The central office of AOS 77 will be relocating to the Pembroke Triangle from the Eastport Elementary School (EES) by the upcoming school year, at a cost more than seven times the current annual amount being paid for office space. The unanimous decision to make the move was made at a meeting of the AOS joint school board on June 12. Although space and security concerns are cited as reasons for the move, members of the Eastport School Committee are not convinced that the move is necessary and had made a proposal so the central office would remain in its current location. However, the joint board, made up of representatives from the nine towns in the district, opted to make the move to the Pembroke site, under the proposal outlined by Superintendent MaryEllen Day.
      "I think it will be very nice for you to have a really professional office space for your AOS office," commented the superintendent following the vote. She added that it is centrally located in the regional school district and that the board would be kept up to date with what's happening as the transition took place.
      The new offices amount to 2,500 square feet -- or approximately half of the upper floor -- of the Triangle building, now owned by Jeremy and Rhonnie Brown. As part of the agreement, the Browns will be renovating the space to convert it into offices, including a separate office for each employee, two bathrooms, a kitchenette and a conference room, said Day.
      In addition, Day said, the outer doors would be upgraded to use a code based security system by the Browns. The property is already ADA compliant, so no modifications would be necessary in that regard.
      The rental cost of the new offices will be $2,200 a month, amounting to $26,400 a year. The additional cost for utilities is estimated at $7,200 a year, with trash removal, lawn mowing and snow plowing included, for a total annual cost of $33,600. The AOS has been paying only $4,500 a year for its space in the Eastport Elementary School for the past 12 years.
      The increase in cost to the AOS of nearly $30,000 a year will be borne by the nine municipalities in the regional school district based on the proportional share that they pay of the AOS budget. The highest increases will be seen by Lubec and Eastport, at $6,322 and $6,217, respectively.
      The lease would be for 10 years, with the rent holding at $2,200 a month for the first five years and increasing by 5% to $2,310 for the following five years.
      Since the AOS previously allotted $4,500 for office space costs for the 2024 25 school year, the additional costs for the first year's rent will not be coming from the towns' budgets. Instead, funds from COVID relief payments will be used to cover the first year's rent. The increase in costs to the towns for the new offices will be seen in the 2025 26 school budgets.

Other locations considered
      Along with the Pembroke Triangle, Day presented the board with the options of the former Charlotte Elementary School and remaining at the Eastport Elementary School. The previously discussed option of the former Robbinston Grade School was removed from the table as "we were not able to come to terms on that lease that would be acceptable to taxpayers," Day said. That proposal had called for the AOS to be responsible for the cost of utilities, which was estimated to be $25,000 a year, but no limit on the cost was included in the lease proposal.
      The former Charlotte Elementary School will be going into the possession of the Town of Charlotte, which in turn may be looking to rent out the space. Day obtained an estimate of costs for renting the school, ranging from $50,000 to $70,000 a year, with an additional utility cost of possibly up to $18,500.
      In describing the Charlotte school's suitability, Day noted that it is divided into classrooms, which is not ideal for individual adults needing private office space. "It's too much for us," Day stated.
      Day also informed the board of Eastport's proposal for the AOS to stay, which was compiled by the Eastport School Committee at a meeting immediately prior to the AOS meeting.
      The Eastport board offered that the AOS could remain at the current cost of $4,500 for the first year, then $10,000 for two subsequent years, in a renewable three year lease. Utilities would continue to be included in that cost. As part of the agreement, the AOS would lose access to one of its three classroom spaces in the school. For most of its time in the building, the AOS office has been occupying only two classrooms.
      During the previously held Eastport board meeting, Eastport Elementary School Principal Bobbie Clark explained that reclaiming the classroom was necessary to hold one on one sessions with students. The committee also outlined as part of its proposal that additional security measures would be taken to ensure that visitors to the building are escorted appropriately from the school's entrance to and from the AOS office.
      "I don't think there's anyone on the school board that wants to see the AOS move. Everyone I've talked to in the city capacity is of the same mind," said Eastport School Committee Chairman Walter Cummings during the Eastport meeting. "I can't ever remember any issues." He added he wanted the board to put together the proposal largely so the AOS would have something to fall back on if it was unable to find suitable space.
      The security of the building is a significant concern, Day maintained, as occasionally belligerent visitors come to the AOS office, presenting a possible danger to nearby children. "We shouldn't be in a school," Day said during the AOS meeting. "It's not a place for our office." She stated that there are few superintendent offices around the state that are located in schools.
      "Eastport was gracious to take this office 12 years ago when there was an immediate need for us to move and we had no place to go," Day said. "I think that, at the time, it was seen as a temporary, quick solution. A time has arisen for a possibility to move, and our office is ready to take that time and move."
      Following the vote by the AOS board, Cummings commented, "I'm a little disappointed. I just don't know what upset the apple cart. They've been in Eastport for a number of years. But if the staff is happy, I obviously wish them the best." He added that he did feel the additional cost should have been taken into more consideration by the joint AOS board and the superintendent. "Our offer was one third of what they'll be paying."
      The AOS will begin its move to the new offices in August.

Other business
      In other business during the meeting, the AOS also heard revenue and expense figures from Superintendent Day. The AOS is at 96.8% of budget usage with two weeks remaining. Day noted that there were unexpected costs this year, leading to the operations and maintenance category to be at 117%.
      Day requested that the board vote on releasing contingency funds of $4,000 and approving the reallocation of up to 5% between cost centers as a budget balancing measure. Doing so would allow excess funds to be moved from the special education budget, which is currently at 88.8%. The board approved both requests unanimously.