SAD 51’s Turf Committee has heard multiple vendor presentations regarding artificial turf options. The firm Stephen Blatt Architects provided a rendering of what the turf could look like. Contributed / SAD 51

SAD 51’s “One Campus School Project” to build and enhance new school facilities is on track to go out to bid by April. Also, the project’s Turf Committee has heard from multiple turf vendors and will soon make a recommendation to the larger Building Committee and board regarding artificial turf options.

The public got a chance to hear updates during a joint SAD 51 meeting on Oct. 17. The meeting brought together the school board, members of North Yarmouth’s Select Board, members of Cumberland’s Town Council, the town managers from each municipality, and others.

The project – which narrowly survived a school bond referendum this summer and will cost upwards of $53 million – includes building a new pre-K through Grade 1 school on the Greely campus, installing an artificial turf field, constructing a new maintenance facility, adding more classrooms at Mabel I. Wilson School, and other enhancements. Backers say the project is needed to accommodate projected enrollment growth. On Oct. 1, 2023, SAD 51 tallied 2,191 students for pre-K through 12th grade. As of Oct. 1, 2024, the district had 2,242.

School board member Jesse Lamarre-Vincent, representing Cumberland, who is leading the Turf Committee, projected confidence that the school department can find a turf that satisfies the three core criteria that have been set: no per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (also known as PFAS or forever chemicals); no tire crumb rubber infill; and the ability to eventually recycle the turf.

Previous testing of turf has turned up detectable amounts of PFAS and the Environmental Protection Agency has identified metals like lead in crumb rubber turf material. The inclusion of the artificial turf field in the school bond emerged as a sticking point for voters, some of whom objected to turf on cost grounds, others on environmental and safety grounds. Maine has also passed a law that bans synthetic turf that contains PFAS starting in 2029.

Similar community conversations are playing out in the school districts of South Portland, Kittery and Gray-New Gloucester, whose voters are poised to vote on multimillion-dollar school project bonds that include adding artificial turf fields on Nov. 5.

According to meeting materials posted online, six vendors have come and given the Turf Committee a presentation. “They all had different pitches from different perspectives. Some hit the environmental angle very hard. Some pitched their package as being the best for player safety,” said Lamarre-Vincent.

“We can get a cheap product, absolutely it’ll be PFAs-free, no crumb rubber, still recyclable … (but) that thing will shed a lot of microplastics that are going to end up in our water because it’s cheaper and less durable and thinner,” he said, explaining the tradeoffs that come with cost trimming. (The school bond that passed this summer included $3 million for turf).

Another example of a tradeoff would be deciding between organic infill or player-preferred EPDM (non-organic) infill, he said.

Lamarre-Vincent said he was initially in favor of an all-organic infill, which can be made out of things like walnut shells, but that the organic option has the disadvantage of freezing during winter months, which would be a problem given Maine’s cold climate.

He also highlighted that the committee is made up of a larger group of stakeholders, including an environmental lawyer, who is there “holding our feet to the fire, and making sure we’re asking tough questions” of the various vendors.

In response to a question from Councilor Denise Thorsson, Lamarre-Vincent said the school district would have the opportunity to independently test the turf material for PFAS, not just rely on manufacturer testing.

On Tuesday, Oct. 29, the Turf Committee will come together and discuss the various options they’ve seen from vendors, and in the weeks after that put together a recommendation for what should be in the bid.

SAD 51 School Board members shared updates on the One Campus School Project at a recent joint meeting with the board and officials from the towns of Cumberland and North Yarmouth. Eloise Goldsmith / The Forecaster

Prior to Lamarre-Vincent’s rundown of the turf committee’s work, school board member Sara Rose (North Yarmouth) asked if it would be possible to put off work on the turf over concerns that the new school building is already an expensive endeavor.

“I have real and valid concerns about the timeline and how much money we’re going to have for the school building in and of itself … This is not a popular request. I’m going to ask anyway. Is it possible to move the turf until we have a better handle on that building itself?” asked Rose.

Timothy Valenti, head of the 24-person Building Committee (made up of parents, school staff and other community members), said the concern was valid and that the board would review any turf recommendation with contingencies, timing and cost in mind. Later during the meeting he reiterated that the point of all the research is to “get the right field,” not to rubber stamp something that stakeholders have concerns about.

Rose was not the only elected official from North Yarmouth who brought up property tax burdens during the meeting.

“One of the biggest (issues) is … creating the balance between accomplishing all of the goals and the needs of our town with financial management and the financial impact that has on our residents through taxes,” said North Yarmouth Select Board Chair Andrea Berry, in speaking about how the school project fits in with North Yarmouth’s other priorities at the outset of the meeting.

Voters in North Yarmouth actually voted down the $53.5 million bond, 808-704, but it garnered enough support among Cumberland residents to pass by fewer than 50 votes district-wide.

Valenti, whose committee is advising Stephen Blatt Architects on the site plan designs for the project, said the the group had suggested a number of site plan changes, but then walked them back after receiving cost estimates.

“The biggest plan and priority that we’ve had as a committee is to review the site plan rather than the actual campus or the actual school design, because we are submitting permit requests to the (Maine Department of Environmental Protection) and then the (Maine Department of Transportation) as well. So those applications … should be out by the end of October. We’re still on track for that,” said Valenti.

The new pre-K and Grade 1 school will go up in the location of the current maintenance facility. Before construction on the school can happen, the maintenance facility must be demolished. The plan is to construct the new one at the back corner of the parking lot behind Greely High School.

The site plan for the new maintenance building obtained conditional approval from the Planning Board on Oct. 15.

The location of the current maintenance building and future location of the pre-K and Grade 1 school is the Tuttle Road and Main Street corner of the Greely Campus.