Right Sizing Project In MSAD 1 Seeks To Use Building Facility Space More Efficiently
There has been much discussion concerning the population of school-aged children and the amount of building space we have in MSAD1 and what needs to be done to be more efficient.
Superintendent of Schools for MSAD 1 and RSU 79, Brian Carpenter, said the resizing projects looks like this.
"We are looking specifically at the schools in Presque Isle. Pine Street, Zippel, and middle school and high school and reconfiguring them to a Pre-K through 5 at the now middle school and a 6 - 12 complex at the high school."
Some have questions about what will happen to Zippel Elementary School should the resizing take place.
Carpenter added,
"We're looking at moving administrative facilities over to Zippel. Adult Ed will move over to Zippel, along with us. We will have space that could be rented if someone desires to come in there. And Alternative Ed may be moved from the STR building, which is up by the middle school, down to the Zippel School so it would be more condensed."
Carpenter said that right now, engineers are looking into these ideas to see if these concepts are feasible for the school district to do.
Some reconstruction has already taken place at Presque Isle High School.
Junior high school students, who are more advanced academically, are already taking classes at the high school as well.
Will the school resize model in MSAD 1 fall solely on local taxpayers or will there be other funds to help with this?
According to Carpenter, MSAD 1 has put in for a capital project grant, limited to $20 million, through the state of Maine and they should know by the end of February or the beginning of March where they stand on that.
If the grant money is not approved by the state, Carpenter says that there is up to a million dollars of renovation funds, per school, available, but they will not look into that option until they hear back from legislators in Augusta.
If the grant money is not approved, the district would be looking to local taxpayers to subsidize the resizing effort in the form of a bond, over a twenty to twenty-five year period.
Should you have any questions or comments concerning resizing in MSAD 1, you may contact the school administration office at 207-764-4101.