Brewer High trustees discuss new school

BREWER – Superintendent Daniel Lee began Tuesday night’s Brewer High School district trustees meeting by clarifying exactly what being on the Maine Department of Education’s “school facilities priority list” actually means.

Then he gave trustees a list of items, required by the state, that need to be accomplished before plans to create a combined elementary-middle school can go forward.

“As far as the state is concerned, this is the State Street School project,” Lee said.

The State Board of Education approved 13 school construction projects in August 2005, with the top six acquiring funds in 2008 and the remaining seven, with Brewer’s State Street School second on the list, set to receive funds in 2009.

After state inspectors reviewed the city’s six schools, all built between 1926 and 1962, more than two years ago and reported that all had significant facility deficiencies, are full to capacity, failed to meet Maine Learning Results and are inefficient, school officials decided to change their long-range plans.

In March 2004, plans to build a combined elementary-middle school were unveiled. It would replace the aging State Street School, Washington Street School, Pendleton Street School, Capri Street School and Brewer Middle School, and renovations would be undertaken at the high school.

The state now wants Brewer to compare renovation costs against new construction for the three elementary schools and the middle school, and to find out whether communities within the region would be interested in partnering with Brewer for the project.

“We have to do the homework, even though some of us think it’s a no-brainer,” Lee said.

Enrollment projections are needed by the state. Lee also is working to plot where students live to help the building committee determine where the new facility should be located. Problems with the roof at Pendleton Street School, built in 1957, caused the school to close last June. Lee suggested that the site might be big enough for the proposed school, but further study is needed.

District trustees hired WBRC Architects-Engineers of Bangor as the project’s designer in March.

The new facility will be constructed with inexpensive building materials and will not be a Taj Mahal, Lee said.

“I’m trying to downplay people’s expectations,” he said. “I don’t think we’ll know until sometime next year where the building stands.”

During Tuesday’s trustees meeting, the board also:

. Learned that a bill to raise the trustees’ debt limit has gained legislative approval and is expected to be signed by the governor in the near future.

. Decided to request bids to replace or update three items at the high school, including replacing the roof, one piece at a time, with new shingles or a metal roof; updating the heating system by replacing the propane-heated areas; and new exterior siding for the entire campus.