Going green provides SAD 51 many building options for new schools. An elementary school similar to what the district seeks to build existed at the current North Yarmouth Community Center for 30 years. This center has become a financial burden for the town and was considered as a site for a new school but rejected because of concerns for septic and proximity to an aquifer providing municipal drinking water. The district should design the building with flush composting toilets which are in use at the University of Vermont Law School and another administrative building in Royalton, Vermont, to virtually eliminate septic discharge.

There are additional concerns about surface water runoff, but systems exist to collect and filter such runoff. Porous pavement can be used for natural filtration. Finally, as the state recommends for new school construction, multi-story construction should be used to further minimize runoff and environmental impact. In fact, multi-story construction, paired with prohibiting student vehicles on the Cumberland campus would make new school construction possible in Cumberland.

The state of Maine should embrace composting toilets for new schools if it is serious about our environment, and should fund an SAD 51 school as a demonstration project. What would be a better way to teach our children about smart solutions for our environment? Certainly not bulldozing 17 acres on the outer edge of town to build a new school at the cost of $100 million with interest included. It’s time to “walk the walk” on going green.

Tim Michalak
Cumberland