POLAND – A Mechanic Falls resident asked Poland selectmen Tuesday night for direction to calmly resolve a dispute over financing a School Union 29 administration building.

“Just what does Poland really need from the other two towns?” asked Eriks Petersons. “There’s got to be a reasonable explanation and a better way than going nuts and calling names. Hopefully, we can mediate this thing.”

Petersons referred to construction under way in Poland that involves the school union towns of Poland, Mechanic Falls and Minot. The construction bid for the Union 29 administrative office came in over the budgeted amount, and Petersons asked what could be done about it.

The father of a son attending Poland Regional High School and a former Mechanic Falls School Committee member, Petersons said he attended Tuesday’s meeting as an interested citizen.

A meeting is scheduled at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Elm Street School in Mechanic Falls for school committee members from all three towns. They will receive answers directly from project consultant and engineer Mark Gray, said Ike Levine, chairman of the Poland School Committee, during a telephone interview after the selectmen’s meeting.

Levine will clarify that Poland has tabled indefinitely any laptop program for all students at Poland Regional High School, which also serves Minot and Mechanic Falls.

A meeting among the chairs of the three school committees was originally planned to iron out details, misconceptions, and other misunderstandings, he said.

However, Terri Arsenault, chairman of Mechanic Falls School Committee, said during a telephone interview Tuesday night that she wanted a meeting with the full committees present and open to the public.

“I actually think this thing has gotten blown way out of proportion,” Arsenault said.

Poland selectmen told Petersons that Poland needed to award construction contracts for all three remaining projects at the Aggregate Road site because of timing and an anticipated supply cost increase if bids were resubmitted. A fourth project was already near completion at the time.

“At the time, we thought it was a proper way to handle it,” said Poland Selectman David Corcoran. “We needed to keep the project going.”

Board Chairman Glenn Peterson cited the oncoming winter, probable higher construction costs over time and the School Committee’s desire to take advantage of $88,000 in state matching funds for the administrative office building.

“If we hadn’t signed off on it, the project would have cost more if we rebid it,” said Peterson. “Mechanic Falls and Minot were never consulted with. I also sympathize with Mechanic Falls that the town has no more money.”

Peterson noted that Poland had already budgeted $100,000 in addition to the school union amount of $250,000 for space that would be used only by Poland for bus dispatching. The total funding adds up to $350,000, and the low bid came in at $387,409.

Peterson said bids for the total four-part project actually came in under budget, which made the combined contracts more palatable. Poland selectmen reviewed all bids on Aug. 24. Construction began Aug. 30.

Corcoran added that Poland was in no hurry for an answer from the other two towns and expected to settle up accounts when actual numbers were final.

Within 48 hours of the Aug. 24 meeting, Levine said he sent e-mails to Arsenault and Minot School Committee Chairman Colleen Quint. Levine said he asked the other towns to pay an additional $10,000 – over the amounts originally agreed upon – over 10 years, or to reconsider the percentages of ownership in the building.

Minot agreed to reconsider its ownership percentage but not to pay the $10,000. Mechanic Falls decided against paying the additional money and against reducing its share in the building based on what they believed voters at its town meeting approved.

Poland public works facts and figures

POLAND – The budget and cost figures for Poland’s public works and School Union 29 administrative office project, according to project consultant Mark Gray, as of Tuesday are:

• The total project cost was budgeted at $2.46 million.

• The town raised $2.3 million from three different sources.

• Low bids from R & R Construction Inc. of Lewiston came in at $2.1 million.

The total project includes four contracts:

• $570,860 bid for Poland’s salt and sand storage shed.

• $952,683 bid for Poland’s public works garage addition and improvements, which includes all site and utilities preparations for the entire project.

• $210,777 bid for Poland’s fuel island replacement.

• $387,409 bid for Poland’s bus dispatch center shared with School Union 29 office space.

Gray will present the latest numbers and a more detailed breakdown of space and dollars for the School Union 29 office building at a joint school committee meeting Thursday. As of Tuesday, Gray was still preparing his data. Actual construction costs won’t be done until the building is complete. Original numbers, according to contracts and an interlocal agreement among the three towns, are:

• $100,000 coming from the town of Poland for the bus dispatch portion of the building. The town has claim to 20.9 percent of the total 4,100-square-foot space.

• $250,000 coming from Poland, Minot, and Mechanic Falls combined school budgets for the administrative office space. The office would take up about 3,000 square feet of the building.

• $142,250 coming from Poland’s school budget for 45 percent building ownership.

• $57,000 coming from Mechanic Falls’ school budget for 22.8 percent ownership.

• $50,750 coming from Minot’s school budget for 17.87 percent ownership.

• $350,000 total budgeted cost of the building. The construction contract was awarded at $387,409.

There is a total cost overrun of $37,409.

If prorated according to the ownership agreement, additional funding for the administrative office and bus dispatch building would amount to, in rounded-off figures:

• $7,818 from the town of Poland for its bus dispatch share.

• $16,834 from Poland’s school budget.

• $8,529 from Mechanic Falls’ school budget.

• $6,684 from Minot’s school budget.