Locally funded extras also gain straw poll nod
CARIBOU, Maine — Just under 100 Caribou, Stockholm and Limestone residents attended a straw poll regarding the proposed preK-8 school in Caribou. An overwhelming majority of the RSU 39 voters who turned out Thursday were in favor of not only a new school, but also for approximately $2,337,949 worth of additions funded via local contributions.
Additions for the school will be listed as a separate question when the new school project goes to referendum in early February, and they include significantly expanded gym and music room space, with the bulk of costs being for extra construction work.
The state of Maine is paying for the majority of the base project, approximately $45,635,491 while roughly $347,663 of the base project costs will be funded by local taxes. Initially the RSU 39 school board and PDT Architects claimed the base project would not involve any local funding. However, the Department of Education informed the new school building committee that they would not fund certain aspects of the project, including a semi-slanted roof and wood around the building’s entrance.
Both PDT Architects and the building committee agreed that these changes would enhance the building’s aesthetic, allowing the school to better blend into its future surroundings (where Teague Park currently stands). The building committee’s consensus was that, without these cosmetic changes, the school would have an “institutional” appearance.
These changes, however, only make up half of the locally funded portion of the base project. Roughly $165,000 of the $347,663 is a result of City Council deciding not to waive the building permit fee. While this decision results in higher local taxes, councilors voted against waiving the fee to ensure that Caribou was protected throughout the entire construction process.
According to RSU 39 Business Manager Mark Bouchard, the Maine Department of Education may make minor budgetary changes before the school goes to referendum. However, the current figures are a close approximation of the project’s total cost.
City Councilor David Martin, one of two councilors who voted to waive the local inspection fee, asked Lyndon Keck of PDT Architects to explain all the layers of supervision built into the project.
According to the architect, there will be a certified building inspector on the staff who does code analysis. Additionally, the State Fire Marshall’s office, electrical office, health office, a full-time clerk of the works, and an independent commissioning agent, will ensure the project goes smoothly and is built to code.
“We also make periodic inspections every week or every other week depending on the quality of the work,” Keck said. “We also have another component called special inspections, which adds a set of independent eyes on the project.”
According to Bouchard, the RSU 39 is planning on discussing the state funded supervision of the project with City Council in an effort to see if they will reconsider their decision not to waive the building permit fees.
While the project comes with a sizable price tag, Lyndon Kuniholm and Keck of PDT, along with RSU 39 Superintendent Tim Doak explained that the school unit will save nearly $700,000 annually as a result of consolidating four buildings into one, and significantly reduced maintenance and labor costs.
Both Doak and Keck answered an audience member’s question about the resulting tax savings, claiming that he would save a total of $105.37 on his tax bill.
“So this is a no brainer,” the man said in response, eliciting applause from the the audience.
In response to a question about relative costs, Keck said that Lewiston’s elementary school cost $52 million while Corinth’s, built three years ago, cost about $28 million.
“This project is in the average,” Keck said. “It’s expensive to build today. Historically, our forefathers built buildings to last 40 or 50 years and today we’re building buildings to last for 75 or more years. This is a major investment, but the good news is that this building should be able to work hard for this community for a long time.”
Former State Senator Pete Edgecomb asked the architects and superintendent what aspects of the new school will impress students and community members.
“There are a lot of exciting components to the new school,” said Alan Kuniholm of PDT Architects. “Hopefully when you come through the school you’ll be able to walk by the innovation center and see things happen. It’s a departure from the schools we’ve seen, and it’s going to be quite exciting.”
“There is no middle school in Maine with an innovation center like this,” said Doak. “In this center we want to have robotics, legos, and a couple drones for a flight class. Also, animation is huge right now and we want to have kids working with computers and getting computers to move and tell stories. So if you are a student who is of limited English proficiency, you can still tell a story through animation.”
The superintendent added that RSU 39 is aiming to have two nurses, one physician and a dental chair to help students unable to afford good oral care.
“It’s a golden opportunity for Caribou, a wonderful thing for RSU 39, and most importantly, it’s going to be huge for Aroostook County,” Doak said.
