Question 1 asks to improve safety in student dormitories

Question 1: $28.5 million bond issue

Do you favor a $28,500,000 bond issue to capitalize the State’s School Revolving Renovation Fund for repairs and improvements in public school facilities to address health, safety and compliance deficiencies, general renovation needs and learning space upgrades; to provide grants to public educational institutions to install sprinkler systems in dormitories; to renovate the Augusta East Campus Harlow Office Building; and to provide a center for homeless teen-agers in the Portland Area?

ORONO – More than 7,000 students in Maine live in dormitory rooms without sprinkler systems, according to the Maine Fire Services Protection Commission.

That’s why voters will be asked Tuesday to approve Question 1, a $28.5 million bond package that calls for, among other things, installing sprinklers on University of Maine System and Maine Technical College System campuses.

Only 17 of the 60 dormitories on public campuses have sprinkler systems. If the bond passes, $7 million will be allocated to equip the other 43 dorms. More than half of the money will be spent at the University of Maine, where only five of 20 dormitories have the safety devices.

Question 1 also asks voters for $13 million for school renovation; $8 million to repair a state office building at Augusta Mental Health Institute; and $500,000 for a teen shelter in Portland.

Low interest rates make it a perfect time to borrow, officials said. “This is the closest thing to an interest-free loan,” said John Diamond, a UM spokesman who is taking time off to promote this bond question and a second one that will appear on ballots Tuesday.

On Thursday, local firefighters held a news conference to plug the bond and give some insight into the importance of sprinkler systems.

Unlike smoke detectors, sprinklers aren’t required by code except in newer buildings, they said.

But sprinklers are a tried-and-true ally. In 98 percent of cases, a fire either is contained or extinguished by the time the fire department gets there if a building has sprinklers.

“There’s never been a major loss of life in a fully sprinkled building,” said Orono Fire Captain Henry Vaughan.

Sprinklers eliminate flames and cause a lot less water damage, Rep. Robert Duplessie, D-Westbrook, a former firefighter and a prime sponsor of the sprinkler initiative, said during an interview. “We have a moral duty to protect students – they’re under our care.”

If the bond passes, work will begin next summer.

Voters also will be asked Tuesday for the second time since November to capitalize the School Revolving Renovation Fund that allows districts to receive between 30 percent and 70 percent of repair costs up to $1 million.

Added to last year’s contribution, this latest bond proposal would bring the state up to the $100 million to which it is committed, said Yellow Light Breen, a spokesman for the state Department of Education.

The state shouldn’t be viewed as having “an insatiable appetite,” Breen said. “We’re still shooting for the same goal that was announced four years ago.”

While the last bond was targeted toward health and safety repairs, this time schools will be able to put the money toward general renovations and structural issues as well as upgrading learning spaces like science labs or libraries, Breen said.

The program has a number of benefits for local property taxpayers. For example, a portion of the money doesn’t need to be paid back at all; the rest can be paid back interest-free.

The state’s contribution is based on the amount the district receives through the state school funding formula. When the loans are repaid the money goes back into the fund to help other schools.

The Harlow Office Building at AMHI is so deteriorated that its current tenant – the Department of Conservation – had to move out, said Charles Jacobs, deputy commissioner of the Department of Administrative and Financial Services.

Built in 1834, the building needs to be totally renovated because of mold, asbestos, lead paint and general deterioration, he said.

A “very thorough study” indicated that it’s more economical to refurbish the building compared to new construction, he said. That way the historic building can be preserved, Jacobs added.