Despite maintenance hiccups and ongoing projects, the Community School District may end up under budget for the $1.6 million priority repair project. In their virtual meeting Jan. 8, Director of Facilities David Benner said there is still more work, including thoroughly checking the calculations, but the project may end up costing less than anticipated.    

Benner said all but three major items are complete, with work still to be done replacing the fuel tanks, repairing the parapets, and updating air controls. However, according to his calculations, the final project could cost around $1.24 million. The board asked for him to recalculate and confirm.

“We could be blessed with a couple hundred thousand dollars of money that we borrowed that Dave did better at being able to spend,” said trustee Darrell Gudroe, adding that the board would need to decide how to use that money, including for more repairs or to pay the bond down.  

And the schools still need repairs. Benner said there was a dry sprinkler air leak at the elementary school, which required two service visits. He said the damage was minimal, affecting a few ceiling tiles, and he clarified that the dry sprinkler system is separate from the main wet sprinkler system.   

"Did we just dodge a bullet?” asked trustee Ronnie Campbell.   

“Probably,” Benner replied.    

Benner also told the board about issues with sludge in the fuel oil tanks at the high school. He said filters have to be changed about every two weeks, but he anticipates the system will continue to work by the time the tanks get replaced over the summer.   

In related business, Alternative Organizational Structure (AOS) 98 Superintendent Robert Kahler updated the board on the $30 million repair bond. He said there are no updates to the legal action around it. However, another there is another hurdle.   

According to Kahler, the district’s most current audit has not been completed, and some lenders will not let the CSD borrow without it. According to Kahler and members of the board, a statewide scarcity of auditors has delayed necessary audits for not just the CSD but districts and municipalities across the state.   

“It’s like this in everything. It’s not just there. It's healthcare, it's everything,” said trustee Paul Roberts.  

Kahler told the Register up-to-date audits could provide more options, including more information on whether borrowing all at once or in stages would be better. He added that without the audits, the district is likely limited to a few local banks and Maine Municipal Bond Bank.   

“We're losing some significant interest by not being able to do it. If we got a 6% through the bond bank but could have gotten a 5, 5 1/2%, that would be a lot of money,” Campbell said.  

The board generally agreed and requested Kahler get updated quotes and explore their options.    

In other business, Gudroe expressed frustration with a recent CSD request for proposals to replace and upgrade the phone systems at both schools. Gudroe noted his personal interest because he is a vendor for related services. However, he called the RFP’s requirements rigorous to the point that he questioned whether it would allow a local vendor.   

“I really struggle to understand why we are making a telephone vendor specifically pass such a rigorous amount of qualifications to supply phones to our schools,” he said. “If we are requiring all of our vendors to submit applications as rigorous as this RFP, I would like to see it.”   

According to Kahler, the district reached out to other schools for comparison when writing the RFP. He also said they advertised statewide. However, Kahler and members of the board said the conversation would be more appropriate in a separate meeting. 

After the meeting, Kahler also updated the Register on the CSD Charter revisions. In December, the two CSD boards and both the Boothbay and Boothbay Harbor selectboards approved charter language. The new version reverses some of the 2023 charter language that removed authority from the trustees, according to the board. Kahler said the deadline to deliver the language to Rep. Holly Stover for the legislature is Jan. 14.