KENNEBUNK — Residents in Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel will vote in June whether to approve a nearly $56.5 million renovation project for three schools in Regional School Unit 21.
In January 2014, voters rejected a $75 million project to renovate Kennebunk High School, Kennebunkport Consolidated School and Mildred L. Day School.
Since then, school officials have gone back to the drawing board and created a new proposal with a significantly lower price tag.
RSU 21 School Board last week approved a school renovation project to go out to a regional vote in June. On Monday, after securing some harder figures, the board decided June’s vote will be whether to approve a suggested $56.5 million renovation project.
School Board member and Kennebunk resident Frank Drigotas said after residents of the three communities voted down the last proposal, school officials made a lot of changes to come up with a suggested plan that contained “needs, not wants.”
“We put a lot of wants aside,” he said.
To help keep a proposed bond cost down, the suggested plan includes using $450,000 for the school renovation project from the already budgeted $756,000 capital improvement fund. This would still leave sufficient money in the funds, said School Board member and Kennebunk resident Matthew Fadiman.
“This is a prudent use, in my opinion,” he said.
School Board member Robert Domine said putting the renovation project out to vote in June instead of November will save the school unit $123,000 if the project goes through, as the project can start before school is in session.
Under the new proposal, the size of suggested remodeled buildings has been scaled down. Other adjustments to the proposal include using composite material instead of brick for an outside courtyard, toning down high school cafeteria renovations, and not replacing an elevator, said interim Superintendent of Schools Kevin Crowley at last week’s meeting. There are also some items that have already been completed in smaller scale projects, he said.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be contacted at 282-1535, ext.325 or egotthelf@journaltribunecom.
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