Committee reviews facilities, custodial staffing and capital projects including roofs, turf and HVAC

The Westlake School Committee reviewed the facilities and custodial site budgets and discussed the district's capital projects schedule, timelines and reimbursement process.

Staff said the facilities draft budget shows a small change in custodial FTEs (from 28.5 to 29.5) tied to an added custodian position and a reduction in the substitute custodial budget. Mark McKinney and other facilities staff reviewed capital accounts and projects; staff said the capital listing provided to the town excludes the school building bond project and a separate $600,000 account noted in the meeting.

Committee members asked for detail on several capital-line items. For example, the $220,000 balance listed for a high-school field reconditioning account was identified as a remaining small balance from a many-years-old account that can be cleared out. Turf maintenance was reported as a roughly $4,500 annual line that covers two visits per year. Roofing projects were described as multi-year, phased requests; staff said roofs such as Springwood (built 1996) and other buildings constructed in 2005 are being prioritized and that the district submits plans to the state reimbursement program (RIDE/RIDE-related reimbursement) to obtain partial reimbursements when eligible.

Staff also described small, targeted HVAC efforts (mini-splits) for technology closets, admin spaces and classrooms that have trouble maintaining temperatures; those additions were presented as smaller capital requests distinct from large roof or HVAC overhauls. The facilities staff said the district is exploring solar and parking-lot solar canopies for new roofs and parking areas once roofs are replaced.

Budget increases explained: staff pointed to several drivers of higher facilities costs, including a pest-control contract that rose substantially after the district retired an unusually low-cost independent contractor; a change in waste pickup vendor; and estimated increases in liability insurance. Staff noted that some utility savings have been realized through an Amreco lease agreement for a town solar field and that certain rebates or reimbursements are processed on the town side rather than the school-side accounting.

Schedule and next steps: the committee approved adding a budget meeting to the calendar (motion to add "Tuesday the 28" was made, seconded and the committee voted in favor). Committee members asked staff to continue to refine capital project timing and the reimbursement plan and to provide a clearer breakdown of overlapping HVAC and capital entries and any redundancies.

Ending: facilities staff said they will return with a finalized list of capital priorities, phasing, and documentation of which reimbursements will return to the town capital account versus the school capital fund.