PRESQUE ISLE – Although residents were supportive Wednesday night at a public hearing on the consolidation of SAD 1 middle schools, Superintendent Gehrig Johnson said school officials still are trying to “get the message out” on the need for the project.

The Presque Isle Middle School Project, approved by the SAD 1 board in July, calls for the closing of Cunningham Middle School and the refurbishing and 31,000-square-foot expansion of Skyway Middle School.

Johnson said Thursday that approximately 25 people attended the public hearing, during which an architect’s diagram of the proposed building was shown.

The superintendent said those who did speak at the hearing were very supportive of the project, but that school officials aren’t relying only on the small amount of feedback they have received.

“Silence doesn’t always mean approval,” Johnson said. “We’re trying to get the message out on the need for this project.”

Cunningham Middle School, which Johnson said is 81 years old, needs more than $2.5 million in renovations to be done immediately if the district continues to use the building.

“Every building comes to the end of its useful life and we’re at that point, in fact we’re past that point, with Cunningham,” Johnson said.

The superintendent said though declining enrollment is another reason for the proposed consolidation, the district could wait 10 to 15 years before numbers would dictate the construction at Skyway.

“But then we’d have a 60-year-old building that would need extensive renovations,” he said. “We’re in kind of a betwixt and between. So, the timing looks good to us for several issues that we’re facing.”

Johnson said school officials would take public comments and questions on the project until Nov. 7. Should the Nov. 4 referendum pass – residents will consider spending $5.3 million on renovations and construction at Skyway – the input will be incorporated into a refined project proposal.

For more information about the project, or to see floor plans of the building, visit www.sad1.org.