The Western Hills Regional School Unit 10 school board voted to draw on its capital improvement reserve for two urgent facilities repairs: a roof repair at Buckfield Junior‑Senior High School and replacement work on a septic tank at Hartford Sumner Elementary School.

Allison Lisonbee moved to use the capital improvement reserve for the Buckfield roofing project; the motion, seconded by Doug, was amended during discussion to cap the board’s contribution at $21,300 and passed unanimously. “I move that we use the capital improvement reserve fund for the roofing project at Buckfield Junior Senior High School,” Lisonbee said when making the motion. Board members said they relied on an IRC verbal estimate of about $21,000 and agreed to a narrow ceiling to allow the work to proceed without further delay.

Separately, board member Ed moved — and Doug seconded — to use the reserve fund for the Hartford Sumner sewer/septic project “not to exceed $20,000.” The motion passed with the explicit condition that if the cost exceeds that cap the superintendent must return to the board for approval. During discussion, board members cited policy DJ and emergency‑expenditure policy DK, and asked that staff collect multiple written estimates showing line‑item costs (tank, crane or excavator rental, materials and time to complete).

Superintendent Deb said the district had a temporary “band‑aid” solution in place for the septic system and that contractors had provided a verbal estimate of roughly $20,000; she reported outreach to at least two firms for written bids. Deb also outlined other possible capital items (playground fencing, radio‑tower radio equipment) and noted that the district’s capital improvement reserve balance across site improvement lines was $136,480.

Board discussion balanced urgency and procurement rules. Several members argued that emergency work may justify bypassing the full public RFP process when immediate action is needed; others pressed for transparency, written estimates, and a clear trail if costs will exceed the board‑set caps. The board directed staff to obtain competitive written estimates when feasible and to seek board review if expenses are projected to exceed the approved limits.

Next steps: the district’s facilities staff will collect and circulate written bids and a detailed cost breakdown for the septic replacement; if the final quote exceeds the $20,000 cap or if the roof work requires more than $21,300 from the reserve, the superintendent will bring the item back to the board for approval.