BRUNSWICK

Coffin Elementary School and the adjacent Brunswick Junior High School have, for years, been plagued by problems and safety issues associated with the aging buildings. Now, after months of often contentious discussion, the school district appears in a position to finally act, but at a cost to taxpayers.

The Brunswick School Board wants voters to approve a $12.3 million bond to fund repairs in a November referendum.

Superintendent Paul Perzanoski said that the school board decided it would accept PDT Architect’s plans to repair both buildings and to construct a large 12-classroom portable structure.

Repairs would address safety and disability access issues, he said.

Lyndon Keck of PDT Architect said the board has instructed his firm to explore a “repairs only” project it voted to send to referendum. Other options to replace and reno- vate the schools were much more expensive — estimated at between $20 million and $45 million — so this is the school board’s plan to make the buildings safer and more secure for another 10 to 15 years. At that point the district would like to be able to replace at least one school.

The school buildings have been well maintained, Keck said, but are just old, worn out and have “generally exceeded their component life cycles.”

“This project addresses the most urgent fire code, safety and structure concerns to make the building as safe as possible over the next 10 to 15 years,” said Keck.

Repairs to the both schools will cost approximately $8.8 million, Keck said, and finishes such as paint, window shades and floor upgrades will total another $1 million.

The large, 12-room portable building structure would cost $2.5 million.

That structure would be attached to or located near Coffin School so that students no longer need to cross the street to reach the old portable classrooms, said Perzanoski.

Repairs range from fixing sloped and sunken floors at the junior high school to installing new security vestibules.

The school board’s decision on Wednesday was a compromise, said board member Richard Ellis, who is also chairman of the facility committee.

“I think there was no easy slam dunk decision with any of these,” said Ellis. “At the end of the day, we’re faced with the challenge where we have two buildings in pretty rough shape in need of renovation and repairs, and we’re faced with the financial situation where the town can’t afford to do both buildings ourselves. And at this juncture we can’t rely on the state to support it through the major capital school construction program.”

Ellis said several options were discussed Wednesday, including a motion he made to focus repairs on only one school while building a new elementary school at the site of Jordan Acres School.

That idea, also floated a couple of years prior, didn’t gain much ground on Wednesday, Ellis said. The tradeoff was that the school department wouldn’t be able to address many of the issues at the junior high school.

“The decision we arrived at is that we’re going to be putting repair dollars into both schools in order to bring both of the buildings up to standard in regard to structural safety, security, those types of concerns,” Ellis said.

A motion that added $2.5 million for the 12-classroom portable and $1 million for visual improvements didn’t draw a unanimous vote, but was supported by the majority of school board members.

On Thursday, Perzanoski noted that the school board has been grappling with building needs for four years.

“Having the direction to be able to fix the buildings is a very big step because we were actually putting together emergency plans in case one or both of the buildings fails,” Perzanoski said.

“Some of the projects will prevent larger issues from developing, so that will allow us to focus on the education of the students instead of dealing with things like leaky roofs or sloping floors,” said Walter Wallace, principal at Brunswick Junior High School. “Every minute we spend on a maintenance concern is time spent away from the students, so whatever can be done in that area will make a difference.”

If voters approve the bond in November, the school board can contemplate moving the second grade from Harriet Beecher Stowe School to Coffin School if so desired, said Perzanoski. HBS is designed for 560-600 student in grades 3-5 and now has 700 students in grades 2-5.

Overcrowding at HBS occurred after Jordan Acres School closed because of a structural deficiency, said Ellis.

dmoore@timesrecord.com

Things that need fixing

PDT ARCHITECT’S LYNDON KECK said the project includes various tasks such as:

— Expanding the sprinkler systems and replacing outdated fire alarm systems

— Bringing doors, hardware and toilets in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act

— Strengthening roof structures that carry excessive snowdrifting loads

— Removing asbestos, hazardous caulking

— Replacing window glazing

— Repairing roof drainage

— Installing security vestibules and additional lighting at entrances

— Correcting fire stair separation problems

— Replacing corroded underground steam lines and outdated playground equipment

— Repairing sloped and sunken floors at the junior high school

— Installing new mechanisms to shut off gas in an emergency