Unobskey School moves to new home

CALAIS – It has been around for more than 10 years, but Monday it had a new home.

The Unobskey School, now downtown, opened its doors Saturday. A satellite center of the University of Maine at Machias, it used to be at the Washington County Technical College. The center offers interactive television and traditional classes to students enrolled at UMM.

Gayle Moholland, center director, said the expanded facility would provide three rooms for interactive television classes, two classrooms for on-site instruction, a computer lab, a community resource room, administrative offices, a reception area and a kitchenette-student lounge.

At its new location, the Unobskey School will continue to offer traditional courses as well as an array of interactive courses each semester and during the summer. Professional staff is available to assist students with admission and financial aid application procedures, academic advising and career counseling.

In addition to Moholland, the staff includes Kim Sermersheim, who is the full-time administrative assistant. The evening receptionist, Terri Angiolillo, is employed at the facility 30 hours a week.

State Rep. Kevin Shorey, R-Calais, the county’s newly elected state senator, said he believes the center was important for the city’s downtown. He said funding for the building was a bipartisan legislative effort that provided $250,000.

“It’s really a testament to how the Legislature can work when it’s looking toward the education of the students and the people from the state of Maine,” he said.

Use of the business block formerly occupied by Marianne’s Clothing and earlier by an A&P store was made possible by Sidney Unobskey, a former Calais businessman who now lives in California. After the city turned down Unobskey’s offer to convert the facility into a middle school, community volunteer Betty Garriott suggestd the Calais Center approach Unobskey to explore the building’s use as a satellite campus.

He agreed to turn the facility over to them.

The Calais Center will pay an annual rent of $7,000 that will be returned through an outreach program designed to help the community. The community resource room is available for groups, nonprofits and other organizations to hold meetings.

Moholland said that nearly 150 students are enrolled at the Unobskey School. “They are predominantly nontraditional, although we have students starting their college studies in traditional ways. The majority of our students are pursuing degrees,” she said.

The Unobskey School eventually will provide a teacher certification curriculum for both Canadian and U.S. students interested in pursing teaching careers.

Several public officials, including U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, were on hand for the opening ceremonies Saturday.

“This center provides access to higher education for residents of Washington County who otherwise might not have the opportunity to go to college,” Collins said.

“It is such a positive asset to Calais,” said Calais Mayor Eric Hinson. He said the Main Street building had been vacant for the past four years, but now had been “reborn.”

Hinson said that the city always looks for businesses to locate in the city, but he said the Calais Center would offer a great deal to the community.

“This is going to educate people so when businesses in this area want to expand, or new businesses come in, we now will have an educated work force to fill the positions that they need,” he said. He said the center is just one piece of the puzzle that would create the economic, recreational and educational basis for Calais.