A Scarborough school official has objected to the proposed transfer of the Bessey School property to the town for use by the YMCA, saying he wants more concrete plans for the schools’ future building needs before letting go of the land.
Board of Education Chairman David Beneman would like to see the school district keep all of its building options open, including keeping control of the Bessey School or replacing the lost land with another tract.
At its meeting Wednesday, after the Current’s deadline, the council was expected to formally request the school district release the 15-acre property to the town, so the Y proposal can move forward.
Beneman’s objections were voiced in a memo to Town Manager Ron Owens because Beneman could not attend a council meeting on town-owned land, including the Bessey School’s future.
“As usable land with appropriate utilities and access becomes increasingly scarce and expensive, how can the School Board abandon prime centrally located acreage without any replacement for future use?” Beneman wrote.
The YMCA is planning on using the Bessey School site for a Scarborough facility, projected to include gathering space, athletics facilities and a swimming pool. In addition, Housing Initiatives of New England is proposing to renovate the school building into senior housing.
The YMCA, which announced its hope to use the property in April, said it will continue its planning for the facility at the Bessey School site.
“Our plan is to have a YMCA in Scarborough and that is what we plan to do,” said Dave Thompson, CEO of the Cumberland County YMCA.
Thompson said the discussions between the school board and the Town Council are external to what his organization is trying to accomplish.
“We haven’t been told not to” keep pursuing the idea, he said. “At this point the Town Council and town manager have pointed us to the Bessey School.”
The YMCA and Housing Initiatives have had some discussions with the Town Council, which seems in favor of the proposals. But the school board has to first decide to give up the property. At this point the issue has not even been discussed with the board, but the YMCA is expected to make a presentation, maybe as early as next month.
Beneman, who said he was speaking for himself and not the board, feels the best location for the YMCA would be at the drive-in property, utilizing the entire parcel, including Memorial Park.
He said he could not support releasing the Bessey property until the school board has a “firm” commitment from the Town Council regarding future school construction to alleviate problems at Wentworth and the Middle School. He also wants the schools to get some more land that could replace the Bessey property.
The school district is currently reviewing a number of proposals to alleviate overcrowding at the Middle School and deficiencies at Wentworth. Some ideas under consideration include rebuilding Wentworth and building an addition to the middle school, construction of a grades 3 to 6 middle school, and building two separate middle schools. There are several options as to where to locate the buildings, some of which may require the use of the Bessey site, according to Beneman.
“The total property lends itself to the potential site again for an Intermediate school or to be saved and serve as the potential site for a primary school at some suture date,” he said in the memo. “Currently we do not see a need for or have a plan for a new primary school, but student enrollments can easily change, especially if more affordable housing becomes available.”
Superintendent Bill Michaud, who said in April the school district had no plans for the building, also expressed caution about giving the Bessey School and property to the YMCA without any type of return.
“I don’t think anybody is opposed to the Y. … We also have a responsibility to cover our options in terms of future growth,” he said.
Several board members were not available for comment, but one felt the Bessey School site is not suitable for any future school renovation or construction.
“To put a primary school at Bessey would be crazy,” said board member Dianne Messer. “I don’t think that site is suitable for a school at all.”
Instead Messer feels the district would be better served with a seventh and eighth grade junior high school and two smaller grades 3 to 6 intermediates, one of which would be located at the current Wentworth site and the other at a new site in the Broadturn Road area.
Board member Bob Mitchell said he did not have an opinion one way or the other since YMCA officials have not approached the board.
But he was a bit concerned that the town would be giving up valuable land for nothing. Mitchell said his concern in making sure that the town’s long-term interest is preserved.
Town Council Chairman Jeffrey Messer was concerned that the YMCA was being caught in the middle of town politics, saying that the reasons cited for keeping the property were “weak.”
Messer said if the school district was looking to build a new school in town it should be focusing in West Scarborough, which is currently not served by a school and also is the focal point for current and future construction.
“Certainly it seems like the YMCA is being held hostage to serve a political agenda,” he said.
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