RUMFORD — An engineer will address the air quality and mold issues at Mountain Valley Middle School in Mexico at a meeting Wednesday with Regional School Unit 10 officials and residents.

The meeting with a representative from Sevee & Maher Engineers of Cumberland will begin at 6 p.m. at the Mountain Valley High School auditorium, 799 Hancock St. in Rumford.

Superintendent Deb Alden notified middle school staff and families of the meeting in an email after Monday night’s board meeting at the high school.

The middle school at 58 Highland Terrace was closed Oct. 8 due to air quality tests showing high levels of mold. Students switched to online learning Oct. 15.

The middle school serves 366 students in grades five to 8.

Mexico Town Manager Raquel Welch-Day speaks Monday to Regional School Unit 10 directors meeting at Mountain Valley High School in Rumford. Mexico Town Manager Raquel Welch-Day speaks Monday to Regional School Unit 10 directors meeting at Mountain Valley High School in Rumford. Marianne Hutchinson/Rumford Falls Times screenshot from video

School board members Kristin Chapman of Sumner, Allison Long of Buckfield and Chad Culleton of Hartford asked Monday whether the district could use some parts of the middle school for classrooms.

Alden said she was not sure how the contaminated areas could be closed off.

“I’m not saying no; I’m not saying yes,” but Sevee & Maher Engineers said it was going to take months and hundreds of thousands of dollars to fix the problem, Alden said.

The board agreed to proceed with plans for fifth grade classrooms in the basement of the Apostolic Church at 9 Brown St., pending the board’s review of a list of safety upgrades, drafting leases, and agreement of the Office of State Fire Marshal.

The next steps for the church building’s use will be decided at the next board meeting Nov. 12 at Buckfield Junior-Senior High School at 6:30 p.m.

The former Mexico police station on Recreation Drive might not be used for classrooms because of the town’s Old School Food Pantry on the second floor. The architects did not include the food pantry in their design plans for classrooms.

It’s looking like the food pantry will be torn down, Mexico Town Manager Raquel Welch-Day said. “And that’s a concern that was discussed right from the very beginning; that the food pantry stayed.”

A representative of Harriman architectural firm in Auburn spoke virtually during the meeting, saying if the food pantry needs to remain in the building, the best option would be to move it to the first floor with a door directly to the outside.

Good Shepherd Food Bank has to approve these changes and that can take two to three months, Welch-Day said. “So that is not feasible.”

In further discussion, administrators would try to get Good Shepherd’s approval for the to move to the first floor more quickly.

If the Recreation Drive building is not usable, the board of directors will consider available classroom spaces in Rumford Elementary School and Meroby Elementary School in Mexico, or space in neighboring school districts.

Construction of the $92 million Mountain Valley Community School on Highland Avenue in Mexico is underway and is expected to open in August 2025. It will serve more than 1,000 students in prekindergarten through eighth grade, replacing the middle school, Meroby Elementary school at 21 Cross St. in Mexico and Rumford Elementary School at 121 Lincoln Ave.

RSU 10 includes Buckfield, Hartford, Sumner, Mexico, Rumford, Hanover and Roxbury.