Westbrook voters will decide Tuesday whether to build a new $29.4 million middle school and a $4.1 million auditorium off Stroudwater Street.
The middle school and the auditorium will appear as separate questions on the ballot to give voters the option of choosing the middle school without approving the auditorium.
The middle school should be an easy decision for most voters, because the city’s existing junior high school is such a poor environment in which to learn and because the state will be picking up the tab for most of the new facility. If voters approve the project, the state would pay $26 million of the total cost. Taxpayers would pick up an additional $3.5 million to cover things the building committee chose to include in the design that were not considered basic elements of the school by the state, such as increased cafeteria and gym sizes.
While the $4.1 million auditorium might be a more difficult decision for voters, it’s well worth the investment. Westbrook has always had a strong tradition of excellence in the performing arts. This investment would support that, while providing an additional venue for the broader community.
Anyone who has toured Wescott Junior High School in recent years knows what a poor environment the building is for learning. The building is overcrowded and poorly designed.
The school was built in the 1970s at a time when so-called open-space buildings were popular. The result is a building with poor lighting and ventilation. In many places, walls don’t reach the ceilings allowing noise from hallways and other classrooms to spill over. About half of the students leave the main building during the school day to learn in temporary classrooms.
But voters don’t have to take the word of educators and other city officials on the quality of the building. With about 60 schools waiting on the list to get state money, the fact that the state is willing to kick in $26 million toward the construction of a new middle school in Westbrook is independent verification that the school needs to be replaced. If voters reject building a new middle school, that money won’t be returned to taxpayers; it will go to another school in need of improvements.
While $3.5 million in local money for the middle school and $4.1 million for the auditorium might seem like a lot of money, it’s a bargain when it’s compared to what other neighboring communities are considering paying for fixes at their schools. Scarborough voters were faced with two school projects last fall – an intermediate school and a middle school – that totaled about $60 million. South Portland taxpayers will decide this fall whether to pay about $60 million for a new high school. By comparison, Westbrook residents have an opportunity to make vast improvements in the quality of education for local students at a fraction of the costs neighboring communities are facing.
That’s why we urge residents to vote in favor of both the new middle school and the auditorium. Whether voters agree with us or not, we urge everyone to get out to the polls Tuesday and participate.
Brendan Moran, editor
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