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Orono board hears progress on College & Career Center, science lab, fields and parking-lot plans
Summary
Director of Business Services Nick Tainter told the board that the new College and Career Center and a high-school science lab are on time and on budget, JV/varsity baseball fields were completed so teams can return to campus, a student center demolition is planned for early November, and funding includes over $400,000 in donations plus recent bond sales.
Nick Tainter, Orono Public School District’s director of business services, updated the board Aug. 11 on summer facilities work, saying several projects were completed on schedule and several others are underway or planned.
Tainter reported that indoor air quality upgrades at the middle school and the link building were finished and that the middle-school secure-entry project is largely complete. He said athletic-field improvements to JV and varsity baseball and softball will allow teams to return to campus after years of playing off-site. ‘‘With these improvements, they will be returning back on campus,’’ he said.
Tainter said the new College and Career Center and a high-school science lab are ‘‘coming in on budget and on time.’’ He thanked the Gells family and other donors for contributions to the Career and College Center and said the district received more than $400,000 in donations targeted to specific projects, including auditorium lighting improvements.
The student center demolition is scheduled for early November; the district is receiving and evaluating requests for proposals for that demolition work and has coordinated with local law enforcement and first responders to use the vacated building for training prior to demolition. Tainter also said parking-lot work will be phased to limit campus disruption, potentially splitting projects across summers so that essential access remains during the school year.
On financing, Tainter said bonds sold in early June included operating capital, long-term facility maintenance (LTFM) bonds and abatement bonds to fund parking-lot repairs, the science classroom addition and deferred maintenance district-wide. Board members asked whether students would be affected by staging and construction; Tainter said some construction will continue into the school year but that detailed staging plans, alternate parking and careful planning with Wold Architects and contractors are in place to reduce impacts.
The board acknowledged a brief retreat tour of the Career and College Center and praised the improvements as making the campus more welcoming to students.
Next steps include continued RFP evaluation for demolition, phased parking-lot scheduling, and community updates as projects progress.
