Moore School project needs more money

Estimates for renovations of the former Moore School building on State Street in Ellsworth have increased to about $4.6 million.

ELLSWORTH — The City Council will vote Monday night on whether to move forward with the renovation of the Moore Community Center by putting the project out to bid.

The total project price tag — which includes asbestos removal, engineering services and contingency funds, in addition to the construction cost — has grown from $3,654,500 in the summer of 2012 to an estimated $4,667,000 today.

City Manager Michelle Beal said the increase in the project’s price tag is due to a number of factors. Among those are the discovery of additional asbestos in the building, a need for more restrooms to comply with current code and a finding that original assumptions that material in the building could be reused were incorrect.

If the council approves putting the project out to bid, Beal said the goal would be to award a contract later this summer and begin construction in September.

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Steve Fuller

Reporter at The Ellsworth American,

Steve Fuller worked at The Ellsworth American from 2012 to early 2018. He covered the city of Ellsworth, including the Ellsworth School Department and the city police beat, as well as the towns of Amherst, Aurora, Eastbrook, Great Pond, Mariaville, Osborn, Otis and Waltham. A native of Waldo County, he served as editor of Belfast's Republican Journal prior to joining the American. He lives in Orland.

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