Board approves fuel, wood‑chip and snow‑removal contracts; single snow-bid, higher cost draw questions

At its meeting, the Barre Unified Union School District #97 board approved two operations contracts: an annual fuel and propane and wood-chip services contract and a snow-removal contract for the coming season.

For the fuel and wood-chip services (agenda item 8.4), the board approved entering into contracts with Irving for fuel and propane and Kuzane Forest Products for wood-chip services. The motion to award the contracts was made by Giuliano and seconded by Jeff; after brief discussion and no public comment on the item, the board moved to a roll-call vote and approved the motion with all members present voting aye.

The board then considered the snow-removal contract (agenda item 8.5). The district recommended awarding the contract to Evelyn's Elevance, LandWorks and Hauling, which submitted the only bid. Board members and attendees asked why so few contractors bid and whether the district had compared costs to state contract rates. Facilities staff and the facilities director said the likely explanation was contractors’ manpower and labor constraints rather than a bidding “holdup.” One board member noted the award price was “quite a bit over last year” and asked whether the district should try another bid round; staff replied the district had followed procurement practices and had invited local contractors, but many declined because of labor limitations. A public commenter asked whether the district could instead leverage a state contract; another public speaker noted that using state contracts is an option but that going to open competitive bid had already occurred and constrained that choice.

In a roll-call vote the board approved the snow-removal contract. Most board members voted aye; one member, Catherine, recorded a no vote during the roll call. The motion passed.

Facilities director Jamie Evans explained that a prior long-term contractor had kept prices flat for several years and that those circumstances distorted recent comparisons; she said the current contracting environment reflects rising labor costs and limited contractor capacity.

Ending: The board approved both operational contracts and instructed staff to continue outreach to local contractors and to document procurement steps; members asked staff to keep the board informed of any later cost or service issues that would affect school operations.