LYMAN — A new roof has been installed on the Cousens Memorial School, the first of many steps in shoring up the building for possible future use.
The building was purchased by the town in June 2008, at a cost of $21,755. It had been used by Regional School Unit 57 until 2007, when the district decided that bringing it up to the required standards would be too much of an expense.
Since 2008, the Lyman Building Committee has been pursuing plans for the building, but now have a renewed fervor under new Chairwoman Victoria Gavel.
“This place has good bones,” said Gavel, going through the building Wednesday. “It’s a work in progress.”
The committee, made up of five residents, had originally looked at the Rhodes Hall and former town hall as well when considering a building for community use, said Gavel, but found that the other two were “not really worth it to keep.”
Cousens school, on the other hand ”“ “There’s something about it,” she said. “It’s part of the town’s legacy.”
Several residents attended an open house in April, Gavel recalled, with some even playing songs on the piano that still sits in the stage room.
“What really amazed me was the amount of sentimental stories I heard” from those who attended, she said. “There’s quite a bit of positive energy from people over this place.”
Voters have approved nearly $60,000 in funds for the school over the past two years, said Selectman Leo Ruel, with $30,000 of that set aside this past June for heating, plowing, repair and maintenance of the building.
“The roof was one of the problems,” said Ruel, and that project was completed by Bill Ruck Roofing & Siding this week.
Some of the remaining funds will be used to install a perimeter drain around the building to keep water out of the basement. Flooding in past years has caused the tiles to come up in the basement, exposing the asbestos glue below, said Gavel. She plans to have specifications ready to go out to bid for the drainage project soon, with hopes the work can be completed before winter.
The shrubs surrounding the building are set to be removed this Saturday, courtesy of volunteer and former selectman Paul Fecteau, and roofer Anthony Doria has offered to reflash the chimney for free.
“Once we can take care of the dangerous conditions” such as the asbestos and water infiltration, she said, “we could do more with volunteers” inside the building.
The town will also be able to properly insure the building once the drainage project is complete.
Cousens Memorial School is currently insured only for liability, not for theft or fire, said Ruel, because the town’s insurance policy would not cover it without certain improvements.
“I’m sure we’re on the right track, it’ll happen now,” said Ruel.
In the meantime, the committee is also pursuing a grant for an environmental site assessment to determine what environmental issues exist at the building. The asbestos flooring will have to be taken up and some mold on the downstairs walls may or may not be of concern, said Gavel.
The main part of the building was built in 1937, dedicated to Horace D. Cousens, and an addition was put in place in 1960, said Gavel. Inside, water damage is apparent in several classroom ceilings and the side entryway ceiling tiles have fallen down, leaving a wet mess on the floor. The hardwood floor of the old section is well preserved, however, as are the wooden inset cabinets in the foyer.
The small stage is part of a room that opens up into the next, creating a large meeting space, and several well-sized classrooms appear to be in usable condition. A kitchen and additional classrooms are downstairs, with chairlifts on both staircases to allow handicap access.
“We don’t know what people want yet,” she said. “It would be a great community center, it has a bigger room to meet in than town hall.”
Both Ruel and Gavel noted that even if voters decide not to reuse the building, the improvements being made now will give it better resale value.
“It’s up to the townspeople, no matter what we do,” said Ruel. “The first step was to do all that is necessary to stop the building from deteriorating any more than it is.”
While other nearby communities such as Buxton and Hollis have rejected taking over their old school buildings recently, Ruel said he believes Lyman decided to buy its school back because of its location, the size and quality of the building, and its seven acres of land.
“It’s situated in the proper place,” he said. “It has very good soil, and we can add a parking lot easy,” he said. “The building itself is in pretty good shape.”
The property also includes a baseball field and basketball court, but the playground equipment has been removed.
— Kristen Schulze Muszynski can be contacted at 282-1535 Ext. 322 or kristenm@journaltribune.com.
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