MSAD 75 drops Harpswell closure plan, focuses on renovations and Topsham options

MSAD 75 has removed closing Harpswell Community School as a possible outcome of its long-range facilities master plan, district officials announced Feb. 25 after a public workshop led by Harriman architects at Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham on Feb. 24. The decision narrows the district’s planning to renovation scenarios for Harpswell and a set of options centered on Williams-Cone Elementary and Woodside Elementary in Topsham.

Lisa Sawin, architect and principal with Harriman of Auburn, told the Feb. 24 audience that the firm began with a larger list of scenarios and narrowed that work to a smaller number of variations for the board to consider. Harriman was hired to assess all 11 MSAD 75 buildings, project future enrollment and demographics, and gather public and stakeholder input; Sawin said the process identified Americans with Disabilities Act shortfalls across multiple schools and that Harpswell’s original 1956 section contains five classrooms that do not comply. “That was a pretty big thing that we noted at a lot of (MSAD 75) schools,” Sawin said.

District records and Harriman’s presentation show MSAD 75 operates five elementary schools, Mount Ararat Middle School and Mount Ararat High School, plus four administration and service facilities — 11 buildings in all. Four buildings are more than 70 years old and two are nearly 70; Harpswell Community School’s original section dates to 1956 with additions in 1960, 1980 and 1996. Fox23 reporting indicated the school’s last renovation was in 1986.

Officials said the planning set has evolved. Harriman described an initial slate of roughly a dozen conceptual options that was winnowed to a smaller set; the remaining variations now focus on repairs, renovations, consolidation possibilities or construction tied to Williams-Cone and Woodside in Topsham. At previous public briefings, planners had floated scenarios ranging from renovating Harpswell and Bowdoinham to plans that would have closed some schools and added onto Woodside, and even an option to build a brand-new consolidated school. The district has eliminated options that would leave any of the four towns without a community school.

Local leaders and residents reacted to the decision in Topsham and Harpswell. Harpswell Select Board Chair Kevin Johnson said enrollment at Harpswell Community School has been increasing and that “there’s nothing to panic about — that’s not going to happen.” Harpswell resident Micheal McCabe urged preserving local schooling: “This is a good community. The kids should be raised in the community and schooled in their community.” Superintendent Heidi O’Leary framed the decision in broader terms of community responsibility, saying, “We have a responsibility to not only the students in the future, but the community in the future,” and added, “Of course, if it was my choice alone, I would want them to stay.”

Practical impacts under previous closure scenarios included additional travel for families; Fox23 noted a drive from Harpswell to Woodside Elementary would be about 20 minutes and that Bowdoinham is roughly seven minutes from Woodside. Harriman will provide further documentation to guide MSAD 75 board and committee discussions, and the district plans additional public outreach as it refines cost and timeline estimates for ADA remediation, renovations and any Topsham consolidation options.

Separately, the district recently faced a security scare when anonymous voice messages left at 1 a.m. claimed bombs had been placed at each school; a principal discovered the messages at 5:15 a.m., Superintendent O’Leary notified Sagadahoc County Dispatch, and law enforcement searched buildings before a later two-hour delay and cancellation of extracurriculars for safety. MSAD 75 officials said the facilities master plan work and the safety response are distinct parts of district operations as Harriman’s assessment and the board’s next decisions move forward.