Hospital, YMCA show interest in old school

DOVER-FOXCROFT – When SAD 68 vacates the Morton Avenue Elementary School in the summer of 2007, it is expected the building will not be vacant for long.

Both Mayo Regional Hospital and the Piscataquis Regional YMCA have indicated an interest in the building, according to Dover-Foxcroft Town Manager Jack Clukey.

The school district received state funding to construct a new building to house Morton Avenue Elementary School pupils. That building, an addition to SeDoMoCha Middle School, is now under construction and should be completed by September 2007. When done, the district is expected to deed the building to Dover-Foxcroft, if local residents vote to accept the property.

In preparation for that move, Jere White, executive director of the Piscataquis Regional YMCA, advised town officials in a letter that the Y now uses the school for its programs and would like to continue to do so in future years.

“It would certainly be a great detriment to our programming if this facility would not be available at all,” White wrote in his letter.

Ralph Gabarro, chief executive officer of Mayo Regional Hospital, also expressed interest in using some of the building. In a letter to the board, Gabarro said the hospital has no specific proposal in mind for use of the space, but options are being explored.

Both White and Gabarro asked town officials to keep them informed of discussions related to the use of the facility.

Selectmen on Monday agreed to research the condition of the Morton Avenue School and to start discussions soon.

According to SAD 68 Superintendent John Dirnbauer, the foundation for the new school has been poured and the project is about 20 percent complete. Bowman Bros. Inc. of Newport, the general contractor, is expected to begin laying the steel for the building within a week or two, he said Tuesday.

More ledge than anticipated on the site jumped project costs up a bit, Dirnbauer said Tuesday. He said the added ledge removed cost about $60,000, which will be absorbed through the project’s $400,000 contingency account.