PARIS — Directors of Maine School Administrative District 17 voted overwhelmingly Monday to accept the donation of a classroom yurt and a fire alert system and security cameras from Western Foothills Land Trust.

The value of the yurt, decking and ramp access, and installation of power and heat is about $77,000. The safety and security equipment and installation will be $30,700.

MSAD 17 has two yurts for outdoor education, both acquired through Rethinking Remote Education Ventures grants. One is at Roberts Farm Preserve on Roberts Road in Norway. The other is at Agnes Gray Elementary School in West Paris.

Agnes Gray school closed last February, with most of its students attending Paris Elementary School. However, the yurt there has been used by kindergarten students attending nearby Legion Memorial Elementary School and West Paris Explorers, a neighborhood youth program.

“Why do we need yet another structure at Roberts Farm?” Director Gay De Hart of Oxford asked. “Even though we have a new building, we still need more?”

“It’s another classroom so we can have more students there,” Superintendent Heather Manchester said.

“My concern is that we continue to take on physical structures when we have so many structures to take care of,” De Hart said. “It looks great initially, but over time it’s going to be more maintenance. So I question if it is something we want to do.”

MSAD 17 has a 50-year lease to use the Roberts Farm Preserve for outdoor education programs.

A newly constructed classroom building at the preserve, paid with an $890,000 federal grant approved by voters in June of 2023, replaces an aging mobile building with no bathroom facilities and used for more than a decade. It is owned by the school district.

Land Trust Executive Director Kacy Bailey confirmed to directors Monday that the district owns the classroom structures. She said the Land Trust is using a $250,000 grant from New Balance to make improvements to the site to support continued experiential learning, including the installation of a solar array and a new yurt and infrastructure.

As part of the outdoor learning partnership between the district, the Land Trust and New Balance, all fifth-grade students attend programs at Roberts Farm Preserve.

According to Manchester, the new building and yurts are making it possible to expand participation to more than 400 second and third grade students on alternating months.

Directors voted 14-3 to accept the yurt and financial donations.

Voting in favor were Jennifer Russell of Paris, Curtis Cole of Norway, Shauna Broyer of Oxford, Nathan Broyer of Oxford, Amanda Fearon of Hebron, Mike Newsom of Otisfield, Kelly Jacobson of Norway, Christie Wessels of Paris, Veronica Poland of West Paris, Doreen Simmons of Paris, Gary Smith of Oxford, Lew Williams of Hebron, Peter Wood of Norway and Kitty Winship of Waterford.

Voting against were De Hart, Diana Olsen of Otisfield and Donna Marshall of West Paris.

Bob Schott of Norway abstained.

Chairperson Troy Ripley of Paris, Judy Green of Waterford and Mark Heidmann of Harrison were absent.