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w w w. m a i n e b i z . b i z 21 F e b r ua r y 9 , 2 0 1 5 of the two — and the building city officials were most anxious to return to the private sector. e distinctive three-story brick school, built in 1924, was preserved after the 1970s-era high school was demolished in 2006 to make way for a Hannaford supermarket; a new high school opened the same year about a mile away. But the Flatiron was in dan- ger of turning into a white elephant. e city, committed to maintain- ing the structure for possible reuse, spent up to $70,000 annually to heat and maintain the structure, and issued three RFPs before finally attracting the interest of Cynthia Taylor, president of Housing Initiatives of New England, a nonprofit based in Portland. Taylor was the developer for the conversion of the old city hall on Bridge Street, which offers assisted living for seniors as the Inn at City Hall, and was completed in 2001. e Flatiron building posed unusual challenges, including the city's desire to preserve the auditorium, once the heart of school activities and public entertainment in the capital city. In designing the project, Taylor was also constrained by the new emphasis at Maine State Housing on lowering per-unit costs. While keeping open the former balcony space and preserv- ing the floor and the auditorium, the design locates four apartments at the back of the auditorium that offer spec- tacular views over the circle through nearly floor-to-ceiling windows. e auditorium space, which includes restorations of old murals and other architectural details, also features natural lighting from the original Palladian windows, which at one time were bricked over. On a tour of the building, Bill Walker, vice president of Housing Initiatives, pointed out some of the adaptations necessary to fit 44 apart- ments into the old high school while preserving the original wide hallways, entrance stairway and skylights, with suitably energy-efficient provisions. Another four units, and a new entrance, are in an addition at the back of the building, which also allows direct access through an eleva- tor to the auditorium. e old main entrance, which opens directly onto the circle, was unsuitable for the building's new purpose. Rents are $700 a month for the Flatiron's prevailing one-bedroom units, and a bit higher for a lim- ited number of two-bedroom units. ere are community laundry and recreational facilities, and the ambience of the old high school will be re-created in a library featuring some of the original chalkboards and bookcases. Some 60 to 75 construction work- ers from Ledgewood Construction of South Portland and various subcon- tractors are now on site. e $11 mil- lion project is financed with help from state and federal historic preservation tax credits and subsidies from Maine State Housing, which rated it as its top-ranked project two years ago. Taylor says construction became possible through initial financ- ing from Bank of America in San Francisco. e city also played a part. Augusta is forgoing all the prop- erty taxes from both the Flatiron building and the old Hodgkins Junior High School, now about $50,000, through a 30-year TIF agreement. e city was "glad to do so," says City Manager Bill Bridgeo. "It was an important part of making the num- bers work," he says. e city conveyed both buildings for a token $1 payment. Fewer students, more seniors ere was a much quicker turnaround for the city at the old Hodgkins school, which closed two years ago and was mothballed after the junior high students were relocated to the new high school. Amanda Bartlett had become executive director of the Augusta Housing Authority a year ago and found that Augusta was one of only three public housing agencies in Maine that didn't own real estate or finance any projects on its own. Bartlett decided to explore chang- ing that, and asked Portland devel- oper Kevin Bunker of Developers Collaborative to take a look at the Hodgkins building. "At first I thought, like everybody else, that the answer was to tear down the building and start over," Bunker says. "But then we got interested in the possibilities." Hodgkins, built in 1958, looks like a lot of schools from the baby boom era, with several wings and a flat roof. It was built when enrollments statewide were rapidly expanding, for a school population that peaked at 275,000 and has since declined to less than 200,000. ough the classrooms are on different levels, all the entrances are at grade, meaning no elevator would be necessary. Bunker also called in Amy Cole Ives of Sutherland Conservation and NETWORK CABLING / AUDIO VISUAL / SECURIT Y / TELEPHONE / WIRELESS connectivity point design & installation / ME - NH - MA / 866-782-0200 / connectivitypoint.com Connectivity Point specializes in the infrastructure for voice, data, video and security applications. Not sure what that means? Let's just say we install all the technology "plumbing" that you need to run your business—computer cabling, audio/visual equipment, security cameras, phones. Don't leave it to the lowest bidder—choose a design/build company like us. We're like IT guys. With tools. It starts with a conversation. Call Tim at x213. Blue collar technology. White glove service. 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