Teague Park is the proposed location for the new school building, which will replace the aging Hilltop, Teague Park, and Caribou Middle School buildings with one facility. According to Keck, the new school will be far more energy efficient than each of the old buildings, meaning that Caribou taxpayers will spend far less money maintaining the building over the course of time. Further, the Maine Department of Education may be willing to pay for a majority of the associated costs, from constructing the new building, to demolishing the old buildings on the Teague Park land.
“We had a meeting with the Department of Education,” said Keck. “At that time we asked the Facilities Director, Scott Brown, if he would be prepared to recommend some of the things I have shared with the council, including the Department of Education paying for the demolition of the middle school, Teague Park Elementary School, and the Learning Center. He answered in the affirmative, but I want to be clear that he is not the final decision-maker and that he works for the Commissioner of Education.
“So when the project is ready for final approval, he presents it to the Commissioner of Education and updates him every month so there isn’t a surprise when the project is finally presented. The Commissioner would recommend the project to the state Board of Education. Only the state Board of Education, under state of Maine law, is allowed to expend monies for the construction of schools,” Keck added.
If the state Board of Education accepts the proposal, it then goes to the voters under RSU 39, or the residents of Caribou, Limestone and Stockholm.
Another obstacle for the new school construction is that there are national park service restrictions on the land.
“Those restrictions actually trump the gift of the park by the Teague family,” explained Keck. “Those restrictions truly are in perpetuity, whereas the gift of the land as a park may have indeed already been fulfilled because the park has been there for 118 years. In these instances, the court will sometimes look at the intent of the gift and say that it is fulfilled because it has been over 100 years.”
Keck explained that there is a possibility of the RSU exchanging land to compensate for the aforementioned restrictions.
“There are three choices on the table as far as the National Park Service and RSU 39 is concerned,” said Keck. “One of those is Hilltop Elementary School. The RSU owns almost 15 acres of land there. Another possibility is wetland areas; the National Park Service is open to the idea of using wetland areas. Their mission is really to protect as much natural open space as possible. The third choice is the Sincock School. It’s a small parcel at 1.17 acres, but it could also be used.”
The RSU 39 school board voted to offer these pieces of land as a swap during their last meeting. (See related story.)
“How far along does this go before it finally goes out to referendum?” Mayor Gary Aiken asked. “It seems like we’re doing an awful lot of things, and then if the people turn around and say they don’t want it, it’s certainly a lot of wasted effort, is it not?”
Keck explained that, to get to the point of putting out a legal voting referendum, “You have to have a site in hand, a site design, a building design, and a firm budget. It’s a lot of work. You’re absolutely right. In the meantime, there will be straw vote for the site in January, but the straw poll is only as good as the number of people who come out.”
Councilor Phil McDonough II had questions about what aspects of the project are paid for by the state, and what would become the city’s responsibility.
“Exactly what is it that the school department is going to pay for,” said McDonough, “and what may be considered an additional element? When they say you have been selected to build a new facility, do they give you carte blanche, or do they give you certain parameters that you try to fit your elements into?”
“Whatever elements don’t fit will go onto a third column,” said RSU 39 Superintendent Timothy Doak. “If we want those elements and the communities feel they are important enough to raise taxes and pay for them, then you will know about it by the time of the referendum vote.”
