RSU 22 recommends reserves for capital needs, safety system and a $1.6M administrative office replacement referendum

Superintendent Nick Wain outlined proposed uses of reserve accounts and a plan to replace the district administrative office, recommending specific set‑asides and a future referendum.

Wain proposed adding $527,000 to the capital reserve to cover $73,760 for a Syntegix emergency safety platform (lanyard push-button system, first-year cost) and $453,200 for maintenance projects including playground equipment, paving, roofing, HVAC work and storage. He said the Syntegix vendor system is a five-year contract and that district leaders consider the system a student- and staff-safety priority.

Wain described a proposed administrative office replacement reserve of $1,600,000. The most recent quote from Modular Genius for the modular shell was $977,010.71; the larger $1.6 million figure includes site work (landscaping, paving), UTC student labor for interior work, and $45,000 of engineering services. "The plan still is that UTC would do this. The plan would also be that this would go to a referendum," Wain said, adding that reserve funds cannot be spent until a successful referendum authorizes the project.

Wain also recommended transfers from the technology reserve (current balance $605,025) to fund staff technology refreshes ($315,000) and to set aside $85,000 for FY27 Chromebooks. He proposed using up to $300,000 of combined fuel/energy/special-education reserves to help offset FY26 revenues and reduce the local assessment ask for this budget year, while keeping a remaining balance for emergencies.

Ending: The board and town representatives asked questions about timing, demo of the old building and whether municipal partners had interest in the administrative site; Wain said questions would be answered in follow-up materials included in the budget packet and at the district meeting.