Regional School Unit 18 has recently spent about $3 million on upgrades and improvements to district schools, including Messalonskee High School in Oakland, photographed Monday. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel
OAKLAND — Renovated libraries, revamped air handling systems and new pickleball courts were among some of the projects completed over the summer as part of Regional School Unit 18’s $3 million push to modernize its facilities.
At Messalonskee High School in Oakland, the district retiled floors, installed a $100,000 boiler and updated the school’s library.
At China Middle School, a new water well was dug and pickleball courts were installed.
At Belgrade Central School, bathrooms were renovated and pavement was replaced.
After years of delayed maintenance and budgetary struggles compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, Superintendent Carl Gartley said some RSU 18 facilities had fallen into disrepair.
“We looked at a variety of options for our facilities,” Gartley said, “and the district, parents … (and school) board all decided that we’re going to keep all of our buildings, and we’re going to fix them up and take care of all this deferred maintenance.”
Much of the funding for the district’s projects has come from state bonds, he said. The district is utilizing Maine’s School Revolving Renovation Fund, which provides financing to renovate and improve facilities.
RSU 18 each year updates its five-year facilities plan, which forecasts the projects the district expects to take on. Over the past several years, Gartley said, the pandemic and requirements of the School Revolving Renovation Fund have prompted RSU 18 to focus on improving school air quality and keeping its schools open.
“This has been a seven- or eight-year ongoing plan,” he said. “We will always have a five-year facilities plan. I mean, our roadmap for our facilities will never end. Yeah, we have more to do, but it’s part of this facilities improvement plan.”
The various upgrades made to buildings, parking lots and playgrounds around the district are expected to last for decades, according to Daniel Casey, the district’s director of facilities and grounds.
Regional School Unit 18 has recently spent about $3 million on upgrades and improvements to district schools, including Messalonskee High School in Oakland, photographed Monday. Rich Abrahamson/Morning Sentinel
“The longevity of these projects will last for years to come, as long as we continue vigorous maintenance by our staff and contractors when needed,” Casey wrote in an email.
Many of the projects the district undertook during the summer involved Messalonskee High School. In recent years, the district has built a $3.9 million athletic complex and installed a $2.5 million heating, ventilation and air conditioning, or HVAC, system at the school. Gartley said the district’s work is not done.
“If you look at the last few years at the high school, we’ve done air quality systems, new windows, new boiler, replaced flooring and other areas that were really in tired shape,” Gartley said. “We’ve still got a few things to do with the high school, but the building is looking phenomenal.”
He said one of the district’s more popular updates is a mural at Messalonskee High School.
“I mean, it’s funny: We’ll spend $2.5 million on an air handling system, (and) nobody seems to notice,” Gartley said, laughing. “If I spend $5,000 or $6,0000 painting a hallway, I get rave reviews. Everybody loves that.”
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