By Emma Bouthillette 

Staff Writer

Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel residents will elect board members Tuesday, Jan. 27 for a Regional School Unit consolidating Arundel School District and Maine School Administrative District 71.

According to the RSU plan, each of the three towns will have a designated number of seats on the board in order to have an equal representation for the population of each town.

Having turned in nomination papers last month, 10 candidates have their names on the ballot for 12 open board seats. While there is the possibility of a write-in campaign, MSAD 71 Business Administrator Jim Barnes said one director each will be appointed from their respective towns by the Kennebunk and Kennebunkport boards of selectmen to fill any remaining open seats.  

Six board directors will represent Kennebunk with staggered terms of three, two and one year. Tim Hussey and John Sharood are running for the three-year seats, Art Leblanc is the only candidate for the two two-year positions and Gayle Spofford and Jim Smith are running for the one-year seats. All candidates aside from Spofford currently serve on the MSAD 71 Board of Directors. Spofford was a member of the RSU Planning Committee. 

Kennebunkport will have three directors on the board. With current MSAD 71 Board of Directors Chairman Maureen King seeking the two-year seat and Norm Archer, currently on the MSAD 71 Board of Directors, running for the one-year seat, the three-year seat remains open on the Kennebunkport ballot. 

Arundel will also have three directors on the board, with RSU Planning Committee members Jack Reetz and Leia Lowery on the ballot for the three and two-year seats and current Arundel School Board member Pamela Richard-Wuerthner for the one-year seat. 

Barnes said first on the agenda for the new board is to hire a superintendent, and then continue work on developing a budget for the 2009-2010 school year. 

Barnes said he anticipates both the Arundel School Board and MSAD 71 Board of Directors will continue to meet, in addition to RSU Board of Directors meetings and possibly some joint meetings, through the end of June when the consolidated board will fully take over July 1. 

Each town has scheduled polling hours between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Jan. 27, but absentee ballots are currently available from town clerk’s offices in each town.

Park Street School

Special Town Meeting

Kennebunk residents will vote on the fate of Park Street School at a special town meeting scheduled at 9 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 31 in the Kennebunk High School gymnasium.

The special town meeting is the result of a petition created by John Costin to “implement the voter preference expressed in past surveys, as well as the June 2006 referendum vote to retain ownership of the [Park Street School] facility for municipal and community uses,” which was certified with 532 signatures Nov. 19 by Kennebunk Registrar of Voters Merton Brown.

The petition was certified a month after selectmen voted to enter into sales negations with Avesta Housing.

After opportunity for discussion, those in attendance at the town meeting will be asked, “if the town should nullify any existing contracts or agreements for sale or transfer of the property and appropriate $55,000 and a $1.4 million bond for operating costs of the building and design, renovation and equipping the facility for municipal uses.” 

The petition does not specify where the funds for operating costs and renovations would come from. Avesta Housing Director of Development Deb Keller said the proposed project is to renovate the building to create 30 apartments for low-income senior housing, while maintaining the historic integrity of the structure. 

Keller estimated Avesta ousing will invest roughly $8 million to bring the building up to standards and create housing.

According to a clause in the contract between Kennebunk and Avesta Housing, if voters decide to terminate the agreement, the town will have to reimburse Avesta Housing for all expenses related to the acquisition since Oct. 14 when the selectmen voted to enter negotiations with Avesta Housing.

Town Manager Barry Tibbetts said to date, Avesta Housing has invested $35,000 in maintenance of the building and said he anticipates a total expenditure of $60,000 by the time the vote takes place, which would be in addition the funds specified in the petition.

Avesta Housing’s proposal for the renovation of Park Street School came shortly after the company’s completion of affordable housing units at the former Cousens School. In a Dec. 19 article, Keller said Avesta Housing has a “great relationship” with the town as a result of the Cousens School and she said the company looks forward to the opportunity to work with the town again.