Brewer eyes city block for new school

BREWER – Some homeowners in the city block created by Somerset, State and Parker streets and Highland Avenue are interested in the possibility of the school department buying their homes in order to build a new elementary or elementary-middle school at the downtown locale.

And some, like State Street resident Delma Spellman, who moved into her home when she was 18 months old, said adamantly that they would not sell.

“My father was the contractor,” she said Thursday after a meeting held with property owners in the 13.5-acre block. Spellman’s home also has two apartments that she rents. “It’s an income, too,” she added.

Superintendent Daniel Lee led a discussion with 15 people who own property in the block, which already is home to the State Street School and Brewer Middle School, to see if they are interested in selling.

Some in attendance were under the impression that the city was interested in taking the land by eminent domain, which is not true, Lee said.

“No one here is going to take your home,” he stressed. “We’re just talking right now.”

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

Brewer officials would like to replace the four aging elementary schools and middle school, all built between 1926 and 1962, with a combined elementary-middle school, but needs state DOE approval to move forward.

While it’s still uncertain whether the city will get funds for a new combined elementary-middle school or just a new elementary school, school leaders started officially looking for land in October.

They are considering several other larger sites and have said the optimal site would have between 15 and 20 acres.

Looking at the downtown location came about after Brewer officials recently met with Maine Department of Education personnel, who have a big hand in the decision, Lee said.

“They asked us to seriously consider building a school on this site,” he said.

Officials would like to narrow the list of possible sites to two or three by December.

“If this current site doesn’t work, we’ll look at other sites,” he said. “We need to get enough of these properties to make it work.”

There are advantages and disadvantages to building downtown. The advantages include easy access to public safety departments, playing fields, utilities and services, and the ability for a good number of pupils to walk to school, a factor stressed by the DOE.

Disadvantages include traffic issues, costs to acquire the properties and demolish the buildings, the time needed to research all the deeds, and its size.

“I don’t care if you take it,” Ruth Clark, a Center Street resident, said during the meeting.

If enough residents indicate that they are interested in selling, two appraisers will look at the properties and an average of their property values will be used to negotiate the selling prices, Lee said.

“We can’t move forward even with what the building will look like until this [site selection] decision is made,” he said.

The hope is to open Brewer’s new school in 2010.