Newfound schools won't buy Bristol TD Bank building

BRISTOL — Acknowledging the district may not be able to attain the required 60% vote threshold in March, the Newfound Area School Board on Dec. 17 voted to sign a termination letter ending its bid to purchase the TD Bank property.

Superintendent Paul Hoiriis noted public sentiment during school board meetings, at a public hearing in the high school auditorium, and at a meeting with the Bristol Selectboard indicated widespread opposition to the purchase.

TD Bank had offered to sell its property, which includes the bank building and the former restaurant now serving as the headquarters of the district, for $665,400. The company had recently spent $1.8 million in improvements to the bank building, and the town’s 2025 assessment put the value of the property at $1.1 million.

The school board worried a new buyer might not allow the district office to remain there, and would likely raise the rent if they remained a tenant. The district has paid $650 a month since June 1993 to occupy the building.

The administration proposed purchasing the property and making the renovations necessary to occupy the upper floors, while renting or leasing the first-floor space, and renting or selling the other building.

Public reaction had been mostly negative, with Bristol residents concerned about the loss of tax revenue if the school were to own the building, and others arguing there's no guarantee of rental income. With the district considering school consolidation which would require building additions to the middle and high schools, that work could provide the necessary space for district offices when finished, eliminating need for the bank building. While the district then could in the future put the property back on the market, that option did not relieve the concerns.

“I think maybe we need to listen to the public,” particularly with the vote on a new teachers’ contract and improvements to facilities on the school district warrant, Hoiriis said.

“I did look into whether or not we could terminate the agreement and still receive our deposit back, and the bank has agreed,” Hoiriis said. “They’ve been following the news articles as well, and they’re a little worried.”

He said the district will continue looking for other options, but so far no rental property that could accommodate district staff has been found.

“TD Bank said whoever the buyer is, they’ll try to put in a good word that we can stay,” Hoiriis said.

Board member Francine Wendelboe of New Hampton said, “I’m still thinking it would have been a wise financial decision on our part, and that we would not have been harmed in the long run, no matter what happened, if we resell down the road,” but she went along with the vote to terminate the purchase-and-sales agreement.

“The [district] might be sitting out in a school parking lot under a tent.”

Board member Joe Maloney of Bristol also agreed they should be “doing the responsible thing by listening to the public who at least came out to speak,” but added, “there might have been a majority of people who were silent, but we’ll never nail that part down.”

After the 4-0 vote, with Alexandria board member Dennis Fitton absent, Deb Glidden of Alexandria said during the public comment period, “I wonder if there was a lesson learned here, that maybe each board member needs to go to their town fathers and see what’s on their minds.

"Maybe it would have saved about $21,000 to find out that nobody was interested in it.”

Glidden added the Alexandria selectboard “wished that our school board member would poke his head in the door once in a while. They don’t even know who he is.”

In other business, the school board approved the annual extended learning opportunity to Maine's Acadia National Park over the summer. The Schoodic Institute, which promotes “science, learning, and community for a changing world,” has offered to cover the Maine sales tax and cost of housing the chaperones, and the district received a $2,000 Get Outside grant from NH Environmental Educators, which will help offset student costs. Additionally, Windjammer Cruises is offering complimentary tickets for its boat ride, and the Oceanarium Center is providing complimentary admission to the oceanarium for the students participating in the program.