WALES — The RSU 4 school board on Wednesday advised the superintendent that he may want to pursue the option of connecting Oak Hill High School with the town water supply.

That advice came during an emergency meeting Wednesday night in which the board discussed what should be done about a water issue at Oak Hill. Students were let out at 12:15 p.m. Wednesday because the school’s well is running low on water.

While officials mull the idea of hooking up to town water, the school board also presented short-term solutions for the situation at Oak Hill. The main course of action suggested: using portable water to fill the reservoir tanks at the school.

“That’s only a short-term Band-Aid, honestly,” said board Chairman Josh Bisson.

In pursuit of a more permanent fix, the school board plans to begin talks with selectmen in Wales and Sabattus. They will also send a representative to a water district meeting Monday.

“It’s not an overnight process, unfortunately,” Bisson said Wednesday night.

The RSU 4 school system discovered the Oak Hill problem last week when staff realized the school’s internal water storage tank was not filling. A well company investigated and found the well did not have enough water. It tried working on the well, but that work did not increase the volume.

“Basically, we can get through about four hours with that, then we need to take roughly four hours off before we start taxing the system,” Superintendent Andrew Carlton said.

The school shut down early Tuesday and Wednesday. All RSU 4 schools will be closed Thursday because of an anticipated blizzard.

Oak Hill High School was built in 1976 and serves about 420 students.

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