BIDDEFORD — After more than two years of planning, more than 20 meetings by the district’s building committee, and several discussions by the City Council, it will be up to the public to decide in November whether to spend $34 million to renovate Biddeford High School.
On Tuesday, in a unanimous vote, the council gave final approval to put what is believed to be the largest bond ever before Biddeford residents at the next election.
Although several councilors said they personally felt that the amount would be too large a burden to place on Biddeford taxpayers, in the end most echoed the sentiments of Councilor Susan Deschambault who urged residents to “speak with your vote.”
“I’m pleased that they (the council) voted to send it to the public at $34 million,” said BHS Principal Britton Wolfe.
The proposed $34 million bond, with an estimated interest payment of more than $22 million over the 25-year life of the bond, would add an average 93 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value per year, based on the city’s assessed value of its taxable property as of April 1.
For a home with an assessed value of $200,000, this would add $186 per year to the property tax.
Finance Director Curt Koehler noted that this tax rate is only a yearly average estimate which probably will change because it’s likely the city’s property valuation will change as will the interest rate on bond.
According to Koehler, residents will not see an immediate increase in their property taxes if the bond for the high school renovation passes because the city won’t take out the bonds to pay for it for approximately three years.
An eleventh hour attempt by Councilor David Flood to trim $6 million from the bond, bringing it to $28 million, was defeated in a six to two vote. Only Flood and Councilor Patricia Boston voted for the lower amount.
In proposing the amendment, Flood said he thought, “It will be really difficult to pass a referendum for $34 million.”
Several members of the public spoke against the amendment.
“I urge the council to vote the amendment down,” said Superintendent of Schools Sarah-Jane Poli. If the amendment passed, she said, the architect would have to go back to the drawing board to redesign the project, at an additional cost.
Principal Wolfe said if that happened, there wouldn’t be time to go out for a bond in November, causing additional delay of the project.
“Thirty-four million dollars is not an easy number to swallow,” acknowledged BHS student Ryan Fecteau who will be a senior in September. However, he said, if residents walked in the shoes of the students, they would walk on crumbling steps, with water trickling into the building from leaks, in a building and classrooms that are worn down and worn out.
Mary Kircher, the senior class president for the BHS Class of 2009, urged the council to vote down the amendment and vote for the $34 million bond to “show that you care and show that you take pride in the students.”
Voting to reduce the bond by $6 million at this late date would be “irresponsible,” said Ryan Gavin, who was the student body president and graduated this year.
“I hate to see this become a political issue,” he added.
Mayor Joanne Twomey passed the gavel and said she was against the amendment even if this cost her the election to Flood, who is poised to be one of her opponents in November in the race to be Biddeford’s mayor.
Although she said she has heard the pleas of residents living on a fixed income, Twomey said, “These students deserve this school.”
Biddeford High School was built in 1961, with an addition in 1971. If the bond is approved, some of the improvements would include: A two-story addition which would house a secure entry and new administrative offices on the first floor and a new library on the second floor; handicapped accessibility throughout the building, including three new elevators; a new exterior curtain wall to improve heating and energy efficiency; new heating, lighting, sprinkler, fire alarm and security systems will be added; the “Little Theater” would be renovated; classrooms would be consolidated by department; and some cosmetic changes would be made to the building.
— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.
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