North Yarmouth voters will decide Tuesday whether to rebuild Wescustogo Hall and renovate a pared-down North Yarmouth Memorial School.
The ballot asks voters to approve a $3.43 million bond to pay for the combined project, which would provide the town with a community center.
Fire destroyed the original Route 115 Grange in 2013. Parking limitations at the site, which neighbors the Village Green, largely prompted town officials to eye the former Memorial School property on Route 9 as a new location.
Barrett Made, a Portland-based design and build company, has worked with the Wescustogo Building and Design Committee to develop a community center composed of a partly demolished school building – the gym, stage, kitchen and hallway areas would be retained. A new Wescustogo would be connected through a lobby.
The proposal has stirred mixed feelings in the community about whether it is a good investment or too expensive for taxpayers.
As a proposed multi-use facility, the new Wescustogo would mix athletic and community events for all ages, along with town-sponsored activities, all to take place simultaneously in multiple sections of the 17,000-square-foot building, according to Wescustogo Committee Chairman Brian Sites. A 3D tour of the exterior and interior of the complex is posted at https://bit.ly/2v2ovW8.
The total project cost of $3.67 million would be offset by nearly $431,000 in insurance funds remaining from the original Wescustogo Hall. A 7 percent additional contingency of about $224,000 is included in the bond amount.
The project also has a fundraising goal of $250,000.
Alex Lear can be contacted at 781-3661, ext. 113, or at:
alear@theforecaster.net
Twitter: @learics
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