By Nathan Duke
Staff Writer

Bedford's Mount Zion Christian School will not be relocating to Henry W. Moore School because students from the Candia school will not leave for at least two years, said Mount Zion Headmaster Bob Carter.

Members of Candia's school board and facilities committee have been researching options to address space issues at Moore School, including a co-op agreement with a border town, renovating the existing building and constructing a new school.

The board went so far as to send letters to area nursing homes to gauge interest in the building if it were to be abandoned in favor of new construction. No nursing homes expressed interest, but Mount Zion did.

The facilities committee reached out to local nursing homes and private schools to see if they were interested in relocating at Moore's facilities. Mount Zion expressed interest in the relocation, but has now ruled it out because they need a new location for September 2006. If Moore students relocate to a new building, it would not occur for at least two years, which would allow for construction of the facilities.

Mount Zion's current facilities on South River Road in Bedford are owned by the state. Carter said the state notified them that they need the facilities during the 2006 school year and that the school would need to relocate.

He said plans to move into Wellington Business Park in Auburn or French Hall in Manchester are also not options now, and that he is keeping an open mind as to where the school might move. He said Mount Zion might not necessarily relocate to another school facility.

“If something does not come up school-wise, we will have to be more creative in our solution,” he said.

Carter said a backup plan might be to lease office or mill space in the area, until the school can find a permanent location.

He said a move to Manchester is not only a possibility, but it could be a wise decision.

“We want to meet the needs of our constituency – we want to locate as close to the Manchester beltway as possible,” he said. “We have people coming to us from as far as Loudon and Nashua, so we want to be easily accessible from the highway.”

The Candia School Board and Facilities Committee will host a public forum in the gymnasium at Moore School on Thursday, Oct. 20, to further discuss options to address space issues at the school, get public comment and discuss pricing issues for the three school options.