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RSU 9 board votes to send 144 High Street purchase to voters after grant presentation
Summary
After a presentation on a federal grant and lease-revenue projections, the RSU 9 board voted by voice to forward a proposed purchase of 144 High Street — intended for adult education and community uses — to district voters, while members raised concerns about management, costs and building condition.
The RSU 9 board voted at its meeting to send a proposed purchase of 144 High Street, a building slated for adult education and community services, to district voters after a presentation on grant funding and projected lease revenue.
Mary, who runs the district's adult-education program, told the board the grant award matched the $1.65 million figure she requested during negotiations with the Maine Connectivity Authority and that the grant must be spent by March 31, 2026. "We would start on July 1, 2025," she said, describing the building as largely "move-in ready" provided the owner finishes two handicapped-accessible bathrooms and a renovated parking lot.
Why it matters: the district would own a large, 100-plus-year-old building that advocates say could expand workforce and adult-education offerings in Franklin County but that critics say could impose operating burdens and renovation costs on the school district and taxpayers.
Mary outlined financial assumptions the board will present to voters: a contingency line (she identified $85,000), an extra $100,000 shown on the award paperwork, and projected lease revenue from multiple floors she estimated at roughly $247,500 annually based on basement and two-floor leasing scenarios. She also noted an unexpended grant balance of $177,357.40 that must be used before the grant deadline.
Board members pressed for clarity about current tenants and how operations would be handled if voters approve the purchase. Mary said Erwin currently leases the first floor through March 2025 and that DHHS and the Department of Labor career center had expressed an interest in space. She said leasing conversations were ongoing and described a plan for the district office to assume building operations and management responsibilities after purchase: "the district office will take care of all of the pieces," she said, naming finance, operations and maintenance staff who would be involved.
Not all board members supported the idea without more detail. One director warned that "we're taking a gamble" on rental income and cautioned that renovating an older building could reveal costly surprises. Another said RSU 9 should not take on the social-services functions that some community partners might want to run from the property: "I'm not convinced that RSU 9 should be taking on all of the social services portions of a community need," the director said, noting the building is about 117 years old and may require substantial upkeep.
Several board members expressed support for moving the question to voters so towns can decide on the tradeoffs; Speaker 6 moved to "move this project forward to the voters to approve," and Speaker 12 seconded. The chair called a voice vote and announced the motion passed. No roll-call tally was recorded in the meeting record.
Next steps: the board directed that the district prepare voter-facing materials describing the property, projected revenues and risks. If voters approve purchase, the district office will take on operations and further decisions about leasing, utilities and any additional work needed to make the space fully usable.
Vote at the meeting: motion to forward the 144 High Street project to voters — passed by voice vote.
