How can local taxes decrease with new construction? In 1998-99 Winthrop schools paid $358,304 in debt repayment, all paid by Winthrop taxpayers with no state support. These costs are a result of the local bond issue to address ADA code violations and other code-required renovations.

Winthrop schools also paid $69,600 for leased space and portable classrooms. In addition, Winthrop paid $55,914 for ventilation repair for Adell. The total capital outlay for facilities other than normal operation maintenance and upkeep was $483,818 for the 98-99 school year.

It is important to remember that with state approved projects, the maximum debt load for any district is one half (½) mil of local tax revenue. With state approval, the State of Maine pays all additional construction cost. Winthrop's current valuation is $287,350,000 and ½ mil is $143,675.

To present a clear picture of the outcome and impact of school construction, the 2002-2003 school year will be used as a comparative year.

If local citizens approve Winthrop's Comprehensive Plan, the cost for Winthrop citizens through local taxation is capped at ½ mil or using present valuation $143,675. The old bond payments must continue to be repaid and those costs must be added to the capital outlay for total cost with all three projects. All leases and capital improvement costs will be eliminated.

The net reduction in local tax dollars is $102,402 if all new construction is approved. Present debt continues to be reduced, the total debt cost for 2007-08 with these approved projects would be $211,350. This represents a total local tax reduction of $272,468. With the construction of these three facilities, local taxes will be reduced because of the shift of cost to the State of Maine.

What if a bond issue is approved for only one or two projects? Local debt service is still ½ mil for any STATE APPROVED project. If only one project is approved in addition to the ½ mil, Winthrop would continue to foot the bill locally for leases, and renovations that are not state approved. With only one or two of these projects, buildings would still be in use that face safety, ADA, fire code and structural issues.

The solution is clear. The present facilities will continue taking educational dollars away from Winthrop's students to maintain our present plant. Only with approved state participation will the citizens of Winthrop be relieved of the higher than average taxes for education.

The Winthrop community has faced the facility question for over ten years. The present school facilities create major issues for program development, health and safety, code enforcement, tax liability, community development, appropriate learning spaces and sports programs.

After careful review and community input, the district has developed a comprehensive plan to address all pre-k through adult learner needs. This plan represents a facility plan for the next twenty years of utilization. The comprehensive plan has three distinct but linked projects.

The State of Maine has provided concept approval for an 8,000 sq. ft. addition for the middle school. This project would address present and projected needs of grades 6 through 8. The project creates needed classroom space as well as a new cafeteria, stage, kitchen facilities and centralization of services for the public.

The project also provides a new middle school athletic/play field. The plan allows program modifications needed for student learning. In the 1998-99 school year, the district faced the need for additional space. The Board of Education considered mobile units, but did not move forward with this option. Tax impacts and the need for a long-term remedy rather than continued reliance on short-term expensive leasing drove this decision. The addition as well as the field development are critical for proper program delivery and are an essential component of our comprehensive plan.

Since 1990, the Winthrop community has recognized the need of facilities to house the student body. The Winthrop Board of Education has attempted to address the needs and deficiencies that continue to exist with our present facilities. The remedies forced upon the community have been expensive and have not resolved the ever-present issues. As the third part of our comprehensive proposal, the Winthrop Board of Education is submitting an application for a new facility to provide appropriate learning spaces for our high school program.

The district recognizes the critical component to complete the comprehensive plan is a new high school. At present, the Winthrop High School cannot offer to its students the program required for all of our students. As a result many families have selected other schools to educate their children. This represents a loss of state dollars to support our local schools.

The new high school will represent a total program facility. This space is not to be considered additional space due to the fact that Adell, mobile units, leases and improper code violation spaces will be eliminated from our present facility space. The project serves our community as a central hub for community needs and use.

Without a doubt, the new high school construction will relieve the facility issues that Winthrop faces.

In summary, the comprehensive plan address all the facility needs outlined over ten years of study and review. The comprehensive plan must be completed to assure local tax dollar reduction. If part of the plan fails, Winthrop will continue to have to raise local tax revenue to pay for expensive short-term remedies.

We have learned much from the experiences of the past. It is time for Winthrop to move forward with state assistance to resolve these continuing problems.

