Air-quality improvement hinges on SAD 29 voters’ OK of loan

HOULTON — In order for SAD 29 to take advantage of a renovation loan from the state to address air-quality issues at Houlton High School, district voters will have to approve borrowing the money.

A special referendum election has been scheduled for Thursday, April 27, in Hammond, Houlton, Littleton and Monticello for that purpose.

Last week, district officials were informed that SAD 29 will receive a $770,000 loan from the state’s Revolving Renovation Fund to help with renovations to the heating and ventilation system at the high school.

Of the total, $539,000 will be forgiven. The remaining $231,000 must be repaid over 10 years, but interest will not be charged.

Superintendent David Wiggin explained Tuesday that the money being provided actually comes from bonds issued through the Maine Municipal Bond Bank.

In order for the district to take advantage of the money, district residents must vote to borrow it.

The procedure, he said, is merely a formality, since the state is underwriting the bond and is forgiving 70 percent of what the district gets, and there is no cost to the district for the remaining 30 percent that will be repaid.

“If they turn it down, we can’t get it and we can’t use it,” said Wiggin.

The high school, which was built in the 1950s, has air-quality problems that have developed over the years as a result of energy-saving construction made to the building.

The state renovation money would be used to address those issues this year.

The project would include replacement of one of two aging boilers at the school, upgrading trunk lines that supply heat to parts of the school, installation of new heating and ventilation units in classrooms and installation of a rooftop ventilation system.