Scarborough town councilors plan to send a $54.8 million school construction project to voters, but some of them aren’t happy about it.

“The Council is tired of fighting with the School Board,” said Council Chairman Steve Ross. “Let the town decide. Leave it up to the voters.”

The project would include additions and renovations to the Middle School to help reduce crowding at a cost of $16.6 million. The plans for Wentworth Intermediate are more extensive, involving the complete demolition and rebuilding of the school at a cost of $38.4 million.

Councilors will vote on whether to send the project to voters later this month. Before that, councilors will meet with School Board members in a workshop to discuss the project on June 14. While the School Board is unanimous in its support for the project, some councilors are questioning the cost, and at least one is promising to campaign against it.

Councilor Sylvia Most is not only confident the bond will appear on this year’s ballot, but hopes the town votes in favor of it. “I expect some discussion on the topic, but I don’t expect the Council to block it. My understanding is that all of the councilors have pledged to pass on the bond (to voters) no matter what.”

Council Chairman Steve Ross said “there may be some (Town Council) members that are skeptical, but they’re not going to pound on the School Board.”

Councilor Jeffrey Messer does promise to forward the bond to the ballot regardless of the costs, though he believes and even hopes the town will vote against it.

“If (the School Board) wants to shoot for the moon and put it on the ballot, go ahead,” said Messer.

Messer does not deny the schools need help, but he questions both the timing and the costs of the projects. Once he’s voted to send the bond request to the ballot, he said he may “actively campaign against it.”

The complete rebuilding of Wentworth Intermediate and the renovations to the Middle School come just after the High School, the most expensive school project in the sate of Maine to be entirely supported through local property taxes. This year voters must also decide on a $6.75 million renovation of the library.

Over capacity

There will be no state aid for the latest round of school construction. Out of 66 applicants for state money, Wentworth is ranked at 51 and the Middle School even lower at 60. According to School Board member David Beneman, in 1996 when the Middle School was built the state provided 95 percent of the money. This time the town will be responsible for the entire amount.

Beneman added that at the time, Maine’s school aid program did not allow for extended future enrollment projections in order to be as cost effective as possible. According to Beneman, this meant the Middle School was planned and built far too small.

Halfway through construction Scarborough received state permission to add four classrooms and 10 feet to the cafeteria. Both Perry and Beneman said that was not nearly enough.

“It opened over capacity, and it has been over capacity ever since,” said Beneman. As an example he cites the four separate lunch periods needed to keep crowding down in the cafeteria.

With a stepson who spent two years in the Middle School portables, Most agrees that the school must expand, saying that the “support base for that school is heavily overtaxed.”

Councilor Shawn Babine also believes the Middle School’s space needs are obvious, though he questions the costs. “I think it’s pricey, but everything is pricey these days.”

The renovations and additions to the Middle School will cost about $16.6 million. This project would add 53,000 square feet, including 1,800 square feet to the cafeteria. All the existing classrooms will remain the same size, while the 16 new classrooms will increase by 100 square feet.

Of those proposed new classrooms, three of them will be dedicated to special education, another area Beneman says needs more staff and space.

The additions will also help eliminate the portable classrooms. “The time has now come for that temporary solution to become a permanent solution,” said Beneman.

A ‘no-brainer’

The School Board’s solution for 43-year-old Wentworth Intermediate is demolition. At $38.4 million the cost for the new building is more than twice the amount needed for the Middle School.

When it comes to starting from scratch, Beneman calls it a “no-brainer.”

According to both Beneman and Perry, not only would it cost just as much to renovate the 43-year-old school as it would to build a new one, but there are multiple structural concerns. They listed problems such as leaking windows, a faulty heating system, poor air quality and trenches built for pipes and wires that flood, carrying water beneath the floors.

Now that two of her children have gone through Wentworth, Most said she is more than familiar with the building’s condition. “I’m somewhat resigned to the fact that the school needs to be renovated or replaced,” she said.

Like Most, Babine said there is no denying that Wentworth needs serious work, but hopes the council will further question the plan to demolish and rebuild the school.

Beneman does not think there should be any further questioning about rebuilding Wentworth. “You’d end up with something you’d poured money into that would still only be sort of good,” he said.

If the project is passed as currently planned, the new building would be two floors and increase overall square footage by 80,000. Though Wentworth would be much larger, two floors would allow it to take up less space. Beneman and Perry said this would create a much more energy, space and cost efficient building.

In the new school a total of nine classrooms would be added, including two new computer labs and two special education rooms. The cafeteria will be slightly smaller, but the gym will double in size, something Perry believes is beneficial to more than just the students.

More than comfort

The reason for the nearly 11,000-square-foot gym is to accommodate Community Services and its adult programs that have been happening in Wentworth’s gym all along.

Besides making space for Community Services, the School Board would need to find a space for the Bessworth childcare center currently located next to Wentworth. One proposed solution is to move it to one of the Middle School’s portables.

“The School Board has been very cognizant of the needs of Bessworth and Community Services,” said Perry.

One change the Middle School and Wentworth share is the addition of air-conditioning. For the Middle School this will cost about $344,000. At Wentworth the cost will more than double for a total of about $924,000.

According to Perry, air-conditioning is about more than comfort in the early summer weeks. The idea behind installing these systems is to improve air quality that will help with both student health and productivity.

Overall, Beneman calls the two school plans “very efficient designs” planned solely around space needs. In his view the troubles facing the Middle School and Wentworth are not going to go away, and in the future will only come back as more expensive problems. Beneman believes that rising material costs, continued deterioration of Wentworth and increasing enrollment can only exacerbate the schools’ faults.

Like Beneman, Most hopes the town agrees on the projects as soon as possible.

“It’s always going to be a big project,” said Most. “Could it be a million cheaper? Maybe. Could it be $20 million cheaper? No. Could it be $10 million cheaper? No. The cost of doing large municipal projects only goes up and up.”

Though Messer remains skeptical, estimating the town will vote down the bond by a 2-1 majority, Perry disagrees.

“The good news is that this town supports its schools,” said Perry. “It’s worked hard to see to the educational needs of its students. I have confidence that the people of this town will do the right thing. Whether it’s this year or next, it will happen.”