The Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor Board of Trustees met on Thursday, Feb. 15 after reaching no quorum for the board’s regularly scheduled meeting Feb. 14.     The rescheduling occurred swiftly due to the board already having been rescheduled from the week prior due to weather conditions.

Board Chair Chris Buchanan said he and Facilities and Transportation Director Dave Benner – who was unable to make the meeting – reviewed bids from companies Honeywell and Energy Efficient Investment, Inc., and reviewed the conditions of both school buildings.

“Our thought is to go with Honeywell,” said Buchanan. “EEI seems like a really good company, but trying to tie them into our heating system and control system – I just don’t think they have as much to offer as Honeywell does.”

“I think any other company would have to have a lot to offer for us to change from Honeywell,” said board member Richard Hallinan. “Dave’s got such a good relationship with Honeywell and the guys that work for them. All hours of the night and all of that – that’s pretty hard to beat.”

Buchanan agreed, stating,  most of EEI’s work would likely have to be subcontracted to Honeywell, anyhow. The board unanimously voted in favor of staying with Honeywell.

With money in the budget to replace the carpeting in the Boothbay Region High School library, Buchanan said it might be time to start thinking about some of the other things a project on that scale would enable. As it stands, said Buchanan, the bookshelves are not Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant and moving all the books and shelves to accommodate the carpet’s replacement provides an opportunity to replace them.

“If we’re moving the shelving, then it might be a good time to paint the room out,” said Buchanan. “… But then we come down to money. We budgeted for the carpet, but with what’s (proposed now), we’re looking at around $15,000.”

BRHS Principal Dan Welch said the budget for the library hovers around $17,000 and with supplies looking well-stocked, some of that can go toward structural and aesthetic upgrades.

“It’s a big space and I think if we could open it up we could make it multifaceted for kids that want to use it for different things and we could get more use out of it,” said Welch.

Buchanan said no decisions need to be made other than simply to move forward with the idea and toward the end of the fiscal year, the board will review the budget and the costs of moving beyond the carpet replacement.

Buchanan also shared in Benner’s absence that the board received an updated estimate on finishing the area between Sherman Field and Perkins Field. While prior estimates put it around $85,000, the latest one puts it at $75,000. Additionally, said Buchanan, Benner shared that the fire panel upgrades – previously estimated at $125,000 – will be much lower. A specific estimate was not shared.

The board meets next at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, March 7.