HODGDON, Maine — Members of the SAD 70 school board and the communities that make up the district will soon have to weigh several difficult and costly decisions regarding the district’s buildings.
School officials learned Jan. 26 at a special board meeting that numerous repairs are needed at Hodgdon High School, and others may be needed at Hodgdon Mill Pond School after Bunker and Savage Architects of Augusta conducted an independent feasibility study of the district’s buildings.
“It is not really good news, but it is information that we have to have,” said Estela Lane, board chair.
Bunker and Savage began its review of the district last summer and have returned to look at the schools a number of times and found a number of concerns with the high school, including masonry that is “rapidly deteriorating,” handicap accessibility issues and life safety conditions from guard rails on the stairwells being well below the required height.
The electrical system, communications and fire alarm systems are also outdated, according to the report, and the roof is “well beyond its normal life expectancy.”
Mill Pond School, which serves pre-K to grade 8, was in much better condition, according to the report, but was not without issues. Built in the 1970s, with an addition added in 1986, this school is in need of upgrades to its handicap accessibility, renovating the locker rooms to meet ADA accessibility requirements and the installation of a new roof, which was installed in 1986. Several classrooms were also listed as needing new energy efficient heating/ventilation units.
If the district were to perform all of the repairs at the high school listed in the report, the price tag would be between $1,486,950 to $1,676,000. Additionally, the repairs and upgrades to Mill Pond School, were estimated at $717,400 to $839,800.
The district’s Superintendent’s Office building is also included in the report. It was suggested that building should be closed and the office relocated to Mill Pond School, which would then require moving grades seven and eight to the high school.
Another alternative would be to build an entire new high school at a cost of $15.4 million, the report states.
“The facilities committee and the budget committee will be looking at priorities, but we will certainly look at safety issues first and then look at the most needed maintenance issues,” said Superintendent Scott Richardson.
The current high school, which is about 37,600 square feet, has a number of issues as detailed in the report. The original high school, excluding the gymnasium addition, was built in 1938. The gym was added in the 1970s as a stand-alone building. Major renovations took place at the high school in 1986, including the addition of classrooms, a library, administrative space and a central, multi-functional area, which serves as the school’s cafeteria.
While much of the heating and plumbing was replaced in 1987, numerous elements are well beyond their normal life expectancy. Some plumbing and heating lines are original and the advanced septic system used is now 30 years old.
The deteriorating masonry at the high school was one of the most concerning, according to Craig Boone and Jim Pelsor of Bunker and Savage.
“There is a need for the high school right now,” Pelsor said. “The mortar in those bricks is crumbling and the concrete is falling off, exposing steel. If it continues, water will penetrate into the building and become an ongoing issue.”
The estimated cost to do re-pointing of the brick masonry was listed between $190,000-$209,000. An additional charge of about $30,000 was quoted to make that work water repellent.
The study also revealed enrollment concerns for the district. Enrollment at the high school is down to 136 students, as of October, 2014. That number is anticipated to decline further to an estimated 121 students by 2018-19, the report states.
District wide, however, enrollment has remained relatively steady over the past six years. For grades pre-K through 12, there are 487 students, which compares to 460 in 2013 and 459 in 2012.
Those enrollment figures do not include out-of-district students who attend the school system as part of a superintendent’s agreement with other schools. Over the last few years, about 46 students from other districts have attended school in SAD 70.
Richardson said the board would be taking some time to digest all of the information presented to them. Some of the items will be addressed immediately, he noted.
“We are already getting estimates for the safety straps for the backboards (for the basketball hoops at the high school) as this is something that could be a danger to the students and the public,” Richardson said. “Some safety issues might be done during this school year and others might be included in next year’s budget.”
The larger maintenance items, such as the re-pointing of the masonry at the high school will require long-term planning, although it could be decided to dedicate monies to this next year or to look into financing a capital improvement project, he added.
“I am sure as we go through the budget process, the board will make some type of decisions in regard to how to meet the immediate needs of the district,” Richardson said.
SAD 70 does not have a fund for capital improvements, except for a very small budget item for a new fire alarm system that was started last year. The district budgeted $15,000 for the feasibility study, but the actual cost wound up costing the district $23,500.
Both Pelsor and Boone stated the prospects of SAD 70 getting a school construction project funded by the state were slim, as the current trend is shifting to larger, consolidated schools. Also, the district should not hope to receive state funding for any of the repairs, meaning the costs will fall directly to taxpayers.
Some board members suggested the district could also consider the option of closing the high school and tuition those students to another school district.
“It is a lot of information and any additions to the budget for maintenance or capital improvements will be part of the budget process, which will be open to the public as always,” Richardson said. “The SAD 70 school board welcomes input from all community members.”
