HODGDON, Maine — Faced with a number of costly improvements to district buildings, SAD 70 officials are mulling alternative ways to fund these fixes so that the impact to taxpayers is kept to a minimum.
SAD 70 board learned Monday evening that the district could apply for a loan from the state’s School Revolving Renovation Fund. If their projects were selected by the state, the district would only have to pay back a portion of the loan, according to Superintendent Scott Richardson.
Back in January, school officials learned that numerous repairs should be done at Hodgdon High School, and others could be needed at Hodgdon Mill Pond School after an independent feasibility study of the district was done by the firm Bunker and Savage Architects of Augusta.
Some of the projects cited in the Bunker and Savage report have already been completed. This summer, staff bathrooms have been installed on the second floor of the high school by Haribson Plumbing and Heating, while guard rails on the two stairwells at the high school were installed by Buildings Etc.
A rubber roof membrane at the high school has also been repaired, while safety straps for basketball backboards at both schools have been ordered and should be installed soon.
Richardson said these projects came in significantly less than what was budgeted, which will result in a cost savings for the district.
One of the projects that the district had budgeted for, but has yet to go forward with, is the replacement of the fire alarm system at the high school. Richardson said he has received bids for the project, but with the start of school coming up on Aug. 31, he was not sure if the work could be done before hand.
He also suggested the district could list the fire alarm system upgrade as part of its loan application with the state, which would result in further cost savings. The upgrade is estimated to cost between $35,000-$50,000. Richardson added the current fire alarm system, while outdated, was still fully functional.
“Our fire alarm system is inspected, and it is approved,” he said. “I know it is old, but it is OK. Once students are in the building, we have to have a (working) fire alarm system and I don’t know how long it would take to install a new one. It might have to be done during vacation.”
Richardson said if the district wished to pursue a loan application, it would need to do so before the Sept. 30 deadline and there was no guarantee the state would approve any of the projects the district’s list. The SAD 70 list of projects totals nearly $1 million.
The idea of taking out a loan did not sit well with all of the board members. Maureen Friel, the representative of Cary Plantation, stated she was against the idea of sinking more money into the high school when other options, such as closing the building and tuitioning those students elsewhere has never been addressed.
Up until two years ago, SAD 70 was debt free. At that time, the district entered into a five-year loan agreement to perform energy efficiency upgrades.
The current high school is about 37,600 square feet. The original high school, excluding the gymnasium addition, was built in 1938. The gym was added in the 1970s as a stand-alone building that was later connected to the high school. 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 also 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 board took no action on the loan proposal and will revisit it at next month’s meeting.
