East Kingston board authorizes up to $6,500 from maintenance trust for elementary-school septic repairs

The East Kingston School Board voted May 11 to authorize the finance office to expend up to $6,500 from the district's maintenance trust to pay for initial septic repairs at the elementary school after a plumber found tree roots intruding into septic lines.

Brandon, reporting for the principals, described the problem: after vacation "this whole upper end wing, every toilet ... none of them would flush," and a plumber found roots growing through the pipes in the septic courtyard. The principal said the local vendor quoted roughly $4,000 if no additional digging is required and up to about $5,000 to $6,000 if more excavation is needed.

Board members discussed whether to use operating funds or draw on the maintenance trust and how that choice would look to taxpayers. One member proposed using the trust for up to $6,500 to cover the initial work and, if the cost exceeded expectations, to reimburse that expenditure from the trust after the fact. The board noted a $10,000 threshold for formal bidding and local vendor preference for smaller jobs.

A motion to authorize the expenditure from the maintenance trust (up to $6,500) was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote; no detailed roll-call tally was recorded. Administration said work will be scheduled over the summer and, if the repair reveals deeper problems, the district will evaluate replacement options and budgeting for a larger capital project.

Next steps: the district will contract for repairs after confirming the excavation scope; the finance office may reimburse immediate operating expenses from the trust fund once the final costs are known and approved by the board.