The State of Maine provides through the school construction laws an opportunity to express preliminary approval for building projects. This vote is taken at the municipal level prior to the State Board of Education review.

The State Board of Education reviews each project for concept approval. This vote gives their approval to move forward with project planning. With this vote, local projects are rated and placed on the rating list for state funding.

The Adell school building has provided educational space since being constructed in 1929. The past ten of its 70-year life have been very expensive and inadequate for school programs.

Many architectural and engineering studies have been done. All reviews indicate a building in serious need of repairs and upgrades to meet building codes. Questions about structural strength, air quality, handicap accessibility (ADA), fire codes (safety), asbestos removal and general safety have been noted. The most serious concern of the studies indicates that with renovation of Adell, Winthrop would still face a very inefficient and inappropriate educational space.

The Board of Education has reviewed cost analysis and suitability of space. After careful assessment, the Board has voted to vacate Adell for educational purposes. The district will not use the facility after 2000-2001 school year. The reason for this decision, is the high cost of bringing this facility into code. The long term costs for Adell are prohibitive and dependant totally upon the Winthrop taxpayer.

• Raise questions/get answers
• Stay informed
• Local tax support
• Referendum vote (September 28, 1999)

• Set program goals for District
• Assure means to meet goals
• Master planning
• Community involvement/education
• Decisions on optimal use of funding

• Research, report, recommend to BOE
• Understand, utilize state funding formulas
• Liaison to State BOE
• Coordinate Student and Staff needs
• Coordinate Architect/Engineer teams

• Advise superintendent on needs
• Review projects to meet those needs

• Set guidelines for construction finance
• Review proposals
• Rank proposals by need

• Fund new school construction

• Provide engineering guidance on traffic flow

• Review projects for site development compliance, e.g. stormwater management and water quality, wetlands, soils, noise etc.

The Space Question?

Community members have raised several questions about the total square footage being requested in these school projects.

The district needs to discontinue the use of several student learning spaces due to code violations, cost, and inappropriateness. The following charts show information considered for these space needs and changes.

6 Doublewides (classrooms, reading center, computer lab, & adult ed.) 8,640 sq. ft. Expense, ADA, code violations

2 Wooden Facilities (red building & alternative ed. building) 2,850 sq. ft. Expense, ADA code violations

Adell (14 classrooms & gymnasium) 29,500 sq. ft. Expense, ADA, code violations

Grade School Lower Level (4 classrooms & media center) 8,750 sq. ft. ADA, code violations

High School Lower Level (shops & cafeteria) 7,250 sq. ft. ADA, code violations

Space to be constructed

High School 8,000 sq. ft. Addition (cafetorium, media center, classrooms) 8,000 sq. ft.

Middle School 8,000 sq. ft. Addition (cafetorium, music area, kitchen, classrooms, playfield) 8,000 sq. ft.

New High School (cafeteria, performing arts center, computer labs, classrooms, athletic fields) 75,000 +/- sq. ft.

Given this information, the district will increase total student space by 34,010 sq. ft. (91,000-56,990 =34,010) which will accommodate our needs and programs.

The district also plans to move the central office to the Highland Avenue campus, thus saving lease dollars.

Another change would be utilizing the shop areas at the present high school as a district wide maintenance area.

The goal of the comprehensive plan is to provide safe and appropriate space and sites for student learning. Equally important, the district will provide cost effective space to assist in reducing taxation for debt service presently faced by the district.

The Community Wants To Know

We will continue to publish questions asked by the community in future flyers.

Several engineering and architectural studies, as well as staff and student input, guided the Board of Education decision to abandon the facility. The Harriman study indicated that the building was usable for a short term under certain conditions and precautionary measures; for example, one condition was not to use the second floor in winter months until all snow was removed. The Harriman study utilized 1996 building cost projections, and it indicated a total renovation cost of $2,505,000 to upgrade the 29,000 sq. ft. facility.

Other reviews of Adell included an examination of code compliance, safety and other issues. Stephen Blatt Architects completed a study that indicated major additional concerns; cost projections for renovation and code violation correction were estimated at $3,750,000. This study added energy and ventilation needs as well as Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance.

The planning process has recognized that Adell serves as a utility hub. The architect and engineering study has reviewed options such as relocating the nerve center or creating a small utility enclosure. This question will be resolved through the consultant architect and engineers.

