CAPE ELIZABETH — With an application for a grant and loan to improve Cape Elizabeth schools pending, the school board has created a new School Building Committee to determine what renovations are needed.
The currently undecided grant and no-interest loan would come from Maine’s School Revolving Renovation Fund, said school board chair Susana Measelle Hubbs.
The district will know if it qualifies for any grants by Feb. 1, 2020, Measelle Hubbs said. The committee will review the Needs Assessment Facilities Study, which will be completed by Colby Company, LLC and Scott Simons Architects.
“The Needs Assessment Facilities Study is a comprehensive evaluation of all CESD facilities to determine the health of structures, life cycle costs, identify facilities requiring safety and/or ADA compliance improvements and overall efficiencies of all school buildings,” Measelle Hubbs said. “The committee will use this information to identify and prioritize which projects to be included in its recommendation to the school board.”
She said that the committee is to be made up of parents, community members who do not have children in the schools, community members with architectural and/or engineering backgrounds, administrators and teachers from all three schools, two town councilors, the Cape Elizabeth town manager, school district business manager, the school superintendent and the Cape Elizabeth School Board.
After the committee has made assessments, the amount of the grant and loan will be announced, said Measelle Hubbs.
The School Revolving Renovation Fund has five priorities when it comes to aid, said the program’s website, which involve creating a safe learning environment.
“The SRRF is funded through the Maine Municipal Bond Bank,” the website said. “It is a state and local partnership with each providing a portion of a project’s funding.”
Although the committee has not had a meeting yet, the community has been showing interest in the work to be done, Measelle Hubbs said, and applications to join closed on Oct. 17.
According to a newsletter from the town website, loans under $500,000 would have a five-year payback period, and loans between $500,000 and $1 million would need to be paid back in 10 years.
According to the newsletter, “Construction of final projects would need to be completed by July 1, 2021.”
The newsletter listed examples of facility items that need to be renovated and examined: roofing, air quality and ADA compliance.
“The cost of the Needs Assessment Facilities Study was included the CESD FY20 Budget, which was approved by voters during the June 2019 referendum,” said Measelle Hubbs.
At the school board’s Sept. 10 meeting, Marcia Weeks, the school district business manager, said that 30 percent of the loan would be forgiven.
Catherine Bart can be reached at cbart@mainelymediallc.com or 780-9029.
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