Nine days after Wiscasset residents voted down the energy project, School Committee members and Superintendent of Schools Heather Wilmot said they want to find a way to get it done. They said the buildings need it and students need the improved learning environment.

“It’s absolutely critical. We have to respond to our learning environment,” Wilmot told the committee June 22. “I believe our schools are worth fighting for. This project is worth fighting for, and I stand behind it.”

The panel directed Wilmot to contact legal counsel about asking selectmen to rescind a letter to prospective lenders; the committee also wants a legal look at possibly returning to the first route it took, to authorize the project under laws that do not require a referendum. The committee only went along with a referendum to be “nice guys” after selectmen made an issue of it, Vice Chairman Glen Craig said. “I say we see our lawyers ... We need to move forward with this energy project.”

“I completely agree with him,” member Eugene Stover said.

Members made no decision on whether or not to seek another referendum. They said right now they just want to know what their options are. Member Jason Putnam wondered what the outcome of a second town vote would be, if there was one. “If we ask again, will they repeat that?” He said he was stupefied by feedback that people thought the $518,000 grant the state awarded for a regional program for students with disabilities could be used to fund the project.

Wilmot said she was willing to hold more tours and do another video like the one nearly 200 people viewed on Youtube, about the buildings’ needs.

Also Thursday night, Wilmot announced Wiscasset Middle High School will not be where the regional program is held in the next school year. She and leaders of the other departments partnering on the grant will meet June 28 to talk about options for a site. The plan had been WMHS, but the program will need to start elsewhere and WMHS could be considered again in the grant’s second year, the 2018-19 school year, Wilmot said. “Essentially, we need more time to plan to be ready for that,” she said. The other partners are Sheepscot Valley Regional School Unit 12, Regional School Unit 1 and Alternative Organizational Structures 93 and 98.

Wiscasset is the project’s fiscal agent, meaning it receives the money, Wilmot said. She said it will be accounted for separately from the department’s operating budget. And she said, since the program will be held off-site, another of the partners may become the fiscal agent.

Chairman Michael Dunn said Wilmot had put a lot of time into the grant and it was an example of her doing what the committee has asked of her – to grow programming and revenue. The committee authorized Dunn to sign a cooperative agreement when it’s finalized. Wilmot told members to start thinking about lining up seed money to keep the program going after the grant runs out June 30, 2019. The draft agreement calls for all the departments to contribute, she said.

Some parents in Thursday’s audience asked Wilmot and the committee to consider a third class for third grade. Natalie Allen and Kristen Travers-Whitmore said the grade has many needs among its students and the two classes will number in the high range for students, making it hard for teachers to meet all students’ needs. “I’m very concerned that the needs of my children will not be met in classes of that size,” Allen said.

Wilmot said she is talking with the department’s curriculum coordinator Patt Watts about seeing if any federal funds could be applied toward staffing for the grade.

Earlier, Dunn showed the audience a pot of orchids the committee had given Chelsea Taylor for her service. It was Taylor’s last meeting as a member. Michelle Blagdon, winner of the June 13 election, attended. She joins the committee in July.

Dunn told Taylor it had been a pleasure serving with her. Wilmot told her it had been great to have her support for the students and the community. Taylor thanked everyone and said she planned to stay informed and involved. “And maybe you’ll see me again someday,” she said, smiling.

The committee elects officers July 20.