The Legislature passed regulations encouraging districts to review all options through a comprehensive plan. This plan reviews educational issues, enrollment projections, present facilities (size, age, physical conditions, site size, deficiencies, etc.), community use, maintenance plans, alternative explorations, and strategic plan. The legislation requires a district to do comparative analysis for renovation or new construction. The State is reluctant to participate in Adell renovation because it is not cost effective, the site is too small, ADA non-compliance and below grade building code violations.

The high school was originally built to meet the needs faced by many schools when the baby-boomers were moving through the educational system. The facility was built simply to provide large classroom space regardless of program needs. Since then, new regulations (Special Ed., class size, health and safety codes, ADA codes, etc.) have impacted how classroom space is used. In addition, what a student must learn to be prepared for the future has dramatically changed; today's classrooms are highly specialized.

The district has considered the costs associated with utilities. We have and continue to prepare the required documents for the Winthrop Planning Board. The district has contracted with Squaw Bay Engineers to complete project impact studies including utilities.

No additional administrative staff will be required because two administrative positions are adequate to supervise the present student and staff population.

Through the State's new review process, all district needs are to be considered. The comprehensive plan addresses all facility needs. After careful review of the past thirteen years of research, the district selected the high school for new construction. Demands for appropriate program space for the high school could not be attained with the present facility and site. Furthermore, the Board of Education, through the support of the Winthrop Town Council, invested many dollars upgrading the heating system and a new roof among other things - at the present Grade School. Winthrop is very proud of the result of these improvements. The comprehensive plan does consider grade school needs and construction. To maintain our neighborhood school, the Highland Avenue campus will become a pre-k through grade 5 campus. This 8,000 sq. ft. addition provides our elementary students an excellent facility where classrooms, playground, parking and traffic flow are all improved. The construction of a high school provides the opportunity to address grade school needs with use of the renovated high school facility. Highland Avenue will provide a wonderful campus for our grade school students today and in the future.

The Board of Education and the Town Council have considered an alternative access to the Charles Street campus. Two probable access routes are under consideration. The Facility Construction Committee is presently reviewing these options and is awaiting engineering study results to make a final recommendation. Whatever the final decision, the Apple Farm Crossing entry will not be used as an access route.

The performing arts center capacity is limited by state construction guidelines. However, with appropriate architectural design, the performing arts center and adjacent cafeteria will seat approximately 750. The final design of the center will be developed under the direction of the State Department of Education and the State Board of Education.

With the comprehensive plan, the district resolves site limitations that presently exist. The Highland Avenue campus will provide appropriate space with potential growth if needed.

The new high school, with the 30 plus acres at Apple Farm Crossing for playing fields, provides appropriate site space well removed from the present middle school. The considered design allows for future additions to the new high school without major disruption to the campus. The site and facility will allow for a ten-percent (10%) growth under the present design without additional construction.

With an 8000 sq. ft. addition to the middle school (grades 6-8) and the additional land provided by the comprehensive plan, there will be ample space that allows for ten percent (10%) growth without additional construction.

As the district was able to do in its 1999-2000 school budget, staff modifications should occur without additional property tax. Alternative revenue and acquiring new staff through attrition should provide for the program modifications noted under the present needs. Important project goals include providing program modifications and property tax relief with the implementation of Winthrop's comprehensive education plan.

September 22 - Presentation to Winthrop Lions Club

September 18 - Winthrop Transfer Station 9 a.m.-11 a.m.

September 25 - Homecoming Weekend

Field Hockey Game, WMS 9 a.m.

Soccer Game, WHS 11a.m.

Football Game, WHS 1:30 p.m.

If you would like to host a gathering or have our display at your event please contact the Terry Despres,

Superintendent of Schools at 377-2296 ext.101

Donations to assist the Winthrop

Comprehensive Plan Committee may be sent to:

Winthrop Area Federal Credit Union

ATT: Winthrop Comprehensive Plan Committee

PO Box 55

Winthrop Maine, 04364

Ann Theriault, Treasurer, Winthrop Comprehensive Plan Committee

For more information call:

Winthrop Town Office at 377-7200 or stop in Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-5 p.m.