FARMINGTON — The Regional School Unit 9 board of directors will hold a public hearing Oct. 24 on a lease-purchase agreement for the Holman Mission House at 227 Main St.

It will begin at 6 p.m. in the forum at Mt. Blue High School. 

The board voted unanimously Sept. 26 to move forward with the agreement, using $550,000 in Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds, if voters in the 10 district towns approve Nov. 7.

The purchase is set to be finalized by the end of November.

In a Sept. 28 letter addressed to parents, guardians and staff, Superintendent Christian Elkington cited the need for a “dedicated space from which to better run district operations.”

“Based upon a thorough review of present district space availability, property and rental options in our 10 towns, along with the potential long-term costs to our district of adding new space through alternative means, I and members of the administrative team recommended that RSU 9 commit to a lease-purchase agreement for the Holman Mission House using funds that will need to be returned if not expended,” he wrote.

He listed areas that would directly benefit from the acquisition:

• Foster Career and Technical Education needs additional space for cooperative education and apprenticeship programming.

• Mt. Blue High School needs additional space for the alternative education program.

• Mt. Blue High School has limited ability to offer additional special education classroom space to meet growing needs.

• Records stored in tutoring spaces for some elementary schools and Mt. Blue Middle School would be moved, freeing those spaces for student and staff use.

At the Sept. 26 meeting, Elkington estimated roughly $550,000 in ESSER funds would need to be returned if not used for the intended project. He calculated $400,000 would be allotted for the purchase of the property and an additional $155,000 in improvements, including an electrical upgrade, asbestos removal and a new roof.

The district is getting estimates for those projects, he added.

The agreement would include a $50,000 down payment. If the purchase is not approved, RSU 9 would have a second chance to have the lease-purchase agreement approved by voters until September 2024. During that time, $10,000 would be spent monthly, with half that amount going toward the lease and the rest toward the principal.

Director Joshua Robbins of Vienna asked if the $50,000 is included in the overall $550,000.

Elkington said it is.

Director Richard Ruhlin of Industry asked if the down payment is refundable if voters do not approve the purchase.

Elkington said it is not.

“Fantastic,” Ruhlin replied. He later asked the superintendent if RSU 9 would be liable for the $50,000 if the voters do not approve the lease-purchase agreement.

“Not the way that the plan was written,” Elkington said.

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