KENNEBUNK — The Town of Kennebunk’s upcoming mailing won’t exactly be a letter to Santa, but it will contain a gift for its residents: absentee ballots, and a summary of information pertinent to the impending vote on a $75 million renovation project proposed by Regional School Unit 21.
The letter, which may be sent out as soon as this week, breaks down the costs of potential improvements that would be made to three of the district’s schools ”“ Kennebunk High School, Kennebunkport Consolidated School and the Mildred L. Day School in Arundel ”“ as well as information on how to calculate the expected tax increase based on a resident’s property value.
The district-wide vote, encompassing the tri-town area, is slated for Tuesday, Jan. 21. In Kennebunk, the final day to request absentee ballots will be Wednesday, Jan. 15, one day earlier than usual due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday the following Monday. Officials in all three towns are urging citizens to vote by absentee ballot in the event that there is inclement weather on election day.
On Tuesday, Town Manager Barry Tibbetts expressed hope that voters will take advantage of the absentee ballots included in the mailing.
“All they have to do is fill it out and mail it in, and our people will take care of it,” he said.
If a “yes” vote prevails, the implications for Kennebunk High School are considerable, as its proposed renovations comprise close to $54 million of the overall project costs. For that price, classroom size would increase for the roughly 700 students on campus; a publicly accessible library that could double as meeting space would be created; a spacious cafeteria would be installed; and both indoor and outdoor athletic facilities stand to be completely revamped, bringing them up to par with modern competitive standards, according to school officials. Grass fields would be outfitted with a more maintenance-friendly artificial turf as well.
In addition, the renovation project calls for the creation of a stand-alone visual and performing arts facility, which RSU Superintendent Andrew Dolloff said would result in greater community access and use of an attractive performance space. Students involved in the arts would have a greater opportunity for learning, he said, particularly the school band, which has to rehearse in shifts due to a lack of space in the building’s current music room.
Not everyone in town feels the project would be worth the tax increase.
“There are so many people in this town ”¦ that are going to be really hurt,” said resident Sue Walker at Tuesday night’s meeting of the board of selectmen. “The senior citizens, for instance, who have to live on fixed incomes.
“They say the schools are in peril. But there are people in this town who are in peril, too.”
To convince voters that the renovations ”“ which would occur at all three schools simultaneously ”“ are worth the cost, school and district officials have been hosting a series of facilities tours to highlight deficiencies in the buildings.
Last week at M.L. Day School, Dr. Kevin Crowley, the school’s principal, pointed out structural flaws with the building stemming from its placement on clay-rich soil, which has caused an average of half an inch of settling annually for the past 30 or so years. Because the C and D wings in particular are located on clay, that area of the building has settled more than others, causing stress fractures on parts of the roof, and joint separation in many of the school’s structural beams. The proposed plan is to tear down those wings and build a larger, more heat-efficient space that’s parallel with the adjoining Limerick Road, where the soil is more conducive to a stable structure.
The next facilities tour is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 16 at 6 p.m. at Kennebunkport Consolidated School, which, according to Dolloff, is in need of handicapped accessibility to bring it into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as a new music room and full-sized basketball court. A public hearing with follow the facilities tour.
Tours of each school will take place on Saturday, Jan. 11 throughout the morning and early afternoon. A full schedule can be found online at www.rsu21.net.
Meanwhile, some residents in Kennebunk have asked the selectmen to take a position on the renovations. Board member David Spofford said he will divulge his opinion during the first meeting in 2014, on Jan. 14, but will do so strictly as a private citizen.
“I don’t think a vote from the board is appropriate,” said Spofford. “It’s a personal opinion.”
— Staff Writer Jeff Lagasse can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 319 or jlagasse@journaltribune.com.
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