SCARBOROUGH – Despite having a 9-year-old daughter at Wentworth Middle School, it wasn’t until he took a comprehensive tour with Principal Anne Mayre Dexter that Paul Koziell began to understand the building’s problems, which include asbestos, mold and radon contamination.

“In walking around that day, I realized that in my past trips to the school was only showing me the top third of the iceberg,” Koziell said. “What I saw [during the tour] really bothered me, as a parent because my daughter goes there, as a taxpayer because my tax dollars fund the school and as a construction professional because there is no excuse for a building to be in that kind of shape.”

Koziell, an attorney and part owner of CPM Contractors, a construction company in Freeport, leads the 38-member Wentworth Intermediate School Building Committee. At the conclusion of its meeting on Dec. 6, the panel, made up of school officials, parents and community members, reached a unanimous decision that the town would be better off constructing a new school for Scarborough students in grades 3-5 rather than renovating the current one. Koziell passed along that recommendation to the Scarborough Board of Education at its Jan. 6 meeting. The recommendation was supported 6-0, with board member Aymie Hardesty absent.

A bond to construct a new school would have to be approved by residents in a referendum vote.

“Because of a November 2011 bond vote, we have an aggressive schedule in front of us,” Koziell said.

The large committee has created several subcommittees, including one that is reviewing potential sites for the new school. Though not a final recommendation yet, the most viable location seems to be just east of the existing school, where the playground is.

Chris Brownsey, chairman of the Board of Education and a member of the building committee, said the plan is to have a full proposal to the school board by the end of May in order for the Town Council to review it in June and July for a vote in November.

He said there would be a workshop about the building committee’s plans at 6 p.m. on Jan. 19, prior to the Town Council’s regularly scheduled meeting.

Bob Mitchell, a member of both the school board and the building committee, said the biggest challenge would be finding a plan that meets the needs all involved.

“There are going to be some challenging decision to be made in balancing the community needs, the school’s education needs and the dollars,” he said.

To help, Joanne Sizemore, interim superintendent, said she and Dexter have been in touch with school officials in South Portland, which just approved a $47 million construction/renovation plan for the high school.

Koziell said the building committee is reviewing the financial components of the project and a cost for the school has not been figured yet.

“Let me assure the board and those watching on television at home, this project will be financially and fiscally responsible,” Koziell said.

If all goes as planned and the project plan gets approved this November, he said, construction would begin in 2012, with the new school opening in 2014.