By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

CASCO — Local elected officials will allow the town’s fire and rescue departments to use the Casco Memorial School for training exercises before the building is demolished this summer.

However, the building will not be burned.

“The fire chief understands there will be no fires,” said Town Manager Dave Morton.

He added that the structure will provide the department with other types of training such as night vision and search and rescue.

In a 3–2 vote, the Casco Board of Selectmen cast the final fate of the Memorial School building, which for two years has remained vacant. Selectmen Paul Edes and Ray Grant opposed the decision.

Also — as part of Tuesday’s motion, the town will put the demolition of the school out to bid.

That job will likely include the removal of hazardous material and the use of an excavator to demolish the structure and fill in the hole left behind.

The selectmen engaged in very little discussion prior to the vote — a vote which was placed on the agenda two weeks ago.

“I think we have discussed it pretty well,” Grant said after Selectman Tracy Kimball stated the motion on the floor.

According to the language of the motion, the Memorial School will be made available to the Casco’s public safety personnel for a six-month period.

The bid process will call for the mechanical removal of the building.

While the destiny of the town-owned structure has been decided, the future of that property is less detailed.

Chairman Mary-Veinessa Fernandez proposed constructing a memorial on the public parcel. She suggested the possible use of contingency fund money.

That topic will be on agenda of the next board meeting, which falls on Jan. 8.

The Memorial School had been dedicated to three area veterans from World War II.

Kimball said she would like the board to outline a plan for the property “so five years from now we don’t have to remove a memorial.”