By Nicholas Brown
Staff Writer

The Candia School Facilities Committee plans to make a recommendation to the school board regarding the future of the Henry Moore School, with the expectation that the board will choose a path at its Nov. 3 meeting.

After months of research from the facilities committee and two public forums, the two likely avenues are to either build a new school or renovate the existing school.

Both plans would require the approval of voters in March.

Committee member Kathy Berger told the public on Thursday, Oct. 20, that a third option - joining with a neighboring town to share a school - isn't likely in the near future, as the five towns contacted either hadn't shown interest or had disparate timetables.

School board and facilities committee member Bill Zarges showed community members preliminary designs for a new 73,000-square-foot school that would require a 25- to 30-acre site.

Zarges said a couple of sites in Candia that could accommodate the school have been eyed, at "varying price ranges," adding that road work could add costs to any new school project.

A plan to renovate the existing Moore School, introduced by school board and facilities committee member John Messler, drew the most questions from the crowd of about 15 residents gathered at the last forum.

Last year, Candia voters rejected a nearly $6 million plan to renovate the school.

Messler juxtaposed that plan with a new plan, one committee members hope can bring down renovation costs.

"We are anticipating that it will be less," said facilities committee Chairman David Fischer after the meeting.

The latest proposed renovation would keep the total number of classrooms at the school at 26, but would increase the number of classrooms with at least 900 square feet by five, to 18.

The plan would also greatly expand the media center and the gymnasium, and ensure that every classroom intended to house students for significant periods of time would have windows and natural light.

Officials said the renovation plan would increase the school's capacity by 80 to 100 students, and would increase the total square footage at the school by about 14,000 square feet, to about 69,000.

Moore school currently holds about 460 students.

Preliminary designs for both the new school and the Moore renovation were done at no cost to the district by Sumner Davis Architects in Portsmouth, the same firm that handled last year's proposed renovations. Sumner Davis representatives had hoped to provide numbers for the two new plans by the last forum, but were held up by another project, said Fischer.

Fischer said the committee will thoroughly review potential costs before recommending a course to the school board.

Regardless of the long-term plans for school infrastructure, several school officials agreed that immediate renovations are needed at Moore school.

"Doing nothing at the Moore school this year is not an option," said Zarges. "There are too many issues."

Fischer highlighted some current issues including an outdated heating system and utilities.

School officials fielded a host of questions during the forum from residents who seemed largely satisfied with the work of the facilities committee.

One parent, who described herself as a "disgusted" voter in March, thanked committees for their hard work in exploring different options.

Zarges said one of the committee's goals has been to remedy any flaws in the process that may have existed last year.