The Scarborough school department is proposing $54 million in school construction to rebuild the Wentworth Intermediate School and construct an addition to the middle school.
Voters are expected to decide on both projects in November 2006.
The middle school addition is estimated to cost $19.1 million. It will entail the construction of an estimated 84,000-square-foot addition that will hold between 900 and 950 students.
The new Wentworth school is estimated to cost $35 million and will measure about 177,000 square feet. It will be built on what is now the site of the playground and the Bessworth child care building.
School officials do not expect to receive state help to pay for the buildings, according to school board member Dianne Messer.
The middle school was completed in 1996 and when it opened it was at capacity. Today there are some 830 students in a building built to hold 600. To make up for this lack of space 15 portable classrooms are now being used.
“Basically what we’re looking at is a middle school that’s overcrowded and needs additional space,” Superintendent Bill Michaud said.
The middle school design has not been completed and a school board subcommittee is still looking at a number of layouts, said school board Chairman David Beneman.
But one major problem is the school’s small cafeteria. At this point the thinking is to expand the cafeteria into nearby offices and classrooms, which would be moved into the addition, Beneman said.
At Wentworth, the existing school would remain open until its replacement was constructed, and would then be demolished.
“That space should be able to hold a two-story building that would replace the existing Wentworth building,” Beneman said. Exact plans for Bessworth have not been developed, but Michaud said one possibility is allowing the pre- and after-school day care organization to use the new school.
Beneman said the subcommittee is considering building public areas such as the gym and cafeteria near each other, separate from the classrooms.
Wentworth was built in 1964 and an addition was finished in 1975. According to Michaud, the school has several mechanical deficiencies that would be too expensive to repair. “It’s tired, it’s obsolete,” he said.
The costs and square footage would fluctuate as designing becomes more specific. “We’re still talking in pretty broad concepts here,” Michaud said.
The proposal was developed during nine months of study by the school board, a subcommittee, architect Harriman Associates and various meetings with the Town Council. Also included was public comment and surveys intended to gauge the public’s opinion on various school configurations.
“The overwhelming response of everyone polled is they would rather see the schools stay as they are,” Beneman said.
“I think it will be exceedingly popular,” he said of the proposals.
Beneman said the experience the district has gained while planning for the high school will be an added benefit during the latest round of construction since it has a sound grasp of various aspects of school design.
Board member Dianne Messer said she wanted to see the district explore the possibility of removing the sixth grade from the middle school, which could save the district from constructing the addition. Messer said something needs to be done at Wentworth, but is concerned that the cost may be too high.
“We’re talking close to $50 million, that’s a lot of money for the taxpayers to swallow after a $27 million (high school) project,” she said.
Michaud said the district has explored the option of removing the sixth grade from the middle school, but said the site is not large enough to handle a building for grades three through six. Additionally, it does not seem to be a popular choice with residents.
“It’s pretty clear based on the information we got the public is happy with the configuration the way it is,” he said.
Board member Christopher Brownsey said something needs to be done at both facilities, but also was apprehensive because of the high estimate.
“It’s going to be a tough sell,” he said. “As a board member I feel obligated to go through the process to make sure we can handle future enrollment (and) current enrollment.”
Also on the planning horizon are the district’s three primary schools, all of which are now at capacity and have modular additions, according to Michaud.
Primary school enrollment has been relatively flat and is expected to remain so in the future. Still, a shift in the town’s housing could change this and force the district into new construction for those schools, Michaud said.
“At some point if there is an increase at the primary population some (school) board is going to have to take a look at doing something with those as well,” Michaud said.
Today, Oct. 6, the school board subcommittee and the architects will discuss the plan. On Thursday, Oct. 20, the board will hold a workshop to further review the proposal. Both meetings will be held at 7:30 p.m. at Town Hall.
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