After years of tight budgets, Portland School Board officials are starting to evaluate tens of millions of dollars’ worth of capital improvements, overhauling the district’s multi-year capital improvement plan to come up with a new list of priorities.

“You can’t afford what you need to do, no matter what,” said former chief operations officer Peter Eglinton, who briefed the school board Tuesday on the history of the capital improvement plans in the last decade.

One school had its roof patched in 23 places last year, an example of the deferred maintenance faced by the district, facilities director Doug Sherwood told the board.

The district submitted its first multi-year capital improvement plan, with more than $45 million in proposed projects, to the city manager in 2011. Since then, several major projects have moved forward or been completed.

Last year, the state approved funding to replace Hall School, the district moved the Central Office and the former West School into a newly purchased facility at 353 Cumberland Ave. In 2013, the district moved food services into a new facility on Waldrom Way, and moved the district’s adult education offices and programs to the former Cathedral School. In 2011, the district opened the new Ocean Avenue Elementary School.

Work on updating the capital improvement plan begins Thursday, when the school board’s finance and operations committees hold a joint meeting to review staff recommendations.

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Later, the committees will make a joint recommendation on an updated projects list to the full board, which will vote on a recommendation to forward on to the City Council.

Noel K. Gallagher can be reached at 791-6387 or at:

ngallagher@pressherald.com

Twitter: noelinmaine


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