By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
LIMESTONE — Tensions seem to be mounting in Limestone regarding potential bills sent from RSU 39 to the town for the Recreation Department’s occupation of space, summer pool requirements and municipal usage of RSU vehicles at the Limestone Community School.
Nothing official has been decided on any potential bill items, but as Town Manager Donna Bernier informed the Selectpeople during their last meeting on Jan. 3, rumors have made their way around both Caribou and Limestone at this point unneccessarially causing numerous points of contention.
The school/rec symbiosis was first organized about four years ago between officials with LCS and the town, but ownership of the building shifted from the town to the Reorganized School Unit 39 two years ago as part of the state mandated school consolidation — an action that was approved by Limestone’s voters.
At the beginning of the month, Bernier sat down with RSU 39 Superintendent Frank McElwain to iron out fact from fiction in the quickly spreading issue (rumors had actually abound that the RSU was going to kick the rec department out of the school).
“The Limestone rec department is housed in the school, and the rec programs utilize school facilities — the gym, the pool, some space in the MSSM dormitory building, and the space occupied by the actual rec center,” McElwain explained. “The question has come up whether or not the town should be charged some fee since a municipal department is housed by the school and the facility is cared for through school funds.”
RSU funds are generated through taxpayers of Limestone, Caribou and Stockholm.
Bernier informed the selectpeople of the details discussed by her and McElwain:
• The RSU 39 School Board have not conclusively discussed the matter at this time and this matter will be addressed further by the School Board at a later date.
• The town could possibly be billed for utility expenses (electric, heat) created by the recreation department at the school, use of the RSU buses — wear-and-tear on the vehicles, fuel, and overtime of the drivers — and keeping the pool open in the summer months when traditional school is not in session.
• The town of Limestone provides plowing services for the school, an in-kind service that has compensated for the rec’s occupation in the school, but now RSU officials are considering being billed for the plowing services.
“I was a little bit disappointed to say the least,” Bernier said, “but I told [Superintendent McElwain] that it’s going to be the ultimate decision of the town, because this will go to a town meeting to decide whether or not to go along with it.
These potential changes, as theoretical as they are at this point, did not receive a warm response from the selectpeople — one of which off-handedly suggested that the RSU was really the Caribou School System and that Limestone match the proposed plowing bill for the RSU with the RSU’s utility bill for the town to keep expenses neutral.
The selectpeople expressed their concerns regarding the possible changes, with much emphasis being place on the potential closing of the pool for summer and the feasibility for a small town like Limestone to have their previous mutualism with the school diminished
“We need to look into this because I know the Caswell school building is utilized by the recreation department and there must be other towns that are sharing resources, why should we be any different because we’re a small town?” asked Selectperson Chair Walt Elliott. “We should still be included in that.”
As discussions continue on the topic, McElwain affirmed that the topic would be handled quite professionally by the RSU Board, on which Michelle Albert and Clifford Rhome are Limestone’s representatives.
“The board is certainly going to be sensitive to the uniqueness of Limestone and the history of the collaborative use of that building,” McElwain said on Friday. “The decision hasn’t been made, and board members are very aware that there’s been a past practice that makes it a unique situation.”
The next meeting of the Limestone Selectpeople is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 6:30 p.m. in the Limestone Municipal Building.
