On Tuesday, voters in both the Kennebunk and Massabesic school districts will head to the polls and decide the fate of renovation projects in both districts.

The athletic directors in both school districts ”“ Kennebunk’s Joe Schwartzman and Massabesic’s Brendan Scully ”“ are hoping voters will vote “yes” and help not only the student-athletes, but their communities as a whole.

The top priority for both men is safety for the student-athletes and residents of RSU 21 and RSU 57.

“Simply put our facilities are outdated and unsafe,” said Schwartzman.

Scully echoed those comments.

“It is important for the student-athletes to provide them with safe facilities, that are usable and support the widespread school and community use of the facility,” said Scully.

In Kennebunk, a lack of adequate locker rooms and basically more space all around is an issue, according to Schwartzman.

“We do not have proper locker rooms for (physical education), athletics or officials,” said Schwartzman, who said officials currently have to change in a classroom at KHS. “We can’t host volleyball matches when we have home football (games) because we have no locker room for the volleyball players, as the visiting football team must use the locker room.”

The proposal in Kennebunk calls for brand new locker rooms, including separate physical education and athletic locker rooms for both boys and girls ”“ and officials will have a locker room designated just for them.

In Massabesic, one area that Scully believes needs to be taken care of is the district’s track.

“We have not hosted a track meet for 10 years at MHS due to the conditions of the track,” said Scully. “Its current condition is a safety concern. We have 200 athletes between the middle school and high school track and field programs and many other programs and community members who want to use the track for training.”

The proposed renovation in Massabesic would take care of that problem along with widening the football field so soccer, field hockey and other sports can use it; installing permanent bleachers and “providing overdue maintenance” to the tennis courts.

“Our tennis courts are approaching a similar state (to the track) and due to cracking of the surface we may not be able to host tennis matches beyond this year,” said Scully. “This plan involves replacing the tennis courts, repairing the track, replacing the temporary bleachers that are located at the stadium and installing a synthetic playing surface to accommodate more teams playing at the stadium complex.”

For Schwartzman, the field at Kennebunk’s football stadium and the school’s tennis courts are also due for upgrades.

“Our stadium field has poor drainage. There are cast iron drain covers on the playing surface. We have wooden covers with Astroturf on top of them in the playing field for lacrosse and soccer matches,” said Schwartzman. “Our tennis courts are over 25 years old and need to be replaced. There are cracks in the court that span more than two inches. This is a safety concern for our players, opposing players and for the community members who use these courts.”

One positive for having state-of-the-art facilities that is sometimes overlooked is the pride that the school will have once the project is complete, said Scully.

“We have over one-third of our student population participating in our athletic programs at any given time and an upgrade in facilities would mean a great deal to them in terms of school pride,” said Scully.

That pride doesn’t just stop with the students at Massabesic High School.

“In terms of the community benefit, pride in the school and its facilities is certainly important, and our school complex is widely used by community members and programs,” said Scully. “Most of our youth programs use our facilities for practices and games, so being able to provide them with appropriate facilities to support their efforts is crucial to the growth of athletics and activities within the district.”

Schwartzman mirrored that sentiment.

“Outdated equipment and facilities, I believe, affect our school spirit and overall environment of the school,” said Schwartzman.

Schwartzman believes the current condition of Kennebunk High School has hurt the community as a whole.

“Families contemplating moving to Kennebunk or Kennebunkport, fall in love with a house in the area, then tour the school and we never see them again,” said Schwartzman.

It would be nice to be able to show off an updated facility, but the main reason this project needs to be done comes back to safety, according to Schwartzman.

“Providing our students with proper facilities that are updated and safe (is critical). We strive to provide them with the opportunity to compete on a level playing field,” said Schwartzman.

One thing that really concerns Schwartzman is the fact that RSU 21 is currently not meeting several of the standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

“My biggest disappointment lies in our lack of ADA compliant facilities. I have watched students on crutches struggle around our campus. I have cringed as I see grandparents try to navigate around our school and ball fields. Kennebunk High School should be the flagship of the district and instead we have a facility that puts hurdles in the way of folks who want to come and cheer our students on,” said Schwartzman.

Schwartzman is urging voters to support what he calls a “modest” renovation project.

“I remind everyone, there is no turf field or overbuilt facility. Rather, we have plans to construct a modest, safe and ADA compliant facilities that staff, students, parents and community members can be proud of,” said Schwartzman.

In Massabesic, voters will be deciding on an athletics renovation project for the second time after a larger plan was voted down back in the fall.

“In the fall, our original plan was defeated but was of a much larger scale,” said Scully, who feels much better about this project’s chances. “This plan focuses on the immediate needs of the facility. The feedback I hear as it relates to scaling back the plan and support of the current plan is positive. I believe there is more support for this project and I am optimistic about the outcome of the June 9 vote.”

Polls open in both RSU 21 and RSU 57 on Tuesday morning.

— Sports Editor Pat McDonald can be reached at pmcdonald@journaltribune.com or at 282-1535 ext. 322.