May 26, 2016 Meeting of West Bay Rotary

Maria Libby, introduced by Terry Bregy, WBR member and superintendent of schools to talk about the Camden Rockport Middle School project

Parts of the building have been condemned, and there are various roof leaks, outdated and failing systems, including ventilation, and building is not code compliant. Major repairs would be needed to address all of these issues. The district has scavenged materials from the old Elementary school to patch some of the repairs. Replacement of the elevator is needed, the cost of which alone is $250k. The school fronts on Knowlton Street and presents daily traffic issues, which is a safety concern for the school and neighborhood.

Management believes the cost to taxpayers will be less to address current issues now, while interest rates are low. It is not healthy, safe or configured to support 21st century education.

Initially, public forums, tours and education in 2015 resulted in a $28M project being defeated in referendum. The school board is going to put the matter back to a vote in November 2017.

Now in what she describes as Round 2, they are conducting focus groups of voters in the district and have conducted 10 listening tours with groups like Rotary, the YMCA and other community organizations.

Currently the groups are meeting at the Town Offices in Camden, which are live-streamed for greater transparency.  The goal is to build a modest building to meet the needs.  Band and chorus rooms need to be larger than the state requires because of the greater participation level of students in those programs here.  The Gymnasium is high school size, and they do use it monthly for school-wide meetings.  Each class is about 90 students. The 90-seat mini theater does not provide what a 200-seat auditorium would provide in terms of accommodating each of the classes with parents and students from other classes.

They are also planning for a capital reserve fund and a Friends group.

Overall, the goal is to help the community understand the project. At a June 8 meeting, they plan to talk about the “new vs. renovation” decision.  She asked what the club would need to know to address that issue, help them understand what people think are the most important elements for the school and how to make it community-friendly.

Currently, there are 71 school districts on a list seeking state funding. No state funding is currently available for school projects. It is anticipated that only athletics will be disrupted with a project, because the current building has more square footage than is needed so students can be shifted into other areas during construction.

The website address about the project will be shared after it is updated with the new project information so members can learn more.

She wants feedback on how to tell this story and what the real “deal-breaker” issues are for people.

Ron Hall recognized members for their EREY participation; Laura Evans, Heidi Karod, Heinz Lehman, Bruce Malone, Matt McConnell, Betsy Saltonstall, Ian Robertson.

Mark Coursey was awarded a Paul Harris Fellow by President Lisa Sojka.

Peter Berke reminded us all about Saturday’s Duck Derby. All tickets and proceeds need to be turned in today.  The race is at 5p, and the dump will happen from the River Ducks bridge.

Boats will leave at 11a on June 7 from the Town Landing to attend the Camden Rotary Club meeting on Curtis Island. See Bruce Malone if you are interested in attending that day.

PDG Deb Walters will speak next week about her fundraising efforts for Safe Passage.

Susan Dorr is organizing the annual dinner on June 30 at the Samoset. You can still sign up and pay the $30pp.