Gouldsboro Gets Break On New School Costs

Ellsworth American, February 8, 2007

(excerpts) Maine’s funding formula for construction of new public schools will spare taxpayers in Gouldsboro from sharing in the direct cost of building a new, $12-million School Union 96 elementary school.

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Their primary concern is the size of school’s gymnasium. The state will fund construction of a gymnasium with a 42-by-74-foot court surface with 5-foot sidelines and enough area for bleachers to seat half the student body. That’s considerably smaller than the existing Winter Harbor gymnasium now used by the Peninsula School for basketball games and other events, which sometimes attract overflow crowds.

The School Board agreed Tuesday to provide an additional $200,000 in local funding to increase the dimensions of the gymnasium to accommodate bleacher seating for 300. Those funds will either come from property taxes or donations to an ongoing fund-raising effort, or some blend of both funding sources.

“Scott Brown, the construction coordinator for the Department of Education, tells me that virtually every school construction project has additional local money for a larger gymnasium,” School Union 96 Superintendent Bill Webster told the School Board.

Another concern is parking. The site plan approved by the state Department of Education calls for a 57-space parking lot to accommodate school staff and a few visitors. Any additional parking would need to be funded locally, either through property taxes, private donations or some blend of both.

A fund-raising letter will be mailed next week to all property owners in Gouldsboro and Winter Harbor. The New Peninsula School Fundraising Committee has set a goal of $500,000 to cover costs not funded by the state.

“State aid does not cover a long list of fixture needs and program enhancements,” the letter reads in part. “[They] include but are not limited to furniture, additional bleacher seating, portable risers for performances, playground equipment, additional library books, musical equipment and multi-media equipment, including computers and audio-visual equipment. Money for these items will need to be raised locally.”