By Amanda Estes
Staff Writer
“We really got killed.”
South Portland School Department Director of Buildings and Grounds Dave Brochu summed up the sentiments of the Secondary Schools Facilities Committee (SSFC) members following the overwhelming defeat of the $56 million bond referendum that would have funded additions and renovations to the city’s high school.
In a municipal election with 6,489 residents casting ballots, or 35 percent voter turnout, the referendum failed by a margin of 3,162 votes.
“It’s very frustrating for people to say they voted against it for a reason we had gone over ad nauseam,” said committee member Ralph Cabana during a Nov. 8 SSFC meeting.
The committee was formed in 2004 to assess the state of the city’s two middle schools and high school.
Cabana and other committee members said from their discussions with residents, the consensus seemed to be the project  was too expensive and aspects of the plan such as the construction of an artificial turf athletic field and another gymnasium were seen as “frills.”
As they tried to inform residents about the project, Cabana said school officials and SSFC members were vilified and subjected to personal attacks.
“The vindictiveness of this all surprised me more than the margin of defeat,” he said. “I’ve lived in this community for over 20 years and I’ve never seen this and I never thought I would see this.”
The committee met two days after the election to reflect on the vote and determine their next step with the project. The group is planning to host a televised public forum on Dec. 6, which will follow the installation of three new members to the school board. Members stressed the need for participation from residents, school board members and city officials.
Several members said throughout the process they felt isolated from city officials.
“We all should be working together,” said SSFC member and Mahoney Middle School Principal Kathryn Germani. “The money’s all coming from the same set of pockets.”
Six out of eight residents who spoke during the meeting said they voted against the bond because $56 million was too much. Nine residents attended the meeting.
“This was the biggest farce you people have ever put in front of us,” said Dick Campbell. “It was too damn high.”
Paul Connolly said he voted no, but praised the committee’s efforts.
“As a committee, you people have done a fine job,” he said. “I don’t think there was anything you people did that was wrong.”
Connolly said it was the responsibility of the school board and the city council to promote the project and develop funding mechanisms.
Resident Renee Salafia also said the school board and the city council need to be more involved with the project. Salafia voted in favor of the bond and said after some 50 years of putting “band-aids” on the problem, the school may have to “go down the tubes” before anything is done to rehabilitate the building.
The $56 million bond would have carried roughly $29.4 million in interest payments and cost the average taxpayer close to $5,180 over the more than 20-year life of the bond, according to estimates by the city’s finance director Rob Coombs.
As proposed, the plans called for the construction of a three-story addition for science classrooms and a new library, a three-floor classroom and administration wing, a two-story addition for a new cafeteria and kitchen, a two-story classroom addition on the Highland Avenue side of the building and a single-story gymnasium. The plans also proposed relocating the existing tennis courts and the construction of a multipurpose artificial turf field.
Even though the referendum failed, several building and site problems will still need to be addressed including mechanical, electrical and life safety system updates, asbestos abatement, ADA compliance and Maine Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) stormwater management regulations, school officials say.
Dan Cecil of Harriman Architects said if the city were to just address the basic building problems such as system upgrades and ADA compliance, the total project cost would be roughly $30 million. Cecil said that process would likely require 40 trailers or temporary classrooms for a two-year period. SSFC members expressed concerns that renovations done in the near future could one day be “undone” if voters do accept a high school project.  
 Superintendent Suzanne Godin recommended the committee enter a holding pattern and not rush into developing a new plan right away. With a new school board facing consolidation mandates for the next budget cycle, Godin warned the school department’s resources will be stretched thin. This year, all Maine school districts will be required to send their budgets to a referendum within 10 days of receiving city council approval.
Godin said the state has directed South Portland to reduce its school facilities and operations budget by $1.7 million in 2009. As oil and fuel prices reach record highs, the district will also have to reduce its transportation budget by $201,000; reduce system administration costs by $259,000 and reduce funds for the special education program – the only area in which the district receives funding – by $1.8 million.
In less than a year, officials from the accrediting body, New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), will visit South Portland. Godin said the presence of mold, asbestos and ADA deficiencies can be a threat to accreditation.
“This is really not about anything, but the kids and lack of accreditation hurts the kids,” said committee member and city councilor Ralph Baxter, Sr.
Before developing a new plan for the high school, Godin suggested broadening the representation on the SSFC to include more viewpoints. While the committee will seek to survey residents in the near future about why they rejected the referendum, Godin recommended the committee hold off on work to the project’s plans until early spring.