WILTON – Selectmen voted 3-2 Tuesday to send a controversial letter to SAD 9 directors, chiding them for charging the town to use the Academy Hill gym.
Paul Gooch, who retired last year as Wilton schools’ principal, said he thought the letter drafted by Town Manager Peter Nielsen was “a little harsh and confrontational.”
The letter expressed the town’s concerns with the school district’s inefficiency in controlling heating costs and then charging the town’s basketball program for the use of the Academy Hill School gym because of higher fuel costs. The letter referred to the minutes of the school board’s Dec. 13 meeting.
“Apparently, (SAD 9 Superintendent) Mike Cormier thought it necessary to remind people that the schools no longer belong to the individual communities that support them,” the letter said. It goes on to say that this was given as “justification for additional fees for use of the buildings, particularly to offset energy costs.”
Wilton’s program hosts children from other SAD 9 towns including Chesterville, Weld and Farmington, Nielsen pointed out.
“Our board was struck with the wasted heat your energy consultants described in the schools. The meeting room itself was coincidentally overheated, confirming the report. It seems ridiculous to impose new fees to pay for waste, when energy conservation has not been a priority,” Nielsen wrote.
Keith Swett moved that the letter be signed as written, and his motion was seconded by Rodney Hall who later said he would retract his second if Swett retracted his motion. Swett did not.
Gooch said that, with a little editing, the letter could get the same point across without being so harsh. He wanted a newly drafted letter to recognize that the school district has hired a consultant to work on the heating issues at the schools. He also wanted to make the point that Mt. Blue Middle School had used Kineowatha Park for no charge while their fields were being refurbished.
Though selectmen agreed with Gooch’s points, they voted to sign the letter as presented by Nielsen with Gooch and Terry Brann dissenting.
Selectmen also took no action on an issue brought to them by Rick Collins who made a complaint against Nielsen and Police Chief Wayne Gallant.
Collins has been removed from the town’s rotation of local companies to be called by police when they need a vehicle towed. Nielsen said he had received three complaints from people who had had their cars towed and felt they were overcharged so he asked Gallant to research it.
The most recent incident involved a vehicle that ran out of gas on Route 133 and because it was blocking the road, police opted to have it towed. Collins charged $165 for a job Gallant found other services would have charged between $35 and $65. Nielsen had made the decision to take Collins off the police wrecker rotation based on the price difference.
“If the town is going to be calling for a wrecker, if we have a choice, then it’s pretty obvious we need to choose a service that is of most value (for the vehicle owner),” Nielsen told selectmen.
Collins said he charges more for police calls because they take priority and he has to drop everything to respond to them. He also charges a higher rate for nights and weekends. The other towing companies on the list charge the same regardless of type of call or time of day, according to Gallant’s research. Selectmen chose to stand behind their employees and did not take action on the issue.
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