman Lisa Bridgham.

The total cost for the proposed addition, with 25-year financing, is $3,070,465. Proponents say no new personnel costs are required; however, the annual costs for maintenance and operation are estimated at $22,500.

Townspeople also heard a presentation of proposed amendments to the noise provisions in the town’s Land Use Control Ordinance.

The amendments would make the town’s ordinance consistent with applicable state regulation. Presently, the town’s acceptable noise levels are somewhat more restrictive than the state’s, causing no small amount of controversy and argument between owners of Hemond’s Moto-X Track and some of their neighbors.

The most significant change proposed would raise the daytime noise level from 55 to 60 decibels.

According to Serae Hemond, the track meets the noise levels required by state regulations. Hemond noted that when the Planning Board approved the track in 2001, one condition was that the track operate within appropriate DEP noise level regulations.

A year later, when complaints arose, it was discovered the town actually had noise standards of its own.