Edgecomb selectmen told a packed room at town hall September 24 that they are not out to close Edgecomb Eddy School.

About two dozen residents, including some Edgecomb Eddy parents, had hoped to hear just that. Two weeks earlier, selectmen discussed several possible scenarios for the school's future, including closure.

Selectman Stuart Smith estimated the town would save at least $134,000 a year if it switched to educating its elementary students out of town. At this week's meeting, he and fellow board members reiterated that a resident who was concerned about costs started the September 10 discussion, not them.

Their reassurances drew applause. However, selectmen informed them that other residents have also voiced concern about costs at the kindergarten through sixth grade school. And the board expressed frustration that seventh and eighth grades still have not been added. Those grades are educated outside Edgecomb.

“There needs to be a cooperative spirit where we somehow enhance the ability of the school to generate more money and at the same time maintain the excellence of the school.”

“This was talked about 4 years ago,” Selectman Jack Sarmanian said. “There are a lot of people... asking why are we spending so much money.”

“It's time we started to put this on the front burner and talk about it,” Smith said.

Every year, the School Committee looks at an alternate budget with added grades at the school, but so far hasn't determined the switch would save money, Committee Chairman Thomas Steele-Maley said.

“I don't know that it's the silver bullet,” he said. Committee members told the selectmen they would keep looking at ways to boost enrollment.

Taking Westport's students is one possibility that could be looked at if that town ends up leaving Regional School Unit 12, Rocky Channels School District Superintendent Eileen King said. Westport still has a lot of decisions to make, she said.

King also pointed out that this year's starting enrollment of 81 students is not unusual. It's been there, and higher, before. “It fluctuates all the time,” she said.

Board Chairman Jessica Chubbuck asked if the school committee wants seventh and eighth grades at the school.

“We want what's best for Edgecomb students and what's best for the taxpayers, and we don't know what that is yet,” Steele-Maley said.

Several residents urged selectmen not to view closure as an option for the 10-year-old school. “The town voted to build the school. If they wanted to tuition the students away they would have voted to do that,” Tom Boudin said.

The school is “one of the biggest pieces of the soul of the town,” and one of the things that attracts people to move to Edgecomb, Eleanor Eide said. “If we don't have the school, you might as well forget about Edgecomb.”

Selectmen, King and school committee members said they will talk again about some of the issues the discussion covered.

“There needs to be a cooperative spirit where we somehow enhance the ability of the school to generate more money and at the same time maintain the excellence of the school,” Sarmanian said.

Town sets proposed spending vote

Selectmen scheduled a special town meeting for November 19 at town hall, beginning at 7 p.m. Voters will consider using about $24,000 in Tax Increment Financing District funds for engineering work regarding a pumping station. Selectmen also plan to ask residents to tap surplus to add to the town's legal account.

During this week's meeting, the board took $500 from that account to give to the St. Andrews Task Force's legal fund. Smith and Sarmanian passed the motion. Chubbuck abstained, saying she was concerned it might not leave enough to cover other legal needs the town could have this budget year.

Property sale complaint

Jeff Honings told selectmen he would have liked a crack at buying an Atlantic Highway property next to his. The board recently voted to sell the tax-acquired property for $5,000 to Edgecomb Road Commissioner Scott Griffin.

The town has owned the property for nearly two decades and would have had to spend $20,000 to $30,000 to clean it up, selectmen said.

“We weren't trying to blow something by you or anyone else,” Smith told Honings.

Honings asked if it was legal for the board to sell the road commissioner the property, but Planning Board Chairman Jack French said Honings would need to get a lawyer if he wants to look into it.