BRUNSWICK

Maine Region 10 Technical High School has a vision for a new comprehensive high school and will be asking the Maine Department of Education for funding.

The comprehensive high school would be a four-year school offering academics as well as career and technical education that may be located at Brunswick Landing.

The DOE announced in September the new application cycle for major school construction projects that began in October. The process enables Maine public schools to apply for state support in order to undertake a major renovation or addition project or to build a new facility.

On Monday, R10’s Cooperative Board unanimously approved hiring PDT Architect to put together an application for the comprehensive high school at a cost of $4,500.

R10 Director Nancy Weed said the state of the current R10 facility — with a leaky roof, poor electrical system and classrooms that are not in the best of shape — may improve the application’s standing with the DOE.

However, Weed said R10 may be competing against other funding applicants.

“We have a lot of work cut out for us,” she said.

The application has to be submitted by April 2017 and Weed said there is a lot of work to do, including speaking with legislators and the commissioner of education.

The school’s Comprehensive High School Committee continues to meet to talk about components of a new school and questions the general public will have about this education model.

“The staff is really excited to think we’re really going to look at this,” Weed said.

Discussion about the school project application followed a lengthy conversation about issues with the existing building’s roof.

One section of the original 35- year-old roof has been repaired but an approximately 6-foot-by-18-foot area slated for later repair has begun to display issues in the last five weeks due to a seam that has opened up.

Repair to that section could cost approximately $8,000.

However, Facilities Director Mike Knof told board members additional issues may be found once the roof is opened up for repairs, so he’d plan to fix larger areas of the roof that could cost between $37,000 to $114,000.

Board member Jim Grant said he’s thinking about what is the best long-term investment for Region 10.

“Even if we outgrow this building and move someplace else, this building has to have a resale value and has to be secure, so we’re going to have to look at some type of substantial cost,” he said. “I think it’s better that we look at a way to try to problem solve to get this fixed, once.”

Knof said in that case, Region 10 could be looking at approximately $400,000.

Board members requested more information about options to fund repairs.

“We have never faced anything like this before,” said David Johnson, chairman of the cooperative board.

dmoore@timesrecord.com