ANDOVER — A fundraising drive by a group seeking to save the elementary school got a boost Thursday evening when the group received a donation from a long-standing local business.

Save/Recreate Andover Elementary School received a donation from Leon Akers of the 52-year-old Akers Ski Co., which specializes in manufacturing high-quality cross-country skis. Akers presented Susan Merrow, group representative, with a check for $5,000.

“The town thanks the incredible generosity of the Akers family,” Merrow said.

Andover Elementary School, a 33-student, grade K-5 institution, had been slated for closure when the Regional School Unit 44 Committee voted in May to close the school, citing the high cost of operation and its declining enrollment.

The RSU 44 plan was to bus Andover Elementary School students to Crescent Park Elementary School in Bethel, which is more than 20 miles away, this fall.

A local grassroots citizen group, Save Andover Elementary School, has spearheaded the effort to keep the school open.

A referendum vote of Andover citizens in early June resulted in an overwhelmingly 2-1 margin decision to keep the school open and to raise $214,600 for the 2011-12 school year. Fundraising has just begun.

“To me, the Andover Elementary School is a part of this community,” Akers said. “This is not a community without this school. There is so much that goes on at that school. It is a true community center. It is more than just a building. It holds the community’s spirit.”

For more information on the Save/Recreate Andover Elementary School fundraiser, contact the Andover Town Office at P.O. Box 219, Andover, ME 04216, or call 392-3302.

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