Architectural rendering of the proposed Edward Little High School. (Auburn School Department website)

AUBURN — Auburn residents will soon hear a proposal to spend $22 million raised through local taxes to help build a new Edward Little High School. Details will be shared with the public during an informational meeting from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the high school.

This drawing on display at Edward Little High School shows the location of various classrooms and facilities being proposed for the new school.

The layout of the proposed Edward Little High School campus is shown in this drawing officials have posted for public input in the school.

Go and do

• What: Informational meeting to give Auburn residents an update on the proposed new Edward Little High School, expected to open in fall 2023. Staff from Harriman architects will talk about the building design and proposed additional features that could cost Auburn taxpayers as much as $22 million, if approved by residents.
• When: 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 23
• Where: Edward Little High School
• What’s next: Straw poll in late February or early March indicating residents thoughts on the costs and design. A formal referendum on whether to approve the project will be held in June or September.

 

Architects from Harriman, the Auburn firm designing the school, will go over the proposed design and costs, and ask for feedback from residents, Superintendent Katy Grondin said.

The proposed new school — the cost of which has yet to be determined — will be paid for by the state. The School Committee, however, is asking taxpayers to consider financing additional features the state does not cover. The cost of those features adds up to about $22 million, but that figure is not firm and may change, Grondin said.

If residents ultimately decide to spend an additional $20 million, that would add about 90 cents to every $1,000 in property value for taxpayers, or $135 a year for a $150,000 property, School Department Business Manager Adam Hanson said.

The extras include:

• A state-of-the-art athletic turf field for football, soccer and lacrosse, with stadium seating, concession stands and lighting. Many Class A schools, including Lewiston, have turf fields that allow greater use than grass fields, Grondin said.

• A 1,200-seat auditorium to hold the student body and faculty, support student assemblies, drama, chorus and band, and another auditorium that the community would use. The state will only pay for an auditorium with 400 seats. The proposed auditorium would have a larger stage, dressing room, dress shop and cat walk. “The hope is to partner with Community Little Theatre, to have a box office making revenue,” Grondin said.

• A geothermal system that would provide clean energy for heating and cooling, along with natural gas, and a second turf field.

• Air conditioning throughout, plus an extra 10,000 square feet of classroom space for programs, and outside landscaping.

• Wood paneling on the walls throughout to give the school a warm feeling. Plus a set of “Google stairs,” which is a stair-like platform used for student lectures and programs. Google stairs “is a cost effective way to have a lecture hall without building a room,” Grondin said.

Residents attending Wednesday will be shown updated plans and diagrams of the new school, “why things are where they are, where we are in the process,” Grondin said.

A total cost of the school won’t be available, “but we will discuss local costs,” she said. Grondin said some of the additional items “we absolutely need,” and others would be good to have — all ultimately in the hands of the community.

For instance, if geothermal is taken off the list and the school is heated and cooled totally by natural gas, that would reduce initial spending by $2.8 million, Grondin said. However, she added, the state is considering paying for half of the geothermal costs, and the use of geothermal would reduce heating costs.

Not building a second turf athletic field would reduce spending by $700,000, Grondin said.

The design of the school will include three levels of classrooms on the left side of the main entrance; to the right will be the gymnasium, auditorium and career technical programs.

The new school will be a satellite of the Lewiston Regional Technical Center offering high-schoolers training in fields including EMT, fire science, engineering, cosmetology, composite manufacturing, culinary arts and early childhood education.

Those attending the Wednesday evening meeting will be asked to fill out forms sharing feedback. “Do you like what we’ve done? Are you in support or not?” Grondin said. That feedback will help determine “are we on the right path, and are there things that need adjustments?” she said.

A June referendum at which residents will have the final say on the project is planned, but it may have to be pushed to September, Grondin said, giving more time for the new Maine Department of Education commissioner to approve the project.

Pending voter approval, the new school would open in fall 2023.

bwashuk@sunjournal.com

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