Scarborough school board members believe it is necessary to replace Wentworth School with a newer, larger building and demolish the existing school.

The future of the school was a matter of contention when the board met with the Town Council to discuss the district’s plan to build an addition to the middle school and construct a new intermediate school. The projects are estimated to cost between $40 and $54 million.

Rob Klinedinst, of Harriman Associates, who is designing the plans, said the cost to renovate the existing building verses a new one is $5 million, or 16 percent more than building a new school.

“It’s not worth the economic costs of adding onto the school now,” said board Chairman Robert Mitchell.

In addition to the cost savings, leaving the existing building once the new one is completed would also leave little room for parking, Mitchell said.

Councilor Sylvia Most said she was in favor of the construction of a new intermediate school, but questioned the $33 million price. She said she wants to ensure the district can fully explain why it needs a 190,000-square-foot school and its costs.

Another aspect of the plan that drew attention was the proposed 7,500-square-foot theater, which will contain 611 seats. A school administrator said the auditorium is necessary for extra-curricular activities and classroom presentations, but is not designed to fit every student in the school.

“The idea is to have something big enough because we have so many programs,” said board member David Beneman.

The district also is proposing a 65,000-square-foot addition and renovation to the middle school that is estimated at around $15.4 million. Both construction estimates do not include soft costs such as designing the building.

Town Councilor Jeffrey Messer questioned whether voters will approve the $50 million request on the heels of the $27 million high school expansion, the most expensive school project in the state’s history a community has paid for without help from the state.

According to numbers he developed, it would cost a homeowner an additional $125 per $100,000 in assessed value if the plan passed as presented. For a person with a $340,000 assessment, which is the town’s average residential assessment, it would equal $425 per year for 20 years, Messer said.

He also pointed to the town’s escalating debt. In June, 2002, the town had $35 million in debt, and three years later, its debt load jumped to $67.7 million.

“I think there’s little chance of it passing at $50 million,” he said.

Messer believes the project could be reduced to between $20 million and $30 million by reconfiguring the grades to create a middle school for seventh and eighth grades and an intermediate school for third grade through sixth grade.

The move would alleviate overcrowding at the middle school, thereby eliminating the need for the addition. Messer then said portions of the intermediate school should be renovated and expanded while older portions could be demolished.

Superintendent Bill Michaud countered that the best educational program is keeping with the current grade alignment.

“I think it’s the responsibility of the administration and school board to put forward to the public the project that makes the best educational sense, and that is what this does,” Michaud said.

However, Messer reiterated his previous statements that he would vote to place the issue on the ballot even though he might not support the proposal.

The addition at the middle school would eliminate the need for the portable classrooms. The middle school was built in 1996 and was at capacity the day it opened.

Part of the reason the school was built so small was because it was a state-funded project and had to follow the rules the state dictates when it comes to school construction.

There are 824 students at the school, and the addition would allow a total capacity of 950 students.

Both projects are expected to be locally-funded since they fall so low on the Department of Education’s Capital Improvement list. Michaud said the reason for the low ranking is that the schools are good compared to some of the other buildings on the list, but do not compare to the district’s other schools, which have had recent renovations and expansions.

The Scarborough school board has proposed replacing Wentworth Intermediate School with a new building and demolishing the old school.