John Hawley, RSU 16 director of operations, told committee members that while the State Department of Education won’t be paying the bill, it regulates virtually every step in the construction process, including what the design fees will be.

 

Money to pay for concept designs will come from the $95,000 voters approved a year ago to conduct a feasibility study for the project. To date, approximately $5,000 has been expended.

 

It is estimated that the total project, which consists of eight classrooms and support space, would cost about $2.4 million, if constructed today.

 

Construction, according to Superintendent Tina Meserve, is probably four years away, and that depends entirely on whether district voters in Mechanic Falls, Minot and Poland agree to proceed beyond the concept design stage.

 

Meserve said she expects a referendum vote on design plans will held in June 2017.

 

In other business, the committee met with Poland Regional High School Principal Cari Medd to discuss the future of participation fees. Medd said the school began collecting participation fees in 2012, taking in about $10,000 a year and spending about half that for immediate support of athletic endeavors with the other half used to reduce capital costs of items like lights for the football field and resurfacing the track.

 

She also said fees had only been collected from students participating in athletics and not from students participating in other extracurricular activities.

 

On Medd’s recommendation, the committee voted to cease collecting participation fees.

 

In other action, Hawley was appointed as district safety and health officer with the responsibility of dealing with state officials regarding issues of workplace safety.

 

The committee also approved hiring Connor King as coach for the high school varsity softball team following an executive session.

 

In open session, Meserve said King is the son of Don King, the school’s athletic director, and could be only be hired by direct action of the committee and then only if other conditions were met. Among the conditions were naming Cari Medd as Connor King’s direct supervisor.

 

The committee also accepted the retirement of Lynn DiBiase, Poland Community School teacher for the past 29 years, with regrets and thanks for her dedicated service.