PARIS — Voters of the Oxford Hills school district will be asked Tuesday, Feb. 24, to vote on a $3.8 million, 10-year bond proposal that would move its transportation and facilities departments from their locations on Alpine and Brown streets in Paris to a former car dealership on Main Street.

Maine School Administrative District 17 would purchase the former Bessey Motors property at 209 Main St. for $2 million under the proposal.

In addition, renovations and bus lifts would cost $290,000. Building and systems upgrades would be $465,314. Exterior site and lot work is estimated to be $261,000.

Adding a fueling station, which officials say will need to be done within five years regardless of location, would cost $397,000. Soft costs are estimated to be 25% of the entire project, or about $353,328.

Those figures do not include interest.

Seller Ancorum Credit Union agreed to drop the purchase price by $100,000 from $2.1 million late last year, after lack of heat in the buildings at 209 Main St. caused pipes to freeze and burst. Superintendent Heather Manchester confirmed the estimates to renovate and update systems of the property include the structures in their current condition.

SAD 17 hosted public tours of the bus garage Jan. 14 and 20 and Feb. 5. On Feb. 10, it held a public hearing to present its plan and answer questions.

Most of the approximately 60 in attendance acknowledged the need for the current bus garage to be maintained and improved. However, some people, especially those from Paris, felt their concerns to date have not been answered.

SAD 17’s current transportation fleet of 25 full-size buses, eight mini-buses and 18 vans is expected to grow over time. Transportation Director Chuck Beardsley said they will eventually be required to add a fourth mechanic to his staff.

The Facilities Department would also move from its current warehouse located at Gouin Field. 

During the current academic year 2,260 SAD 17 students, about 75%, are registered for bus transportation. But administrators could not answer how many of them actually ride the bus to and from school. 

The project’s $3.8 million price tag, and estimates of $3 million for renovation or $6 million to $7 million to build in a new location, were the biggest concerns.

Voters voiced frustration that other options have not been considered and not all questions have yet been answered.

The town of Paris has floated the idea of deeding vacant land off Oxford Street to SAD 17 to relocate to instead, in an effort to keep 209 Main St. as a commercial property. No estimates have been done for that location, but the site is unimproved with no connected utilities.

What used to be the dealership’s showroom would not be utilized under the proposal, but could be sold or leased. Superintendent Heather Manchester and School Board Chair Troy Ripley of Paris said that as a nonprofit, the school department would have to go through a lengthy statute process to divest or lease.

Paris resident Matthew Gary pointed out that the height of the former dealership’s garage would not allow bus lifts to be fully utilized.

“The ceiling is 15 feet and a bus is 11.5 feet high,” Gary said. “You could only lift them three-and-a-half feet from the ground, which is worse than a creeper,” which is how the mechanics work on vehicles now.

Paris resident Ron Ramsey suggested that erecting a steel building on Brown Street could be done at a cost of $60 to $80 a square foot. “This wouldn’t include site work,” he said. “But it could be done for considerably less.”

SAD 17 officials could not say what the square footage is of the current garage, or how much of its eight surrounding acres is utilized. Beardsley said most of the unused land consists of trees, swampy areas, a brook and detention pond. 

Parts of the ground at 30 Brown St. is said to be unstable, but no cost assessments have been done to determine the feasibility of improving its integrity and using that property. 

Attendees were skeptical of Beardsley’s statement that bus traffic routed between the rear entrance, two side streets and Alpine Street to the the intersection of Main and Fair streets will not create new headaches at an already congested area. He pointed out that buses currently turn on and off Fair Street — the same road — at an intersection with no traffic lights.

One person asserted that several test runs should be done to compare the route entries between Brown Street and Alpine Street before concluding there would be no impact.

Several residents lamented that more research had not be done before presenting a bond to voters. 

“You never buy the first car you look at,” said Paris resident Chris Seeley. “But that’s exactly what you’re doing.”