The South Portland School Department is spending $430,000 this summer to fix leaks at the high school, replace a 50-year-old drainage pipe and redirect storm water into a city drain on Mountain View Road.

The repairs, which will be completed shortly after school starts in September, are expected to keep water from pooling in an electrical room and basement offices, as well as prevent further water damage and mold growth at the front of the school building.

School officials had hoped to make the repairs as part of a $56 million construction package for rebuilding and renovating the aging high school buildings. But residents refused to borrow the money in a citywide vote in 2007.

Voters complained that the cost was too high and some of the additions unnecessary, such as building a second gym, moving the tennis courts and putting artificial turf on the athletic field.

A task force of school leaders and residents is devising an alternative – and less costly – rebuilding project that is likely to come before voters in 2009. The task force says a major renovation is needed to address modern educational needs, integrate technology in the classrooms and update the building.

But Assistant Superintendent Steve Bailey, who leads the task force, said this week that water leaks and flood damage in basement rooms below the main office are too significant to delay repairs.

“There are some things that we can’t wait on,” Bailey said. “We’ve been dealing with the effects of extensive drainage problems that have occurred over time.”

About $395,000 of the cost will be covered through the school budget, with the remaining $35,000 coming from a reserve account for school repairs, according to Polly Ward, business manager for the school department. The money was allocated in last fiscal year’s school budget.

In addition to fixing water problems at the high school, some restoration work is under way at Mahoney Middle School, at a cost of $35,000. The front of the brick building on Ocean Street recently was power-washed. Concrete bands that wrap around the building now will be repaired and waterproofed.

Construction work at the high school started in July, with crews digging up huge mounds of dirt in front of the building to expose the foundation and a broken clay drainage pipe that was installed when South Portland High was built.

Thirty-five acres of water from surrounding neighborhoods drains on to the campus, off Highland Avenue. Flooding has worsened over the years, as homes have been developed and there are fewer wetlands where storm water can drain. Water pools around the building’s foundation.

The repair work involves waterproofing the foundation at the front of the building, installing a sump pump and replacing the old, broken drainage pipe. The new pipe will redirect storm water to a catch basin near the school’s greenhouse, off Mountain View Road.

School officials want to stop water from leaking into the building and also improve air quality. Damp conditions have led to growth of mold and mildew in the walls.

Dave Brochu, who directs building maintenance for South Portland schools, said the repair work extends from the main office on Highland Avenue to the auditorium and from the main office to the annex.

Brochu noted that the Secondary Schools Facilities Committee wants to prioritize maintenance problems at the high school. He expects to make a presentation to the task force in September. The list he is developing will identify updates that need to be made to the building over one, three and five years.

Task force members say the priority list is critical for anticipating immediate repair needs should voters refuse a second time to pass a bond for rebuilding the high school.

Officials say that among the more immediate needs are updating the heating system, which is at the end of its service life; improving air flow in the building; replacing windows that leak or don’t close; improving security and fire-safety equipment; and making the entire building handicapped accessible.

The high school, which serves about 1,000 students, was built in the 1950s, with building additions made over the years.

High school repairs aim to fix leaks