RESCUING THE BOAT SCHOOL

Despite overwhelming support by the Legislature and Maine’s boat building industry, the boat school at Eastport remains in jeopardy. The state’s $650 million boat building industry, which employs 5,000 Mainers and is the only growth sector in Maine’s manufacturing economy, needs an expanded and well financed boat school to train future boat builders and keep Maine in the forefront of the industry. But in recent years, the school has been treated like an unwanted child, with repeated budget cuts, staff reductions and abandonment of a recruiting program than once spread the word through high schools about the pleasures and profitability of a boat building career.

The school’s immediate need is for adequate funding to keep it going in Eastport for the coming year. Longer range, it needs a commitment of adequate support for future years to permit expansion of staff and curriculum and assurance that it can continue and flourish in its present first-class headquarters on Deep Cove in Eastport.

Uncertainty as to the school’s future has hampered enrollments for the coming year, caused a few dropouts and delayed the hiring of a new director and additional faculty.

Things looked especially bleak two years ago, when, to save money, President Bill Cassidy of Washington County Community College broached a plan to move most activities of the boat school from Eastport to Calais. The school is a branch of the college, and funding it is only one of the challenges facing President Cassidy and the underfunded community college system.

Most supporters of the school believe that a move to Calais would be a disaster. Some contend that abandoning its boatyard in Eastport and establishing suitable facilities in Calais would actually cost more than the present setup.

To everyone’s relief, including President Cassidy’s, state Sen. Kevin Raye, R-Perry, took the lead in rescuing the school by introducing L.D. 1948, “An Act to Save the Marine Technology Center and Strengthen Maine’s Boatbuilding Workforce,” with a budget of $433,877. After a rocky start, with most Democrats opposing it and the Appropriations Committee voting 7-8 ought not to pass, Sen. Raye led a successful turnaround. The Senate approved the bill 32-3, and the House approved it 106-40.

He organized a legislative inspection of both facilities last Saturday and reported that the several lawmakers who made the trip seemed confident that the school must remain in Eastport.

The crunch could come any day, when the boat school budget must compete with all the other state needs. Sen. Raye hopes for a significant sum, but his best guess is that the $433,877 figure will be cut to $200,000 or so. That would be so low that Mr. Cassidy may resume his plan to move the school to Calais.

Sen. Raye continues to be optimistic. He foresees a supportive coalition of the University of Maine, the boat building industry and Friends of the Boat School. He says he hopes that they can rally sufficient resources to keep the school’s relationship with the community college, but he is willing to look at some other connection or a stand-alone solution if necessary.