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Superintendent outlines clock tower repairs, entrance work and a five-minute start-time shift to ease bus logistics
Summary
The superintendent reported repairs to a leaking clock tower, a new secure office entrance at Marshwood High, security camera and door-entry upgrades, and a five-minute start-time shift at Great Works School to address tight bus runs and breakfast access for students.
The district’s superintendent told the board the district is repairing a leaking clock tower and undertaking several campus-safety projects, and proposed a brief start-time change to ease transportation problems.
“We are in the process of fixing the leaking clock tower,” the superintendent said, noting a boom lift had been on-site for two weeks. Once exterior work is complete, the district plans to try to repair the clock mechanism, though the superintendent cautioned specialists for clock mechanisms are hard to find.
Work is also under way at Marshwood High School to add a new direct entrance to the office so visitors must sign in before accessing the building, the superintendent said. “This will allow us to be able to better monitor the guests that come into the building,” the superintendent said, describing the change as a safety measure.
The district is installing upgraded video cameras and door-entry pads using grant funds, with outdoor camera work planned from lifts in the coming weeks.
To address tight bus runs that left some students arriving so close to the start time they missed breakfast, and to prevent 5–7 minute waits on buses in the afternoon, the superintendent proposed shifting the start time at Great Works School five minutes later — from 8:10 to 8:15 — and moving dismissal to 3:15. The superintendent said routes will not change, but the small shift allows students time for breakfast and reduces bus idle time.
The board was told the district also realigned morning duty coverage, increasing staff at the Great Works site from two to four to give arriving students supervised indoor space rather than waiting on buses; duty personnel receive a small stipend for the extra morning time.
The superintendent also reported the Town of South Berwick will conduct an additional traffic survey this fall in front of Marshwood High School after the district’s letter to the state, a step the superintendent called important given the posted 55 mph traffic in that area.
The board did not take separate formal action on the safety projects during the meeting; the start-time proposal and the projects were presented as operational updates and planned work using existing grants and budget authority.
