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BY BETTY JESPERSEN
Staff Writer 08/28/2008

FARMINGTON -- If there is a "nugget of wisdom" coming from months of emotional debate over the new Mallett School here, it's the value of give-and-take.

"It is all about compromise," school-building committee chairman Greg Webber told members of the School Administrative District 9 board Tuesday.

"Without it, it is tough sledding. Even down to the last (architectural) rendering, we had to give up things we wanted," Webber said. "But the plan we have now is excellent and will be an excellent addition to the community."

Carol Taylor is a Perham Street abutter who had agreed to sell her house to make way for a proposed bus-access road. The idea was abandoned after the Maine Historic Preservation Commission said her home had historical value and also because of local opposition.

"This has been very emotional for everyone and it is too bad it had to go as far as it did," Taylor told school-board members.

Taylor said her attorney had been confident that the Commission's opinion could be overturned in court if there had been time.

"This is the best solution for everyone," she said of the latest design.

On Tuesday, architect Steven Blatt unveiled the latest architectural drawings and floor plans along with a preliminary model of the building that showed how the two-story school will be sited on the property.

He was especially pleased with the latest design, which, he said, presents a welcoming feeling to pre-kindergarten to third-grade children.

"This will be a very gentle building," he said. "This is a very exciting time for us and we are happy that this plan will really work. Now we will be making sure it fits into the neighborhood. That is the fun part."

He said Quebec Street will be much improved under the new design and landscaping.

There will be a new, one-way entrance driveway on Middle Street, for dropping off students, that winds around the back of the school and exits on Quebec Street. A buses-only loop driveway off Middle Street will prevent any co-mingling with cars.

The plan also includes a space-saving, underground storm water-filtration system that eliminates the need for an open-detention pond, and allows for more playing area to be created.

The first controversy the building committee and the architect encountered was where to locate the new school. Administrators favored building it next to Cascade Brook School a mile away to save money by sharing resources while the community rallied behind keeping Mallett downtown.

In addition to the Perham Street bus-exit debate earlier this summer, another challenge was how to place the school on the small lot to maximize green space and reduce traffic flow onto Quebec Street.

Also, under a lease agreement with the University of Maine at Farmington, a portion of the Mallett property had been converted to a college parking lot. As part of a renegotiated contract, 20 spaces will be reserved for UMF.

The plan will be formally presented to the Maine Department of Education in mid-September, Blatt said. The state is funding the new school and voters in the nine SAD 9 towns will be asked to approve the financial package in November.

School Administrative District 9 includes Farmington, Chesterville, Industry, New Sharon, New Vineyard, Temple, Vienna, Weld and Wilton.

Betty Jespersen -- 778-6991

bjespersen@centralmaine.com

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