CHESTER, Vt. – During their special May 26 meeting, the Green Mountain Unified School District board agreed to move forward with the approximately $21 million renovation plan for GMUSD schools with the goal of presenting a bond issue to district voters in the November 2022 election. They also agreed to build an on-campus softball field at GMUHS and approved a playground renovation at Cavendish Town Elementary School as part of the overall project.
Michael Davey from Energy Efficient Investments (EEI) provided a brief overview of the last facility upgrades and renovation proposal considered for the three schools in the district: GMUHS, Chester Andover Elementary School, and CTES. He advised the board that, since the plan was last presented in late December of 2021 and the nation has been hit with significant inflationary costs since then, there may be an impact the proposal’s bottom line, with a possible increase of 8%.
Stressing the urgency of the many needed renovations, Davey said that, particularly at the high school, many systems including the ventilation system, oil boilers, pneumatic control system, and electrical system were “beyond the end of useful life.” He also pointed out a recent infrastructure audit done by the Vermont Agency of Education that listed GMUHS as the seventh worst in the state for infrastructure.
As discussion began, Board Chair Joe Fromberger said that he had been approached by two board members, Deb Brown and Dennis Reilly, who urged the board to include an on-campus softball field back into the budget, citing concerns for the girls’ safety and equality issues. The GM girls currently use MacKenzie Field, which is owned by a nonprofit organization, The Green Mountain Softball League, and forces the girls to cross the busy Route 103 to get to their games. Cost of the softball field on the GMUHS campus would total approximately $200,000.
Board member Steve Perani outlined the challenges of the “poorly functioning” and “dangerous playground” at CTES, including a splintering wooden structure and a slide that was recently removed by an insurance company mandate. There are also drainage issues that cause icing during winter months and make the playground unusable. Although he urged the board to approve $75,000 for playground, CAES/CTES Principal Katherine Fogg made a point that costs for the CAES playground numbered at closer to $300,000, a much steeper price. Fromberger instructed Davey to look at the scope of the playground, so he could set a realistic price for the structure and drainage fix.
The $21 million project included approximately $17 million in upgrades to GMUHS, $2.3 million to CAES, and $760,000 to CTES, although those numbers will likely increase with the addition of the field and playground, as well as with the inflation costs. Those details can be found on the TRSU website under “Important Messages” in a document entitled “GMUSD Energy Audit and Possible Renovations.”
Now that the board has given approval for EEI to move forward with the renovations and additions and fixed a target date for when they will put the bond issue before voters, EEI will schedule an eight-week long “investment grade audit” prior to the vote which will finalize the budget costs and provide a detailed scope of work. The board will be able to make final adjustments then, before they put the final project before voters to approve the bond issue in November.
Board member Rick Alexander remained the one “nay” vote on the proposed facilities renovation, saying he had a real problem with a $21 million project, and challenged EEI to give them significant “bang for their buck” by providing projected Return on Investment for each project.
The next regular GMUSD board meeting is slated for Thursday, June 16 at 6 p.m. at the GMUHS Library and via Zoom.