Brewer new-school committee considers two concept designs

BREWER – The new-school-building committee on Monday decided first to include a 500-seat auditorium in the concept plans for a proposed prekindergarten through eighth-grade school, and then they reviewed two draft designs and provided feedback.

The new school will replace four aging elementary schools and Brewer Middle School, which has an auditorium used by the school and community.

The new school project will be presented to residents as a referendum, tentatively scheduled for September or early October, and the proposed approximately $2.6 million auditorium will be presented as a separate ballot question, said project manager Richard Graves, who works for WBRC Architects-Engineers of Bangor.

The performing arts center, if approved, “would be locally funded,” which is why the vote is needed, he said.

After reviewing several different stage and seating designs, “a modest” 500-seat auditorium was created, Superintendent Daniel Lee said.

“We’re now down to the seats, the stage and the storage units,” Graves said.

After the voting members of the committee unanimously approved including the auditorium in the concept design, Graves gave a presentation on two possible designs. The committee is composed of residents, school and city officials, and parents.

The first design resembles a “T” and the second an “I,” and each has pros and cons, Graves told the committee.

The T design has more outdoor play space but has a more congested student traffic flow and access issues. The I design has better access with multiple ways to get into the building, better student traffic flow, but fewer areas for children to play outside.

To ensure the school is a good neighbor, discussion with residents in the area about which design they would prefer and other issues they may have is planned, Graves said.

The committee asked several questions about the two designs, some about moving the auditorium, others about the positions of the classrooms, library and cafeteria.

“This is exactly the stuff we need to keep fine-tuning the floor plan,” Graves said. “These all were excellent comments. We’ll keep trying to take the good things of each scheme and work them together.”

The state Board of Education last week approved the selected site, a 20-acre parcel now occupied by the closed Pendleton Street School, a running track and an empty lot in a residential neighborhood on the corner of Parkway South and Pendleton Street.

Once concept designs are finished, they are scheduled to be presented to the public in August, when a straw poll or nonbinding vote will be held on the designs. If approved by residents, those designs could be presented at the August or September meeting of the state Board of Education for final approval. Within 30 days of the state giving the nod, a local referendum would be required.