SANFORD – The failure of an $11.3 million education bond on the Nov. 6 ballot saps $805,000 from a new manufacturing training program slated for Sanford. Even so, local officials say classes will still begin in 2013 – just on a smaller scale.
“We are going to have a very good program, just not the Cadillac we had been hoping for,” Jim Nimon, executive director of the Sanford Regional Economic Growth Council, said Wednesday. “The bond money would certainly have taken us to a higher level, much faster.”
“The loss of the bond is the difference between establishing an adequate facility versus a world-class educational program,” agreed City Manager Steven Buck. “We’ll squeak something together, it just won’t be as world class.”
That “something” will start with $257,000 appropriated by the Maine Legislature last session to help York County Community College launch a machine tool technology program in the former U.S. Optical Disc building at 1 Eagle Drive. The $805,000 bond would have purchased new manual and computer numerical-control machines for students to train on. Instead, classes will have to make due with two surplus CNC systems given by Eastern Maine Community College in Bangor.
“They were able to give us a couple of pieces of equipment because they no longer have a machining program there,” said John Rainone, dean of institutional advancement at YCCC.
Rainone says that while the Legislature’s annual commitment will pay for instructors and program administration for 12 to 14 students beginning next fall, the loss of the bond money means the program will have to be “phased in,” meaning program cycles will have to be launched annually, instead of in successive semesters. For that reason, and to invest in better equipment, YCCC is “reaching out to other organizations” to cover funding refused by voters.
“We really need this thing,” said Nimon, noting that despite “15 to 20” places for machinists to work in greater Sanford, where wages start at $18-$20 an hour, many jobs go unfilled for want of qualified applicants.
“That is what is being communicated to us by the manufacturers,” said Rainone. “These are excellent jobs – $35,000 to $50,000 a year – and ones that are coming back, that keep the economy moving, but they can’t get always the workers they need. So, we’re looking for donations of equipment, grants, even cash, to really be able to support this.”
Earlier this year, Pratt & Whitney, located in North Berwick, gave $100,000 to the Foundation for Maine’s Community Colleges specifically for the new program, which will allow residents of the greater Sanford area earn an associate’s degree right in their own back yard. Nimon has noted that more than a third of all workers at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard live in and around Sanford. Despite this, and even though the shipyard, Pratt & Whitney, Arundel Machine and General Dynamics are some of the largest employers in York County, and all three rely heavily on the highly specialized skills of precision machinists, no relevant post-secondary program exists in the area.
“With this program, we will be able to prepare more Maine students for good-paying, highly skilled jobs that exist right here in York County, and that will mean a more adaptable work force in this region to help grow Maine’s economy,” said Scott Knapp, interim president of York County Community College.
Although the machining classes may not end up on Eagle Drive – no lease is signed at this time – YCCC’s new machine tools program will be located somewhere in Sanford, said Rainone.
For that reason, some are surprised Question 2 failed even in Maine’s newest city.
“I’m not sure enough people were aware of the importance of this to the region,” said Buck.
“Did we do as good a job as we could have educating the public? No,” said Nimon. “But it seems like every year one bond issue fails. You explain this electorate to me.”
Three other bonds proposals on the Nov. 6 ballot – for conservation, highway construction and water projects – passed with at least 60 percent of the vote. However, the education bond won support from only 48.9 percent of Mainers. Even in Sanford, the measure failed, albeit by a mere 33 votes, 4,538 to 4,505.
“I think everyone in this economy is trying to hold onto their dollars,” said Suzanne McKechnie, an economic development specialist at the growth council. “There may be some fear of taxes and so, people are being a little bit more conservative, I think.”
The prevailing theory is that, with stagnant job numbers in Maine and across the nation, voters were unwilling to fund all requests and simply trumped roads and the environment over education.
Nimon also suggested a greater yes vote may have been stymied by Gov. Paul LePage signaling he would not immediately authorize borrowing – bonds require his signature, as well as that of the state treasurer – even if the bonds passed.
“The governor remained philosophically opposed, even as late as an Eggs and Issues event this past week,” said Nimon. “These moral objections to debt have a lot of layers to them – we all have family members who feel the same way as the governor, but we have the capacity for it and debt like this is really worth the risk, because it would have created immediate jobs. So, I’m going to continue to advocate for this.”
“When you talk about manufacturing and bringing jobs to our region, it’s something that is very valuable to us,” said McKechnie. “We will continue working on this and trying to make it happen. We’re not giving up.”
Although voters thumbed their collective noses at post-secondary training, the state has promised other investments in vocational education that could help retain the region’s top employers, and maybe even lure in new ones.
“What excites me,” said Nimon, “is that, with almost $100 million already approved by the state for a new high school and regional technical center, we have the opportunity to get the attention of some world-class manufacturers.”
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