Five Town CSD Referendum
FAQs
What is included in the $7.3 million bond referendum?
The proposed bond would allow the school district to borrow funds for critical projects to address the maintenance needs at CHRHS. Specifically, the funds would support the following projects:
● HVAC Repair and Replacement: The geothermal system at CHRHS, which provides 10% of the heating and 90% of the cooling capacity at the high school, has failed. The boilers are also at the end of their lifespan. After a thorough analysis of our options, that included fixing the open loop geothermal, going with a closed loop system, installing air-based heat pumps, or replacing the boilers and installing an air-cooled chiller, the later option was chosen because it was the most cost effective. The total cost of this project is $2.5 million dollars.
● Replacement Siding and Windows: The siding on the CHRHS building has begun to deteriorate and is falling off, causing water infiltration. The windows have also begun to fail due to rotting sills. All of the siding and windows need to be replaced. The total cost of this project is $3.14 million dollars, some of which will be offset by $800,000 in our Capital Reserve fund.
● Athletic Field: The main athletic field, the Don Palmer Field, cannot meet the demands of our prolific athletic teams including available time and level of wear and tear. The district came up dry in its attempt to build an additional grass field. The District determined that our only viable option to sustain our sports program was to convert the Don Palmer field to turf and install lights, which will essentially double our field capacity. The total cost of this project is $2.6 million dollars, some of which will be fundraised.
● Strom: The Strom Auditorium needs numerous repairs, from seat replacement to lighting and sound upgrades to bringing the space back into compliance with safety standards. The cost of these fixes and upgrades is estimated at $1.5 million, the majority of which will be fundraised and some of which will be partially offset by other district funds. This bond only includes $163,000 for Strom.
Why is the bond for $7.3 million if the cost adds up to $7.1 million?
The $7.3 million dollar bond provides $200,000 for buffer in the bidding process.
If the school district knew about these issues for some time, why are you just coming to voters now with this request?
The school district has worked with engineers, contractors, local, state and federal officials, and others in order to study and recommend sound, cost-effective solutions for the facilities challenges at the school. Navigating this web of contractors and government bureaucracy takes time. Recommendations were made to the School Board at the November 2024 meeting where the Board discussed the findings and recommendations and voted to move forward on the referendum proposal.
Full timeline of this work:
● February 2024: Presented FY25 budget that included funds to hire architects and engineers to analyze issues.
● June 2024: Voters approved FY25 budget
● July – Oct, 2024: Architects/Engineers worked on plans and developed reports to detail the issues, solutions, and estimated costs.
● Mid-Aug 2024: Submission deadline for November ballot questions
● Oct/Nov 2024: Received reports for the three major projects after months of intensive work.
● Nov 2024: Board approved moving forward with the rest of the process to develop these projects for FY26 voter approval.
● Dec 2024: Notified the towns we would need to have a special referendum to meet the Maine Municipal Bond Bank deadlines (February 5, 2025 application due) for a spring bond issue and to work the debt payment into the FY26 budget, which will first be presented to the board in February, 2025.
Are the facilities issues at the high school a result of neglected maintenance?
Our district has a phenomenal facilities team that has greatly prolonged the life of the HVAC system and is constantly finding ways to keep our facilities running in the most cost-effective manner possible. The reality is that Camden Hills Regional High School is 25 years old and a building at this age requires improvements that will ensure it lasts many more decades. Delaying these repairs would further damage the building and require more costly repairs.
Why can’t the district pay for these out of its capital reserve or through the regular budget process?
While the school district keeps funds in a capital reserve, we are limited by law on how much can be held in reserve funds.
Adding $1 million or more (a community member suggested we need to add $10 million/yr at the public hearing) per year to the capital reserve to pay for all future projects with the capital reserve would also be a large expense for taxpayers that is not tied to immediate needs or work. This would be an excessive yearly burden to taxpayers. We feel it is best to keep taxpayers’ dollars in their own pockets for as long as possible, rather than letting them accumulate in a district account. A bond is the most cost-effective and responsible option that spreads the cost of these projects out over several years.
What will this mean for taxpayers?
If approved, the district will begin repaying the bond in FY26. The first payment will be approximately $621,000. That payment will add an additional 3.5 – 3.9% (depending on the final overall budget amount) to the FY26 Five Town CSD expense budget. The estimate per $100,000 home value in each town due to this bond amount is listed below.
Cost of bond per $100,000 of Assessed Home Value
|
Appleton
|
$13.67
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Camden
|
$11.40
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Hope
|
$12.64
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Lincolnville
|
$13.94
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Rockport
|
$16.72
|
We have not finalized the entire district requested budget yet (that is first presented to the school board in February) but as we continue working on it and honing in on that budget, we expect the total expense budget to come in around an 8% expense increase including this bond payment. The overall tax impact won’t be known until we have also looked at the revenue side of the budget. School administrators will scrutinize every line in the budget to bring it in as low as possible while maintaining a quality education. The reality is that we need to maintain our facilities and the cost of doing so has risen precipitously in the past five years. Not completing these projects at this time could result in much greater costs down the line.
Why is this vote happening in January instead of June or November?
The vote is happening in January so that the district can meet the deadlines for the municipal bond market and take action on these projects over the summer when students are not present. Any work would need to happen during summer months. We did not have all of the necessary information to make August deadlines for the November ballot and a June referendum would push these projects to the following school year and would likely increase costs.
What happens if the referendum is voted down?
If the referendum is voted down the work will not take place next year. The district would need to return to voters, likely in June. If approved at that time, we would not be able to line up the construction documents and contractors in time to begin work in the summer of 2025, so the work would be pushed a year later and the necessary repairs would be more costly.
Why did the School Board change its position on a turf field?
The School Board has been discussing a turf field option for several years. An ad hoc committee was formed in the fall of 2021 and the Board decided in the spring of 2023 not to pursue a turf field and instructed the administration to look at alternatives (namely an additional grass field). Administration has pursued several alternative options on and off site and none were feasible.
We are fortunate to have a vibrant athletic program with more than half of Camden Hills students participating in sports. But our current fields just cannot sustain that much activity. For the benefit of our students and to honor their incredible effort and talents, we need to provide them with safe and adequate field space and conditions and artificial turf is the only option available to meet these needs. In November of 2024, the Board discussed the lack of other viable options after exhausting all alternatives and voted in favor of an artificial turf field. Nearly 50 community members and student athletes were present at that meeting to speak in favor of a turf field.
Is a turf field required because the school district eliminated other field space?
No, unfortunately we do not have the space to build additional fields and will not get approval because of wetlands on the property. The current practice field is not and has never been large enough for any actual games to be played on. There is a secondary egress road that now abuts that field and a facility for one of the school’s special education programs currently housed in windowless basement space is being built on the practice field.
I’ve heard that turf is dangerous. Will this put students in danger?
Since we first started this discussion several years ago, companies have stopped adding certain chemicals from many turf products and there are more options to recycle it at the end of its use. There is mixed research on whether the products are harmful to athletes, and the concerns are the same as for many everyday petroleum based products. Our student athletes are already playing on turf when they play against other teams or have to play their home games at other facilities due to the current conditions of our field. Many local athletes have been playing on the artificial turf at The Pitch for years as well.
How can I vote?
Eligible voters can cast their ballots on January 14th at their designated polling places. For this election only, each town’s polling place will be its town office. Voters can also cast absentee ballots. For more information on voting, please contact the town clerks.