A $1.3 million loan request will be made next week to the state Department of Education for emergency repairs at South Portland High School that include replacing the gym roof and fixing water damage in the main building.

The South Portland School Board voted unanimously Monday night to apply for two separate, no-interest loans to finance a new roof on Beal Gym, replace a broken drain pipe on campus and add a sump pump in the school basement.

The applications are due to state officials by Friday.

Polly Ward, the district’s business manager, said Tuesday that school officials will wait to find out whether the applications are approved before making formal budget requests for next fiscal year.

Under the terms of the state’s revolving renovation fund, up to 30 percent of the school department’s costs for repairs could be covered by the state.

The renovation fund targets major school repairs and gives priority to fixing air quality problems, according to Dave Brochu, who directs buildings and grounds at the high school.

The renovation fund is separate and unrelated to the state’s school construction fund, which has been closed to applications since 2005. The school construction fund is for large building projects.

Brochu says it will cost $972,252 to replace the Beal Gym roof.

The existing tar-and-gravel roof is almost 60 years old and leaks. A new roof will require steel reinforcements to meet current standards for snow load capacities, he said.

The price tag is from Harriman Associates, the archtectural and engineering firm that worked on the high school renovation plan.

If funding is approved, Brochu said, he hopes the work would be done next summer.

The gym is 11,000 square feet and is the site for indoor school athletic events as well as physical education classes and some community activities.

The school department also will apply for a $400,000 loan to repair a broken drainage pipe that is causing basement flooding and mold problems.

Brochu said the underground pipe extends for about 1,500 feet, from the annex to the auditorium.

He said that root systems from trees have broken the pipe, and there are areas where the pipe has separated or collapsed.

The pipe is supposed to collect storm water that flows from upper Highland Avenue to the campus and then send it into a drainage system. A sump pump would be placed in the basement near the school’s main entrance.

“This is where we have a known problem,” Brochu said.

The repairs should alleviate water damage in the basement and stop mold growth, which has affected air quality at the school, he said.

But applying for the state loan is just the first step in a lengthy budgeting process.

If the applications are approved, Brochu would include the renovations in his budget request for 2008-09.

He also plans to make separate budget requests in building maintenance to fix other problems. He said the school needs to fix the ventilation system, update electrical wiring, upgrade fire and smoke alarms and replace some loose floor tiles that contain asbestos.

Brochu said he does not have specific cost estimates now, but will forward them to Superintendent Suzanne Godin by January.

He also is making a list of repairs the high school needs by 2012.

The school department is scrambling to prioritize school repairs and include them in its budget since voters rejected a $56 million borrowing request to rebuild the high school.

Godin has estimated that immediate repairs total $6 million.

In January, Godin will decide whether to accept Brochu’s budget requests for repairs that need to be done for next school year. These will include the proposals for a new gym roof and improvements to the drainage system.

Ward said the school department will need to decide how it will fund those repairs, if the state approves the loan application.

The school department could use reserve funds or ask voters to borrow the money under the state’s zero-interest loan program. Ward said the district’s practice in the past has been to pay for repairs using existing funds.

“Borrowing the money is an option that is available to us,” Ward said. “But we would have to go to referendum for that. At this point, we have not figured out the route we would want to take.”

It will cost $972,252 to replace the Beal Gym roof at South Portland High School, according to Dave Brochu, who directs maintenance at the school. The existing tar-and-gravel roof is almost 60 years old and leaks.

A $1.3 million loan request will be made next week to the state Department of Education for emergency repairs at South Portland High School that include replacing the gym roof and fixing water damage in the main building.

The South Portland School Board voted unanimously Monday night to apply for two separate, no-interest loans to finance a new roof on Beal Gym, replace a broken drain pipe on campus and add a sump pump in the school basement.

The applications are due to state officials by Friday.

Polly Ward, the district’s business manager, said Tuesday that school officials will wait to find out whether the applications are approved before making formal budget requests for next fiscal year.

Under the terms of the state’s revolving renovation fund, up to 30 percent of the school department’s costs for repairs could be covered by the state.

The renovation fund targets major school repairs and gives priority to fixing air quality problems, according to Dave Brochu, who directs buildings and grounds at the high school.

The renovation fund is separate and unrelated to the state’s school construction fund, which has been closed to applications since 2005. The school construction fund is for large building projects.

Brochu says it will cost $972,252 to replace the Beal Gym roof.

The existing tar-and-gravel roof is almost 60 years old and leaks. A new roof will require steel reinforcements to meet current standards for snow load capacities, he said.

The price tag is from Harriman Associates, the archtectural and engineering firm that worked on the high school renovation plan.

If funding is approved, Brochu said, he hopes the work would be done next summer.

The gym is 11,000 square feet and is the site for indoor school athletic events as well as physical education classes and some community activities.

The school department also will apply for a $400,000 loan to repair a broken drainage pipe that is causing basement flooding and mold problems.

Brochu said the underground pipe extends for about 1,500 feet, from the annex to the auditorium.

He said that root systems from trees have broken the pipe, and there are areas where the pipe has separated or collapsed.

The pipe is supposed to collect storm water that flows from upper Highland Avenue to the campus and then send it into a drainage system. A sump pump would be placed in the basement near the school’s main entrance.

“This is where we have a known problem,” Brochu said.

The repairs should alleviate water damage in the basement and stop mold growth, which has affected air quality at the school, he said.

But applying for the state loan is just the first step in a lengthy budgeting process.

If the applications are approved, Brochu would include the renovations in his budget request for 2008-09.

He also plans to make separate budget requests in building maintenance to fix other problems. He said the school needs to fix the ventilation system, update electrical wiring, upgrade fire and smoke alarms and replace some loose floor tiles that contain asbestos.

Brochu said he does not have specific cost estimates now, but will forward them to Superintendent Suzanne Godin by January.

He also is making a list of repairs the high school needs by 2012.

The school department is scrambling to prioritize school repairs and include them in its budget since voters rejected a $56 million borrowing request to rebuild the high school.

Godin has estimated that immediate repairs total $6 million.

In January, Godin will decide whether to accept Brochu’s budget requests for repairs that need to be done for next school year. These will include the proposals for a new gym roof and improvements to the drainage system.

Ward said the school department will need to decide how it will fund those repairs, if the state approves the loan application.

The school department could use reserve funds or ask voters to borrow the money under the state’s zero-interest loan program. Ward said the district’s practice in the past has been to pay for repairs using existing funds.

“Borrowing the money is an option that is available to us,” Ward said. “But we would have to go to referendum for that. At this point, we have not figured out the route we would want to take.”

It will cost $972,252 to replace the Beal Gym roof at South Portland High School, according to Dave Brochu, who directs maintenance at the school. The existing tar-and-gravel roof is almost 60 years old and leaks.