CARIBOU, Maine — RSU 39 (Caribou and Stockholm) school officials updated an audience of about 25 on the new Caribou Community School project, and discussed future improvements needed for school facilities during a Dec. 5 information meeting at the Caribou Performing Arts Center.
Superintendent Tim Doak welcomed guests and discussed the current progress of the Caribou Community School, which is slated to open for students in August 2020.
He showed slides illustrating the construction of the floor, which features an in-floor heating system, in addition to showing several pictures of the inside of the building depicting the classroom construction.
Caribou Community School will house Pre-K through grade eight students, and replace Teague Park Elementary School and Caribou Middle School, the latter of which will be demolished and the space used for parking. While the middle school will mostly be torn down, the tech area will remain and become a new carpentry shop. A heating plant will also be placed on the property.
The middle school will need to be completely vacated by June 19 of next year, so the two-month asbestos abatement process can begin. After which local contractor Soderberg Construction will begin demolishing the property in mid-August.
“Parking will be a little hectic at first when the new school opens,” Doak said,” and we will utilize Teague Park for parking as much as we can.”
Since the new school is being built on property that formerly contained a park, the administration was required to relocate the park across Bennett Drive.
Doak said the new park will feature tennis and basketball courts, a softball field and a splash pad. He added that Carl Soderberg, owner of Soderberg Construction, helped move the construction of the softball field along by purchasing sod out of his own pocket.
“We were going to use grass seed, and it would’ve been two years before anyone could’ve played softball,” Doak said. “So when Carl came to us with this idea, we didn’t say no. That’s for sure. By having the sod, we are able to pretty much get on the field by next summer, which will save us some time.”
One attendee asked if construction is still on schedule for the school to open next August.
Doak said that while school and construction officials are “still looking at August,” he’s discussed potentially starting elementary school after Labor Day, or Sept. 7, to give the contractors “plenty of time in August to finish.”
“We’re going to be packing stuff up in June, and moving it all throughout the summer,” Doak said. “August 1 is the deadline, but we’re giving them that month as a cushion.”
He said school will start about a week later for the 2020 year, and then everything would be back on a normal schedule in the coming years.
Assistant Superintendent Jane McCall then joined Doak to discuss colors chosen for the building’s interior.
She explained that the color choices were the result of several meetings, and that the ultimate decision was to have a unique color scheme on the first floor, which will contain the elementary school classrooms, and then to begin incorporating maroon (the Caribou school color) into the middle school classes upstairs, preparing the students to enter high school.
“Fifth grade is a big deal in life, and a big jump,” McCall said. “So we wanted to reflect that with the colors upstairs.”
The stairway leading up to the second floor, McCall said, will hint toward this aesthetic shift with burgundy colored handrails.
Business Manager Mark Bouchard discussed the finances surrounding the project, and told the audience that out of $53 million, local taxpayers are only responsible for $2.5 million, or 5 percent of the total costs. The $2.5 million was approved via local referendum vote and will fund additional gym and music room space in the new facility.
To date, he said that $24,868,461 — or about 43 percent of the total budget — has been spent on the project and that roughly $2.8 million is being spent every month on construction and other fees related to the project.
“That doesn’t necessarily represent 43 percent completion,” Bouchard said. “They do the work, and then we pay them, so we’re behind the construction.”
He also mentioned the project’s inclusion of local contractors will boost Caribou’s economy, and concluded by sharing some noteworthy figures about the project: it required 270 tons of steel to build, it contains 301 windows and 281 doors, and the building itself is 120,975 square feet.
One audience member asked if the Maine Department of Education has visited the construction site, and if they are pleased with the project so far.
Doak said that RSU 39 officials typically meet with Maine DOE School Construction Coordinator Valerie Chiang once a week, either in person or via phone interview, adding that she was particularly impressed that worked continued throughout a recent storm in the area.
“She made a comment that this project was going during a storm, when Mt. Ararat [a school project in Topsham] construction stopped, and they all went home that day,” Doak said. “The DOE called us up and they couldn’t believe the work ethic we have in northern Maine.”
Looking ahead, RSU 39 plans to hold an additional information meeting on school projects, with updated numbers and figures, in either late February or early March 2020.
