Contractor proposes reusing former Abbie Fowler School

By Mike Lange
Staff Writer
    SANGERVILLE — A local contractor has asked the Sangerville Board of Selectmen to support a proposal to remediate hazardous material at the former Abbie Fowler School and reuse the structure instead of demolishing it.
    Gordon Contracting President Brian Howard unveiled his plan at the Dec. 23 board of selectmen’s meeting, noting that the estimated cost of remediation was around $280,000. “Based on the cost of demolition of the former school (Nickerson Elementary) in Greenville last year, the estimated cost to the town is approximately $52,000 to demolish the Abbie Fowler School,” said Howard.
    When the environmental consulting fees are added in, Howard said that the “total burden to the town will be $350,000 — conservatively.”

    The local business owner specifically requested that the town consider hiring his firm because they could do the job “for a fraction of the existing cost estimates.”
    Howard added that he’ll then make an offer to purchase the property; and if he’s successful, he’ll “invest resources to make the area attractive for area businesses such as — but not limited to — medical offices, billing, retail space or another type of business subject to the approval of the town.”
    While the board was receptive to the idea, they pointed out that residents voted to have the building demolished at a town meeting in 2010. The school, which was built in 1959-60, was closed in 2002 and has been mostly vacant since then. So unless residents overturn the vote taken in 2010, the structure will still be subject to demolition.
    Town Manager Dave Pearson noted that while the town may be able to get up to $200,000 toward the remediation cost through grants, the remainder of the funds “will have to come out of the town coffers. We’ll either have to borrow it or take it out of undesignated funds.”
    Pearson said that one problem with securing outside funding for remediation or tearing down the building is lack of potential for economic development. “When you tear down a building to its slab and put a pavilion up, they don’t see any job creation,” Pearson said.
    Bill Rowe, chairman of the board of selectmen, recalled that one of the biggest headaches of the remediation was removing the caulking around the windows which were made with polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) material “and that didn’t set well with me.” But if the building was reused instead of demolished, the remediation would be less complicated, Howard said.
    Selectman Melissa Randall recalled some conversations she had with the Environmental Protection Agency and concurred that the remediation standards for a building to be reused are “much lower than ones for removing it.”
    There was a brief discussion about whether Gordon’s offer might be challenged by another bidder, but the board noted that few, if any, alternatives were offered since the building was vacated 12 years ago.
    But as Pearson noted, nothing can be done until voters reverse their previous vote at the March 2015 annual town meeting.
    The board voted to support Howard’s proposal and to ask voters at the 2015 annual town meeting if they concur.
    In other action taken at the selectmen’s meeting, the board went into a brief executive session with the Town Manager Search Committee and announced that one candidate has been selected for an interview. There were 12 applications filed.
    Pearson will retire on Dec. 31, but agreed to be available to help his successor on an as-needed basis.