The town of Liberty will take over ownership of the Walker School, the town’s former elementary school which closed in June. Residents are hoping to turn the former school into a community center that could house pre-K and day care programs and possibly the town offices.
The elementary school closed in June as part of a school consolidation effort undertaken by the 11-town Regional School Unit 3.
The closure was “devastating” and raised concerns about the future of the town of 934 residents, said Carol McGovern, who was principal at the school for nine years starting in the early 2000s.
It’s hard for a town without a school to attract or keep families, she said.
“The idea was that if we’re going to lose the school, let’s try to develop it into something that really is a gem for the community that makes people want to be here,” said McGovern, who chairs the Walker’s Future Committee.
The school district offered the building to the town for free. At a special town meeting held Saturday, voters unanimously approved taking ownership.
“It was very exciting to see that unanimous vote,” said McGovern. “We all kind of teared up a little bit, actually. It was like, wow, the town’s really behind us.”
The Select Board’s main apprehension about taking ownership of the building was potential costs. McGovern said that any improvements will be funded through grants and not taxes.
The school district has committed to paying for upkeep until June, though the official handover could occur before that.
The vote was only on whether or not to accept the building, not what to do with it.
With the building secured, work is already underway to raise money and flesh out next steps.
Yesterday, representatives for Rep. Jared Golden and Sens. Angus King and Susan Collins toured the building and spoke with the committee about potential sources of federal funding.
On Feb. 3, the Select Board and the public will meet to discuss the next phase of the project and to form a “new, more robust” committee that will draw on community input and expertise in grant writing, building, and fundraising, McGovern said.
