WEST BATH

The Regional School Unit 1 now has an option agreement in hand signed by the city of Bath for property at Wing Farm in Bath to locate a new high school as part of a state-funded school construction project.

Surveying of the Wing Farm location should have been completed last week, according to RSU 1 Superintendent Patrick Manuel.

The state construction process is long and complex but there are also some complexities to examine regarding the possible location of a school on the Wing Farm property, an economic development venture funded with a U.S. Economic Developmant Administration grant that comes with some restrictions.

West Bath officials announced in a press release that “the town of West Bath has extended an invitation to the City of Bath, the Bath Water District, and the West Bath Economic Development Committee to meet at West Bath Town Hall in order to initiate discussion toward a resolution of a restrictive condition in the Wing Farm Economic Development Administration grant.”

The press release states that the EDA grant, which Bath and West Bath received jointly, provided the funding necessary to begin development of the Wing Farm Development project.

“Unless the condition is amended or removed by the EDA, those conditions would prevent location of the new proposed Morse High School at Wing Farm,” it states.

“Though not a participant in discussions or negotiations to date, West Bath welcomes a new Morse High School and is committed to work through the grant amendment process, along with the city of Bath,” West Bath officials state. “The town has dedicated itself to expedite that process and to facilitate the necessary meetings and discussions to get that job done as quickly as possible to pave the way for the new school facility.”

The Wing Farm project is an economic development partnership, which has been in place for about ten years. The multi-jurisdictional economic development park is shared by Bath and West Bath and spans both communities.

The EDA, a part of the U.S. Department of Commerce, provided a 50-50 matching federal grant of $ 1.7 million toward initial development costs for Wing Park. One of the conditions of the grant stipulates that the site be developed for economic growth purposes and create hundreds of high paying jobs.

The conditions prohibit non-profit enterprises from being eligible to participate. If RSU 1 were to locate Morse High School at Wing Farm, the EDA grant rules would prohibit such a use.

The EDA, however, will consider modification or even removal of the condition, provided all parties are in agreement that a secondary school is the best use, is mutually beneficial to both communities, beneficial to all parties of the grant, and that the EDA be reimbursed at fair market value for the grant funds originally provided.

“The town of West Bath looks forward to working with the city of Bath in seeking a resolution to this matter,” the press release states. “Our communities have long been aware of the critical need to replace Morse High. West Bath is happy to initiate an opportunity and the leadership so to bring all parties together to seek a resolution to this problem.”