FARMINGTON – The Mt. Blue Regional School District school board held a public hearing on a proposed bond Tuesday evening, detailing $318,000-worth of improvements to boilers, rooftops, windows and pavement across the district.
The bond will appear before voters at the June 13 referendum, along with the budget validation vote.
Estimating a 3.5 percent interest rate and a 10-year lifespan, the $317,834 bond would cost $38,217 a year for 10 years. The first payment would be part of the 2018-19 budget, not the incoming 2017-18 fiscal year. The timing of the bond would have the first payment due the year after the last payment on the Academy Hill School gymnasium and heating improvements, which costs the district $29,104 each year.
A second, $48,000 annual debt payment would expire in 2019-20, the year after the first payment on the new bond.
The improvements addressed by the $318,000 bond include $43,000 to replace single-pane, aging windows at the G.D. Cushing School in six classrooms, the kitchen and two bathrooms. The new windows, according to the Jonathan Chalmers, director of facilities management, would decrease the glassed area and increase the insulated area to improve energy efficiency and security. Classroom lighting would also be improved at the Cushing School, with new, flat panel LEDs replacing old lights that needed lens and ballast replacements.
The gym roof at Cushing School also needs to be resurfaced, Chalmers said, with water stains visible on the laminated wood roof decking inside the gym. That project, which would cost $37,000, had been postponed several years, resulting in increased staining.
At Cascade Brook School, pneumatic actuators associated with air handling equipment would be replaced at the cost of $19,081. The current air compressor tank has failed, so the district is using a replacement unit recycled from Cushing School. The new actuators would reduce the energy consumption of the system, allow for digital control and allow the district to avoid replacing the compressor.
Pavement projects would target broken ground at Cape Cod Hill School and the bus garage, at the costs of $11,303 and $60,000, respectively. At CCHS, the bus unloading area has become degraded and needs to be replaced, Chalmers said, while the bus garage would replace failed pavement in the parking lot.
Also at CCHS, $35,000 would address additional exterior windows, targeting units with failed balances and rotted sashes. The windows are located on the second floor classrooms, Chalmers said, with usable parts to be recycled to replace some failed first floor window balances and sashes.
A boiler at the bus garage would also be replaced at the cost of $35,000. That’s another project that was pushed back from this year, due to unforeseen district-wide costs.
Several parking spaces, including two handicapped spaces, would be paved at the Mt. Blue Campus to accommodate the Adult Education program. That project would cost $25,000. Also at the MBC, air conditioning would be installed in seven classrooms in the F wing at the cost of $23,450.
At Mt. Blue Middle School, four water storage tanks would be replaced at the cost of $20,000. Chalmers said that one of the tanks has failed and two others are leaking.
The current budget is 32,749,109.00 Dollars. Last years budget was almost as much. Now you want to “borrow” money for actual maintenance? Seriously?
my gosh, i’m outraged! things cost money? and repairs and maintenance costs can arise unforeseen after painstakingly crafting shoestring budgets for public education? how absurd! what, even, am i–a local taxpayer and probably a parent, too–getting out of all of this?
Myopic, there is nothing “shoestring” in an annual budget of 33 million dollars.
Maine Native, exactly and if RSU 73 can reduce their budget by 3.9% why can’t RSU 9?
Times are tough. Wait until Trump fixes the economy then come back with all your wants.
If RSU 54 can cut a half of one percent off this year’s operating budget for next year’s operation, and can cut teaching positions, an elementary principal by doubling up on schools with one instead of two principals, and cut several other account areas, WHY CAN’T RSU9????? AND how can RSU54 BORROW money at 0% for maintenance and repair and RSU9 has to finance $ 317.000 at 3.75 % for ten (10) years???? Do you suppose management/administration has any thing to do with it ?
Maneiac: Are you suggesting to increase the investment in operating costs from RSU 9’s cost last year of $ 10277 per student to RSU 73’s cost of $11,094 ?
Taking into account the RSU 73 drop for this next year of 3.9%, their per student expense may drop to about $11,050 . Should RSU 9’s budget be increased by that amount?
Good suggestion, I will recommend that to my school board directors!
That nearly $800 dollar per student increase would eliminate the need for the proposed bond issue, and then some.
Your implied suggestion to match RSU 73 would add about $1,840,000 dollars to the RSU 9 budget.
Is that really the way you want to go? Mimic a less cost efficient district? I can not support your decision on that one!
Source for verifiable information for comparative costs: http://maine.gov/education/data/ppcosts/index.html