CAMDEN — The final public forum on a yearlong process of envisioning a new Camden-Rockport Middle School campus will be held this evening, May 20, in the middle school campus on Knowlton Street in Camden. There, consultants will deliver the most recent designs they have been refining since March and invite conversation about them.

The forum is to run from 6 to 8 p.m., during which Oak Point Associates will deliver the latest design, which involve construction of a new building to accommodate grades five through eight.

Immediately following the forum, the school board will convene for a special meeting to consider the presentation by Oak Point and decide how to proceed. Voters in Camden and Rockport approved spending $125,000 last June at annual town meeting on architectural services for the middle school. That work entailed producing preliminary designs. The contract with Oak Point will sunset in June.

In March, the board followed public opinion expressed at forum and voted to proceed with an option to redesign the campus by tearing down portions of the existing building and constructing a new middle school.

The preliminary price tag associated with that project is $22 million.

The March 20 vote followed a 90-minute presentation on four possible preliminary plans, encompassing renovations or new construction to a sprawling connection of buildings that are all in need of considerable maintenance. All plans carried price tags of $17 million to $23 million.

Oak Point Associates, the architectural firm contracted to create Camden-Rockport Middle School renovation and construction plans, presented four options, followed by a straw vote on each of them. The final informal vote was to assess how important the existence of the oldest building of the campus, the Mary E. Taylor school, was to the public. That question few 17 in favor of keeping MET and 13 opposed.

The straw poll vote yielded 31 in favor of new construction (Option C), seven voted for a substantial addition onto MET (Option B) and there were no votes cast for Options A2 and A1.

Immediately following the forum, the board convened for approximately 15 minutes in the school library, where members voted to endorse the straw vote taken at the forum.

And following that meeting, it was agreed that Oak Point architects will prepare one final report under the current contract with SAD 28 for a June school board meeting, fleshing out further the Option C plans. There are no immediate plans to place a proposal before voters, yet.

Read about the March 20 forum: Camden-Rockport board endorses public straw vote: Tear down, rebuild middle school

Read more about the proposals: What to do with Camden-Rockport Middle School: Tear down, renovate, rebuild?

Read about the Jan. 29 forum:  Camden-Rockport Middle School concepts floated: ‘Everything in pencil’

The existing building footprint totals 120,000 square feet. Oak Point architects noted that for the student population of approximately 375 fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth graders, the school’s footprint should only be 82,000 square feet.

In March, Oak Point Associates presented four models for consideration:

Option A1: Substantial renovation of the current complex with no additions. The rear of the seventh grade wing would be removed and the basement under the gym would be made usable. The building would be improved to comply with sprinkler and fire alarm code. The square footage would be reduced to 113,000 square feet, a reduction of 7,400 square feet. Interiors would be renovated.

Cost for the renovation only would be $17, 621,602

Option A2: Substantial renovations and an addition. The renovation would be for 49,950 square feet of the existing building and building a 43,300 square foot addition. The renovation would retain MET and gymnasium portions of the building. Total square footage would be 101,450 square feet.

Cost for A2 would be $25,056,075

Option B: Substantial additions and renovation to MET. The footprint of the complex would be reduced to 94,822 square feet, which includes 17,122 square feet of renovation and 69.500 square feet of new construction. The option would allow less disruption to the educational process and make the basement of MET available for the superintendent’s office.

Cost for B would be $23,581,897

Option C: New construction include 82,000 square feet. This option leaves MET intact, but separate from new buildings. MET would house the central office, Zenith Program and Adult Education. The construction would not be disruptive to educational programs.

Cost of C would be $22, 885,682

Reach Editorial Director Lynda Clancy at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6657.