The Lisbon Reporter

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Sunday, November 30, 2008

Report from 11/24 School Committee Meeting

The School Committee meeting consisted almost entirely of a workshop presentation from School Department administration, and several important items were brought forth.

The first item was a presentation by Kathy Tyson from Runyon, Kersteen, & Ouellette who said her firm had audited the financial statements of the School Budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2008. The budget audit not only came through qualified, there were also no carryovers and the year under budget.

The second presentation was a 5-year Capital Plan for Buildings, Grounds & Equipment and includes Capital Improvements the Lisbon School Department feels are needed, including any construction project exceeding $10,000.00, and any equipment purchase to be bonded or to be budgeted for more than one fiscal year.
This consisted of two parts, the first being Annual Budget Capital Improvements for school year 2009-2010:

Soccer Fields Phase 3: Loam and seed the slope near the tennis courts, completed by the fall of 2009 at $15,000.00;
Football Field Phase 1: Plans are to cut the trees back approximately 15 feet on the PWS side of the Football side, changing the banking to solve runoff problems and moving the bleachers back, completed by the spring of 2010 at $15,000.00;
Architectural Work - propose $500,000.00 bond in spring 2009, to be used for a "renovation vs. new" analysis of the high school and preparation of conceptual drawings to present as referendum vote in fall of 2009. The increase to the budget for the 2009-2010 school budget would be $12,500.00 for the first payment (interest only)

The proposals made for Equipment included:

Continue replacing old buses at one or two per year at a cost of $75,000.00 per bus funded through a three-year lease purchase. This is an item already budgeted, and as one lease expires, it is replaced with the new. The increase this year will be the increase in the cost of buses;
Replace the 1998 Red Jeep with a used vehicle with an approximate cost of $15,000.00 funded in the 2010 school year for the 2010-2011 school year. Most of the funds for this purchase will come from an expired lease. This is a 5,000.00 increase as the previous lease was for $10,000.00;

Other foreseeable expenditures include:

Replace the zero-turn mower at a cost of $15,000.00 funded during the 2011-2012 school year. (All equipment is replaced on a three-year lease purchase plan)

The second half of the presentation for the 5-year Capital Plan for Buildings, Grounds & Equipment was the presentation of a potential bond for major capital improvements. Currently $30,000.00 is budget annually on a 20-year bond scheduled to expire in October 2009, and that amount could continue with the funds used toward this new bond.

The issues that were addressed from the High School included the shortage of classroom space, the inadequate size of the gym, the condition of the heating system, as well as other issues.

At the Middle School, the heating system is of prime concern. The project would encompass re-piping the entire building and putting new heating units in every room, as well as replacing the boiler. As there are ongoing issues with the boiler, this may need to be fixed sooner than this bond would allow.

The bond would also allow additions and revisions to the playing fields and parking areas.

Football Field Phase 2: An additional set of bleachers would be added, a new practice field would be created next to the playing field. This would help alleviate wear on the playing field, as well as offer an additional field for other teams;
Track: Add a regulation 8-lane running track with a composite surface, stadium lights, and announcing booth at the High School;
Asphalt Driveways: Repair the asphalt driveways at the Middle School and High School, possibly changing traffic patterns based on design of proposed building changes. Pave the lot by the tennis courts to create additional parking, and pave an access road to the football field to prevent and control erosion.

The proposed timetable for this bond is:

Spring 2009 bond $500,000.00 for architectural work;
Fall 2009 bond goes to referendum;
Fall 2009 secure bond;
Winter 2010 General Contractor's bid;
2010-2011 construction with work to be completed Fall 2011.

The final presentation of the night concerned the recent budget reductions proposed to meet the State Subsidy Curtailment from the State of Maine. The total amounts listed below will be taken from several budgetary lines within each area: