Portland voters will decide Tuesday whether to approve a bond issue to cover part of the construction costs for a new Hall Elementary School.
The state has agreed to pay for almost all of the $29.7 million project. Only $1.4 million would be local funding, for specific upgrades such as a larger gym that can serve as a community center.
Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and in a polling station change, voters who usually vote at the Expo will vote at Reiche Elementary School, 166 Brackett St.
Hall Elementary School was built at 23 Orono Road in 1956, and the one-story building has problems with drainage and rotting siding. In 2012, an electrical fire at the school displaced the 400-plus students for two weeks.
The new school would have room for 558 students. In addition to the larger gym, local funding would be used for features approved by a special committee and the school board, including a bigger cafeteria, additional play structures and outdoor learning spaces, and certification as a “green” building.
It is one of 12 school projects on the state’s Major Capital School Construction Approved Projects List.
The proposed opening of the new school is September 2018.
The project has prompted some parents to urge the City Council and school board to support a bond or additional funding for upgrades at the city’s four other elementary schools. In February, the city used nearly $1 million to make immediate upgrades to address safety concerns at the Reiche school.
Facility upgrades typically are made through the city’s long-term borrowing plan for major expenses, but a limited budget and a growing list of needs have left many projects without adequate funding.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
