PARIS — In the wake of Agnes Gray Elementary School closing due to safety concerns, it will be up to Maine Administrative District 17’s school board to make decisions on available options and required costs to make the building secure enough to reopen.
Separately, the district has been directed by the Maine Department of Education to consider the future of three other elementary schools.
SAD 17 Superintendent Heather Manchester confirmed to the Advertiser Democrat on Feb. 15 that the district’s administration is currently gathering information on behalf of the board of the work and expenses it will take for West Paris elementary students to return to their school.
With board support, Manchester closed the school Feb. 6, following a presentation that showed a long list of code violations and unsafe conditions, made by LaVallee Brensinger Architects’ representatives John Britton, Jr. and Lance Whitehead.
LaVallee Brensinger is the firm chosen by school board directors last March to lead the process of replacing the elementary school.
Maine DOE placed Agnes Gray, along with Oxford Hills Middle School, on the state’s priority list for replacement in September of 2022.
Among the requirements to receive Maine DOE funding for school construction is a districtwide assessment of all schools’ conditions. Hebron Station and Paris Elementary school received “A” ratings; Oxford Elementary School a B; Otisfield Community School a C+; Waterford Memorial and Guy E. Rowe Elementary schools Cs; and Harrison Elementary School a D+.
A 2023 districtwide inspection of Oxford Hills’ elementary schools indicates Waterford Memorial, Guy E. Rowe and Harrison Elementary schools are in below average or worse condition.
After reviewing the assessments, Maine DOE advised SAD 17 to search for solutions for its four lowest-rated schools, West Paris, Waterford, Harrison and Rowe; look into building a new school in a central location that utilizes existing infrastructure; and develop a plan that utilizes all existing spaces within each elementary school.
If the DOE ultimately decides that SAD 17 must consolidate schools to qualify for construction funding, it will be up to taxpayers to decide whether to comply and receive financial support, or build a new a new school in West Paris without any state assistance.
In light of the school’s failing grade, last fall SAD 17 also instructed LaVallee Brensinger to provide an analysis of Agnes Gray’s safety and structural failures with interim recommendations.
During the Feb. 6 meeting, Britton and Whitehead estimated that it would cost around $657,000 to repair Agnes Gray’s roof, exterior ramps and steps, replace sanitary waste lines and all plumbing fixtures, renovate all bathrooms, upgrade kitchen safety equipment and fire suppression system, update the building’s fire alarm system and replace missing smoke detectors, replace exterior light and egress, and install an emergency generator.
Agnes Gray’s facilities, utilities and maintenance budget for the current fiscal year is $175,219.
To completely rehabilitate the 130-year-old school would cost an estimated $4.5 million and take three to seven years to complete.
The timeline to build a new elementary school in West Paris is between five to seven years.
According to the public education advocacy group Save our Schools, the average cost in 2023 to build a school ranged between $200 to $500 per square foot. Agnes Gray is 16,525 square feet; its current student population is 124.
Fire, safety and evacuation codes were the most critical failures highlighted during LaVallee Brensinger’s presentation. After the school closed Feb. 7, West Paris residents questioned how the school would be considered safe for students one day and condemned the next.
The Advertiser Democrat queried Manchester on the process of school safety inspections. She said sprinklers and fire alarms are inspected quarterly.
“The inspection process is generally under the local municipality’s jurisdiction,” she wrote in an email. “Chapter 125 regulations from the [Maine] DOE require life safety inspection every five years, conducted by the local municipality.”
Manchester did not provide dates of the most recent inspections for any SAD 17 school buildings.
The building committees for West Paris and Oxford Hills middle schools meet jointly the first Thursday of every month. Building timelines, construction guidelines, meeting agendas and minutes, presentations and community updates and a list of building committee members can be found at https://sites.google.com/msad17.org/msad17-building-projects/home.
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