Preserve historic neighborhood schools

As Maine struggles to compete in a new and more competitive economy, among the things we need to relearn is how to do more with less and how to do everything more efficiently. Just as generations of Mainers have done before us, we need to rediscover frugality and common sense. A good place to take that approach is where we spend public dollars, particularly in whether we build new structures or reuse existing ones.

Maine would do well to adopt a policy that we call “fix it first.” That policy could apply immediately to new government buildings, roads and, in particular, schools. Whenever we face a question of whether to restore older structures or to build new ones, we should always start with the premise that renovation is the preferred answer, even where the short-term argument can be made that “newer is better.”

For years, historic preservation advocates have urged us to “Reduce, reuse, recycle.” In almost every case where we’ve ignored their good advice, we’ve come to regret it.

A bill currently pending in the Legislature would urge the state to adopt a “fix it first” policy when it comes to schools, and perhaps keep us from demolishing many more fine older schools while we divert school dollars away from classrooms and into new construction. LD 2082, An Act To Preserve Successful Historic Neighborhood Schools, provides an opportunity to practice those principles in every corner of the state.

There are some people who argue against reusing older schools, and who believe that starting from scratch – replacing existing facilities with brand new construction – might be less expensive than retrofitting current buildings, or that new construction would better lead to greater energy savings. While sometimes that may be true, it is most always because we’re only looking at half the ledger. We’d also have to account for the true costs of demolition, transportation of students to remote schools for decades or the full impact of new construction on existing communities or open spaces.

Recent research indicates that even if 40 percent of the materials are recycled, it takes approximately 65 years for a green, energy-efficient new building to recover the energy lost in demolishing an existing building, and once a historic or older school has been abandoned, it can never be reclaimed.

As Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, has said, “Preservation is simply having the good sense to hold on to things that are well designed, that link us with our past in a meaningful way, and that have plenty of good use in them.”

Historic schools are inherently well designed: they’ve survived generations of use. They’re virtually always located in the heart of the communities they serve, so they’re located in places where multiple transportation options are possible and where they’re close to existing infrastructure and other community resources such as libraries, parks, and gathering places.

Because they’re close to almost everything, they can be used after hours by the community. They provide cultural and historic value: our parents and grandparents and the families of our community founders walked the same hallways. And, with continued maintenance and care, they almost always have plenty of good years before them.

There are currently 96 school buildings in Maine listed in the National Register of Historic Places, with another 10 possibly eligible for listing, and still others that may not have been properly identified. Most of these structures were built in the 19th or early 20th centuries, with a few dating back to the late 1700s. They are spread across the entire breadth of the state, and together represent an immense historical legacy and treasure.

We strongly support passage of LD 2082, and urge the Legislature to support that bill as a first step toward investing our limited school capital construction and renovation funds more strategically and wisely.

Maggie Drummond is policy director for GrowSmart Maine based in Yarmouth.