Why is Cape Elizabeth choosing to build a new middle school instead of renovating?
Multiple architects, engineers, and the town’s Owner’s Representative have identified numerous critical building needs and barriers to education. The cost of addressing these issues through renovation (~$78 million at last estimate) is almost as high as building a new school and lasts significantly less time before requiring additional investments.
Due to the building’s load-bearing walls, a renovation cannot address major educational needs such as the outdated, undersized classrooms that are not decided for modern technology or hands-on learning. “Resetting the clock” on our oldest school avoids putting taxpayers on a collision course with three concurrently failing school buildings at once.
Our Middle School Is In Very Poor Condition: This isn’t just an old building that needs a coat of paint. Across multiple rounds of architects, a plethora of critical needs and failings have been identified, vetted, and confirmed by our hired professionals and affirmed by the SBAC, Owners Rep, and School Board. Already beyond its expected useful lifespan, the magnitude of required improvements carries a cost that is only marginally lower than the cost to build a new school. Don’t take our word for it: read the Facility Needs Assessment Report.
This Project Provides A Better Return on Investment: Bonding tens of millions of dollars to extend the life of this failing infrastructure would yield a poor return on investment. According to the work of the SBAC, the expected lifespan of a new middle school would far exceed that of costly renovations – by decades. New construction provides a better return on investment on a year-of-useful-life-per-dollar basis, making it the most cost effective approach. The town will need to fund additional renovations and construction in the future. We can control how soon that happens with our investment decisions today (aka in 25 years, not 10).
It Avoids Disruption: A renovation would stretch across 2-3 school years and disrupt the learning space of 100% of middle school students. Dozens of portable trailers costing millions of dollars would occupy Moulton Field, likely surrounded by tall security fencing. Students would be displaced and isolated — further disenfranchising those students requiring additional services. Additional prep and travel time would be required, with students going in and out of doors multiple times per day for allied arts, lunch, assemblies, special services, or activities.
With scores of individual entry points and outside doors, acceptable security measures would be almost impracticable. At the end of this extended disruption, teachers would return to unchanged classrooms. Proposed renovations don’t even provide a coat of paint for the learning space of our middle schoolers. The school board, with the input of the School District and MS Administrators, found this level of disruption unacceptable relative to the benefits of the renovation.
A new middle school would be constructed while students remained in the current building. Upon its completion, students would move to their new building while the old building is demolished and converted to field space. No portables, no disruption to learning, and more learning needs met by the project.
It “Resets the Clock”: Renovations alone for the MS, along with planned renovations Pond Cove and HS, puts Cape taxpayers on a collision course with three concurrently failing school buildings in the coming 20 years. This is a very expensive roll of the dice.
We Don’t Know What's Inside The Walls: Renovations are commonly plagued by expensive surprises, unexpected mitigation outlays, and cost overruns. Expected cost savings can easily evaporate in the construction process. (2:44:38 Public comment from Patrick Cotter, member of SBAC.).
