‘Majority SBAC supports school project’

BY CORINNE BELL

I joined the SBAC to share my experience as an architect who has worked on 50+ school design projects.

The design process, led by our industry leading Architect and Owner's Project Manager, was meticulous and transparent.

The Middle Ground synthesizes the best work of the SBAC. It prioritizes student safety, sustainability, and the very best design strategies that shape modern education to prepare our youngest community members for their bright future.

Re-starting the clock on one of our three aging school buildings is the best strategic step we can make as a town — and a very common strategy I have seen employed at aging campuses across the country. School buildings become exponentially more expensive to maintain starting around 40 years. Cape Elizabeth is in a precarious position, with the average age of each school building between 54 and 64 years old.

The· SBAC explored many renovation options — none were able to fulfill the school's educational program at a price point the community would support. Education and safety needs have changed too much, and the existing layout is too tangled, inefficient and rigid. No architect would design the middle school as it is laid out today.

Although the SBAC did not vote on the Middle Ground, I have spoken to my fellow SBAC members and know for a fact that the Middle Ground would pass if a vote were taken today. Let's make a community investment that will shape our community for the next 60 years — please vote YES!