One of the first things Wiscasset Superintendent of Schools Jay McIntire heard when he arrived last year was that one of the town's three schools was sinking.

Well, it's not, he and other residents were told by Portland architect Stephen Blatt last Thursday night at a public hearing on Tuesday's ballot items. One of those items is to approve $25,000 for more architectural work on the schools. Townspeople had already approved $15,000 for the work which Blatt talked about at the hearing. The School Committee decided earlier this year to look into closing one of the three schools, given declining enrollment in the last 10 years from about 1,000 to about 700 students.

In addition to the fact that the primary school is not sinking, residents heard some other good news about their buildings.

"The high school is in really good shape," Blatt said. "It's a little tired around the edges, but it has good bones."

The middle school is also in relatively good shape, but it's the school that has "the least efficient use of space," he said.

Although the primary school was built on poor soil, "that school is not in trouble physically," he said. "There is a drainage problem, but the building is not sinking; the foundation is not cracking."

Wiscasset school officials had initially given some thought to closing the primary school, and sending the primary school students to the middle school.

According to state standards, the town should only have two buildings, based on population. Even if no decision is made to close any of the schools right away, Blatt urged residents to take care of the immediate needs of the buildings.

"You must do something about the condition of your buildings," he said. "It's like changing the oil in your car - you gotta do it."

There are now 213 students at the middle school. Moving the pre-kindergarten through fourth grade classes to the building would add 298 students, but the 106 seventh and eighth graders would go to the high school, resulting in 405 students at the middle school. A total of 21,000 square feet of new construction would be needed at the middle school. At $190 per square foot, this would be nearly $4 million.

About 12,000 square feet needs "light renovation" at $40 per square foot, totaling $500,000 and another 15,000 square feet of "standard renovation" at $80 per square foot would cost $1.2 million.

Water leakage problems should be fixed at an estimated cost of $75,000. Mechanical upgrades would total $415,000 and electrical upgrades, $135,000. Another $750,000 is needed for site upgrades.

Total costs for the middle school would be about $7 million.

However, in order to send the seventh and eighth graders to the high school, an additional $3.8 million would have to be spent on the high school, bringing the total cost to over $13 million (to keep the middle school and send the seventh and eighth graders to the high school).

The primary school now has 298 students. Moving the fifth and sixth graders to that building would add 107 students, bringing the total to 405 students. A total of $350,000 would be needed for site work, and another $150,000 for a new athletic field.

Mechanical and electrical upgrades would cost $415,000. Light, standard, and new construction would total about $4.8. Upgrades and new construction at the high school to accommodate the seventh and eighth graders would be about $3.8 million, and with other costs would result in about $11.5 million for this scenario.

Even keeping all three buildings open in the short term about $3.5 million should be spent to maintain them, Blatt said. This would include $350,00 for site work at the primary school, to improve the drainage; $150,000 for site work at the middle school. The middle school needs $75,000 in structural/building envelope upgrades. About $960,000 is needed for mechanical upgrades at all three schools, and another $340,000 is needed for electrical upgrades at the three schools.

School committee member Doug Smith, who chaired the physical plant subcommittee, said the school board is aware that the town could save between $600,000 and $800,000 by shutting down one of the buildings. However, with Blatt's findings on how much is needed in repairs to the buildings, plus the ongoing consolidation attempt with other towns, the board will have to spend some time reviewing the information and considering what options they have.

"There are no easy answers that came out of this," Smith said.

The question on Tuesday's ballot reads: "Shall the town vote to raise and appropriate $25,000 for contractual services for phase two of architectural services to study the feasibility of closing one of the Wiscasset Schools." The selectmen and school board unanimously recommend this, while the vote on the budget committee was also in favor, 5-2.