Renovations projects in the works for SAD 29

By Joseph Cyr
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — Renovation projects may soon be under way at schools in SAD 29.
     At a special board meeting held Nov. 14, school board members signed off on a plan to take $291,851 from a capital reserve account and spend it on projects previously approved, but not funded, as well as a few new projects for the district’s schools.
    “The board approved a motion giving the district the ability to spend capital improvement on all buildings instead of just the high school and they made sure that the board approved all those expenditures,” said SAD 29 Superintendent Mike Hammer.
    A special board meeting was needed because the funds were originally earmarked for capital improvement project at Houlton High School only. A vote was needed to give the district permission to spend those funds on projects outside of the high school, Hammer said.
    He added there would be no impact to the school budget for these projects as the funds being spent were coming from the capital reserve account. That account currently has $467,326.
    Many of the items on the project list were first approved by the school board in April. At that time, Hammer said some of the funding for these projects could come from the “renovation budget line” in the school budget, with the remaining cost covered by the 2012-13 budget.
    However, during the 2012-13 budget process in May, those projects were eliminated as a cost-saving measure.
    Among the projects authorized were remodeling the girls locker room at Houlton High School, at a cost of $32,650; replacing the gymnasium floor at Houlton Southside School, $45,000; erecting a new storage shed at Wellington Elementary School, $1,685; and replacing cafeteria tables at Houlton Elementary School, $43,087.
    The girls locker room was the subject of a board discussion last April when it was first suggested they should be replaced. At that time, High School Principal Marty Bouchard said neither the boys nor the girls showers were being utilized on a regular basis because of privacy concerns. However, if private stalls were created, along with a private changing area, the likelihood of the girls showers being used would increase.
    Problems with the gymnasium floor at Houlton Southside School have been persistent. The concrete floor has become warped due to water issues underneath the school.
    The cafeteria tables at the elementary school have been on the district’s wish list for replacement for numerous years, but funds have never been available. The tables fold into the walls for storage so that the cafeteria can also be used as the school’s gymnasium.
    The bulk of these projects will begin when school is not in session to minimize the impact on students.
    Several paving plans were also included in the plan, totaling $124,810. Those projects will be completed in the spring, once weather allows.
    Initial steps were also taken to begin moving the district’s bus fleet to a new storage location at the high school. Historically, SAD 29 has stored its school busses at the Houlton municipal garage on the Bangor Road, paying a yearly fee to the town to do so.
    But the Houlton Town Council asked the school district to find an alternative site to store its busses so the town could use the space inside the garage for its own equipment.
    The district plans to spend $23,750 for the first phase of the bus garage, which is expected to be located behind the school to the right of the soccer field. A 200-foot by 115-foot gravel pad will be created, at an estimated cost of $18,750. Electricity will also be wired to hitching posts, allowing the vehicles to be plugged in during the winter, at a cost of $5,000.
    Work on the bus garage is slated to begin in the spring.