MINOT – The School Committee was advised Tuesday night that if the town wants the Minot Consolidated School’s physical plant to be up to snuff, it should dedicate $130,000 each year for the next 10 years to a capital improvement program.
The $130,000 figure comes from an engineering study done in August of all the building’s components, detailing the value of each system, the cost to replace it and when it likely will need to be replaced.
The School Committee undertook the study because the Maine Department of Education required it to do so in order to be eligible for money from the state’s capital improvement program.
“They don’t want you to defer maintenance, so what the state asks is, Do you have a plan to fix your building?'” said Union 29 Director of Operations Gordon Murray. The state, Murray noted, has grown increasingly alarmed at the condition of a majority of the schools statewide. As property taxes pushed to the limit, towns have not maintained their capital investments.
“The problem is akin to putting off changing oil in your car. It doesn’t take long and the car is worthless,” Murray said.
The School Committee agreed to the study, and the recommendation for establishing a capital improvement fund with annual $130,000 infusions should be brought to townspeople.
“We need to show the town where things are. We need to look at a master plan and determine what do we want to have,” School Committee member Lisa Sabatine said.
The School Committee also accepted Assistant Superintendent Marc Gendron’s recommendation that the town be asked to approve adding a 28- by 68-foot modular classroom unit at the school.
Gendron recommended going for a five-year lease/purchase agreement.
The cost would be $1,525 a month and a $1 buyout at the end of five years, Gendron said.
Because the town doesn’t have the manpower or the time for installing the unit, there will be a one-year hit of $60,000 for the setup, he said. That brings the amount that would be requested at town meeting for the first year to $78,300.
The unit would be behind the gym but not physically linked to it. Principal Margaret Pitts said that, depending on security issues, it would contain either two classrooms or a library and computer lab.
In other business, the School Committee authorized soliciting bids for electrical services. Gendron noted that the school’s demand for power comes between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. and, as this is off-peak power, some savings may be realized if a number of schools can band together in a bid for the slightly cheaper off-peak power.
The committee also referred math teacher Karen Nichols’ request that the school consider changing the math program to the School Union 29 curriculum committee.
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