MINOT — School officials are questioning the bill for water use at Minot Consolidated School, Town Administrator Arlen Saunders told selectmen Monday night. 

Saunders said Principal Margret Pitts expressed surprise upon opening a bill for $408 for water for the first month of the school year.

“With the low-volume toilets and waterless urinals they installed at the end of last school year, she was surprised to see that the amount of water she was being charged for went up,” Saunders said.

Water is supplied by the town’s well near the Town Garage. A year ago, the meter monitoring water passing through the arsenic filter at the garage showed water use in the 22,000 gallon per month range. 

During the summer, a meter was installed in the school building to make sure the school, particularly now that it is part of Regional School Unit 16, wasn’t being charged for water that might leak from somewhere in the half-mile between the garage and the school. During the first month of the school year the new meter recorded about 27,000 gallons, which resulted in a bill of $408.

Selectman Steve French, involved in setting up the system and figuring the town’s cost to provide the water, was perplexed and said he would check into the matter. He said the increase in student enrollment, up 15 to about 280, couldn’t account for it.

In other school-related business, selectmen authorized Saunders to sign to transfer ownership of five of the town’s schoolbuses to RSU 16 and to continue working on the transfer of the two buses, which lack titles.

Saunders noted that he had not heard from school officials regarding changes that the board requested be made to the quitclaim deed and bill of sale transferring the school to the RSU 16.

Selectmen authorized Saunders to sign a $4,664 contract with Northern Data Systems for computer software and support services from Dec. 1, 2009, to Dec. 1, 2010.

Selectmen also, having heard that Androscoggin County commissioners may be heading in the direction of building and operating a county-run, countywide emergency dispatch center, asked French to keep an eye on developments.

“They better talk to the towns before doing anything,” Chairman Dean Campbell said. 

Highway Foreman Scott Parker reported that town trucks have their plow gear and sanders on, and Saunders noted that plowing contracts have been signed with Peter Hemond Excavation and Perry Transport.

“Now we are just waiting for the snow to fall,” Saunders said.