CARIBOU, Maine — Caribou is one step closer to receiving a new preK-8 school now that city council has approved the warrant and notice of the Feb. 7 vote.
Voters in RSU 39 member towns (Caribou, Limestone and Stockholm) can vote on two items related to the proposed school: the first item is for the base project and the second is for additional gymnasium and music room space.
Both the RSU and PDT Architects of Portland have spent over a year hashing out the details of the new building. The final design will be two floors, and land on Bennett Drive, where Teague Park currently stands. A large hallway, which the building committee refers to as “main street,” will go through the first floor and tie the rooms together.
The building will also feature an “innovation center,” which RSU 39 Superintendent Tim Doak said will offer robotics, legos, animation classes, and a couple of drones for a flight class. Doak also mentioned that, in the future, children from low-income families may have an opportunity to receive dental care at the new facility.
The State Board of Education recently agreed to fund $45,464,963 of the base project. However, the warrant issued to city council by the RSU 39 school board asks if voters will “favor authorizing the (RSU) to issue bonds in the name of the RSU for school construction project purposes in an amount not to exceed $45,815,261.”
The additional $350,298 will fund aspects of the project state officials did not approve, including a slanted roof, the incorporation of wooden elements to enhance the building’s look, and triple glazed insulated windows to reduce energy costs.
During a Nov. 2016 straw poll, Doak explained that community savings resulting from replacing four aging facilities with one energy efficient building will not only offset the additional cost, but result in a savings. In fact, the warrant issued by the RSU explains that there will be an “annual net savings of $697,388.94 in operating costs attributable to the project in each of the first two years.”
If voters accept the first item, or base project, both Caribou Middle School and Teague Park School will be demolished, while Teague Park will be relocated across the street from its current location. The Learning Center will be demolished and conveyed to the city. While demolition for these buildings will be covered by the state, the RSU may be responsible for the demolition of former Sincock School, after which the site will be given to the city.
Hilltop School, on the other hand, will not be demolished, and the RSU has agreed to convey the property to Caribou, who will then sell or lease the building to Assisted Living of Caribou, Inc. to use as a senior housing facility.
The second question on the ballot will ask voters if they favor an additional $2,327,274 of local money being spent on modifications to the project, which primarily include a second gymnasium and additional music room spaces. Voting “yes” on this item will also authorize the RSU to accept pledges and donations aimed at reducing this number by $1,000,000. According to the warrant, all donated money will go toward reducing the local tax burden.
A fund-raising organization called “Friends of Caribou Schools” was recently established by citizens Ron Willey and Sam Collins to help offset these costs. The organization is actively seeking pledges from community members and recently received a $25,000 pledge from the family of Philip Willey and the late Vivian Willey, $50,000 from the Caribou Rotary, and a $100,000 pledge from Aroostook Savings and Loan.
Caribou City Clerk Jayne Farrin said on Jan. 4 that absentee ballots are currently available at the City Office on 25 High Street until close of business on Feb. 2. Those who wish to physically attend the election can do so on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at the Caribou Wellness Center on 55 Bennett Drive between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Willey family pledges $25,000 to ‘Friends’
CARIBOU, Maine — The family of Philip Willey and the late Vivian Willey has committed a pledge of $25,000 to assist local efforts to expand the music area in the new elementary school to be built in Caribou.
The pledge is made in memory of Mrs. Willey.
“It was our intention to recognize our mother’s love of both children and music in this important way,” said family spokesperson Rick Willey. “Her six local great-grandchildren, along with the entire elementary student population, will benefit directly from this project and we are happy to be able to support it.”
The proposed new elementary school for grades pre-Kindergarten through 8 will replace four existing RSU 39 buildings, and will be built almost entirely with state funding with the exception of an estimated $2.3 million for a second gym and enhanced music area. Both have been cited as critical to a community that will lose four gyms and has a much larger music program than a typical Maine middle school. A local fundraising effort is underway to offset as much of the additional cost as possible.
“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to memorialize a family member as well as support this modest expansion in a community very supportive of education,” Rick Willey said. “The economic and cultural community enhancement this school will provide is just what Caribou needs. We urge other families to consider this project for support.”
For additional information on the new school project, visit www.rsu39.org, and to learn how to support the fundraising effort for the second gym and expanded music space, visit focsRSU39.wix.com/focs.
Public hearings are scheduled in the communities of RSU 39 as follows: Thursday, Jan. 19, in Caribou; Tuesday, Jan. 24, in Limestone; and Wednesday, Jan. 25, in Stockholm.
