SCARBOROUGH — The future of the Wentworth Intermediate School may be decided Wednesday night.
Town Council Chairwoman Judith L. Roy told a meeting of town officials Monday that she will poll councilors on Wednesday to determine whether they support tearing down the 1963 building or prefer to preserve a portion of it.
Councilors must give direction to the Wentworth Intermediate School Building Committee, which will instruct its architect to design a new, standalone school for grades 3-5 on the site or design a campus that retains part of Wentworth.
Building committee members said they need an answer this week because they are already six weeks behind in developing plans for the new school.
The town is under pressure to decide, because it is preparing to hold a referendum in November in which voters will be asked to authorize funding for the new school.
The cost has not been determined.
Building committee members support the design option that calls for Wentworth to be torn down.
“There is little doubt in my mind that if we were to take a vote tonight, there would be overwhelming support among building committee members” for the design that eliminates Wentworth, said Paul Koziell, chairman of the committee.
But some town councilors, including Roy, say there are residents who would like to see the old school preserved and used for community programs.
Monday’s two-hour meeting of the Town Council, the Board of Education and building committee members showed how passionate residents are about the issue.
“I think it would be throwing good money at bad. It is time to get this building gone,” said John Cole, a member of the Board of Education.
Wentworth has aging heating and electrical systems, an inadequate stormwater removal system and a roof that is nearing the end of its life. It lacks a fire suppression system, is not fully handicapped accessible and does not meet current codes.
Roy and a few others suggested that the bonding question and the school preservation question be presented to voters in November as separate ballot questions.
But Koziell, along with Councilors Michael Wood, Ronald Ahlquist and Carol Rancourt, said that would only confuse voters and, most likely, lead to the defeat of the school bond question.
“The more we muddy the waters, the less likely it will move forward,” Ahlquist said. “There is not a lot of life left in the Wentworth Intermediate School.”
Keeping part of Wentworth would leave less land on the site and require the town to fill more than two acres of wetlands, costing the town an additional $500,000.
Roy said the issue should be decided by the full council. Councilors Richard Sullivan and Karen D’Andrea were unable to attend Monday’s meeting.
The council is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the town office.
Staff Writer Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at: dhoey@pressherald.com
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