After its first attempt to pass a bond that would renovate the schools in the Boothbay-area school district failed, the district is asking for $30 million to only renovate the middle and elementary school.
In November, Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor voted down a two-part referendum to allocate a combined $89 million to renovate the elementary and middle school and build a new high school. Pushback came from those concerned about higher property taxes who hoped there were cheaper ways to make the schools safer and better for the students.
This time around, officials have decided to take it one step at a time, said Superintendent Robert Kahler. The only referendum on the ballot for now is asking for $30 million to renovate the elementary and middle school, leaving the issue of the high school for a future date and the regular budget.
The school, which was built in the 1970s, is in need of repairs and renovations, Kahler said. The school flooded in February of last year when the sprinklers malfunctioned. Students are learning in spaces that were meant to be storage closets, not classrooms. The walls aren’t soundproofed, leading to distraction in classrooms.
“It’s a building that was built in the ’70s,” Kahler said. “It’s not a question of things haven’t been kept up with, although that’s part of it. It’s more that a lot of things are just at their end of life.”
The amount of money the town is requesting for this project mirrors what it previously asked, even though construction costs have skyrocketed in the past six months, Kahler said. To keep costs down, planners and officials had to determine what was necessary and what had to be cut, along with adding in more items that have since broken or needed repair since the last proposal.
Changes include reducing the scope of the bus circle, saving $2.2 million and opting for double-paned windows instead of triple-paned. Since the last referendum, the school has also needed a new dry sprinkler system and plumbing gate valves.
If the referendum passes, property taxes will increase in Boothbay by $1.21 per $1,000 of assessed values, and $0.98 in Boothbay Harbor. For a $200,000 house, annual taxes will increase in Boothbay by $242 and $196 in Boothbay Harbor. Kahler noted that the rate would go up once, stagnate and then decrease as the bond is paid.
Other than necessary repairs, the referendum would allow for the construction of new educational facilities to better accommodate the students, including a maker space — an area for students to work on hands-on learning projects, middle school classrooms and updates to the consumer science lab.
If the referendum doesn’t pass, Kahler said the board will have to re-evaluate the proposal and come back with a new, cheaper bond.
“If we don’t do this, eventually we’re not going to have a school, and what’s the cost of that?” Kahler said.
The public hearings for the referendum will be on April 3 and 4.
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