RSU 10 to choose building contractor for new school in Mexico

RUMFORD — The Regional School Unit 10 building advisory committee will determine who will be the contractor for the new school building in Mexico, Superintendent Deb Alden said during Monday’s board of directors meeting.

The committee will discuss the issue Nov. 6 at 5:30 p.m. at in the cafeteria at Mountain Valley High School.

Once the committee knows who the contractor will be for the prekindergarten through eighth grade school building, they will discuss the next steps for the building’s construction, Alden said.

Depending on the amount of the bid for the building construction, the district will consider the possibility of adding on a track and field, bleachers, specialized flooring, skylights and corridor benches to their construction plans, Alden said.

Business Manager Leah Kaulback gave the board information regarding finances for the new school building, named Mountain Valley Community School.

Although about 98% of the $91.8 million cost of the building will be paid by the Maine Department of Education in subsidized bonds, the district has requested and will receive bank loans to cover school building construction costs needed until they receive their “first permanent bond for the school construction project,” in May, Kaulback said.

“Right now, it’s approximately going to be about $27 million dollars to get us through until the end of May,” she said. The district will receive a loan from Bangor Savings Bank for $20 million, and $5 million from Androscoggin Bank.

In other business, the board of directors accepted a $250,000 Stronger Connections Grant from the Maine Department of Education. Special Education Director Clarissa Fish told the board members, “the purpose (of the grant) is, to sum it up, to help with our family partnership with the schools.” The work for family-school partnerships will begin at the middle school level, Fish said.

“One theme in this is parent (and) family’s partnership (with the schools), the other is to continue our work with equity and school climate and looking at restorative practices,” Fish said. The grant will also provide money for educators’ professional development, students’ social-emotional learning, and students and staff mental health, she said.