FARMINGTON – Wilton’s town manager, the entire Board of Selectmen, the recreation department director and several coaches attended SAD 9’s school board meeting Tuesday. Their purpose was to urge SAD 9 to let the town’s travel basketball team continue to use Academy Hill School’s gymnasium on Sundays.
The school board members voted to allow it – until they could discuss the issue further – with only Neil Stinneford of Weld opposing.
Last week, Frank Donald, Wilton’s recreation director, had told selectmen that the school district had decided to discontinue activities in all schools on Sundays as a cost-saving measure.
The decision, Assistant Superintendent Susan Pratt told the school board, was a short-term plan to mitigate rising energy costs and was based on the school district’s 1978 policy to “discourage” Sunday activities in schools.
But Wilton’s travel basketball team’s schedule was already set.
“It leaves them in the lurch,” school board member Susan Black of Wilton said.
The issue was discussed immediately after a discussion of the district’s inefficient heating and ventilation systems.
Jim Evers of ibControls, an engineering firm that recently completed a study of ventilation and heating systems in the district’s nine schools, said Weld Elementary School is working efficiently. But “the others are energy hogs,” he said. The high school is in the biggest trouble, he added.
The board didn’t make any decisions about a contract to repair and maintain the systems, which could cost almost $600,000, but will put the issue on the top of its next meeting agenda. Exact costs will then be determined based on the repairs and contracts the board chooses at its Dec. 13 meeting.
“To do nothing, we’d be really remiss,” Pratt said.
In an effort to recoup some of the increasing energy costs, Pratt suggested instituting a building usage fee for non-school groups. If adopted, it could cost the Wilton recreation department more than $10,000 for the basketball league, according to Donald.
Wilton does not have that kind of money in the budget, Selectman Paul Gooch told the board.
“The kids shouldn’t be penalized if we have a faulty system,” Donald said, referring to heating systems like the one at Academy Hill School, which often requires athletes to open doors to cool an overheated gymnasium.
No action was taken on the proposed usage fees on Tuesday.
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