After residents from the eight communities of Sheepscot Valley Regional School Unit 12 (Alna, Wiscasset, Westport Island, Palermo, Somerville, Whitefield, Windsor, and Chelsea) defeated a proposal to purchase its central administrative office in Whitefield for $160,000, RSU 12 Supt. Greg Potter said the administration is looking at other options.
“We could lease another building or move the offices into existing space at one of our schools,” Potter said June 20.
The proposal was defeated by 63 votes in a June 14 referendum vote.
If voters had approved, the administration would have purchased its existing building at 69 Augusta Rd. in Whitefield with a 20 year financing deal. Potter said the current lease on the building runs through December and but hopes to have a contingency plan well in place before that.
“We never had a formal Plan B per se but do want to keep the administrative offices centrally located,” said Potter who indicated a desire to house his top administrative and support staff in the Whitefield area.
In prior comments Potter said the decision to purchase the building was a “prudent choice that would save a little money.”
The RSU 12 currently pays roughly $1300 a month in rent.
“We’ll have some ideas this summer,” said Potter. “We have some time but certainly want to be proactive.”
