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Students, principal press RSU 10 board to fund Mount Valley gym refinishing; board refers request to finance committee
Summary
Students described safety hazards and community use of Mount Valley High School’s gym floor and asked the board to fund a full refinish; Principal Tom Danlick estimated a full refinish at about $50,000 and a safety repair for the backboard damage at roughly $700–$1,000. The board voted to send the request to a special finance committee meeting to decide use of supplemental funds.
Students, school staff and a principal urged the Regional School Unit 10 board on June 17 to prioritize refinishing the Mount Valley High School gym floor because the worn surface and a hole created by a fallen backboard pose safety and community-use concerns.
Three students — Rich Doogie, Jack Glover and Walker Flagg — told the board the gym serves as a central community space used for assemblies, graduations, classes and town events, not just athletics, and said the protective finish is worn in places and a section of bare wood makes play harder and less safe. "Investing in the gym floor is not investing in sports. Investing in safety, school pride, community, and future generations," Walker Flagg said.
Principal Tom Danlick told the board the district has a proposal from New England Sports and Flooring that he said would total about $50,000 for a full refinish; he also said repairing damage from a fallen backboard would cost roughly $700 to $1,000. Danlick said the full refinish had been planned in the 2025–26 budget but was deferred when other priorities and overtime pushed the budget over its limit.
Board members and administrators debated whether the district’s anticipated supplemental state funds — the superintendent noted an estimated supplemental allocation of about $151,000 for qualifying districts — could be used for the gym refinish or were restricted to instructional spending. Several board members pressed for clearer documentation on what the supplemental allocation allows; one member recommended the finance committee review stipulations and priorities before any full appropriation.
Board member Kristen Chapman moved to refer agenda items 7 and 8 (the gym floor refinish and a separate request for baseball dugouts) to a special finance committee meeting to be held in two days so the committee could assess the legality and prioritization of supplemental funds. The motion was seconded and carried after procedural discussion; members also asked the administration to provide clearer estimates and any stipulations tied to supplemental funding.
Board members discussed an immediate safety fix: Jonathan Ferrer asked whether the board could approve the small repair to address the hole in the floor immediately. The chair and administration said the finance committee could recommend an emergency repair if committee members determine an appropriate funding source; facilities-use agreements with outside leagues were also raised as a potential source of reimbursement for damage caused during external events.
The finance committee members named during the meeting included Peter DeFilippo, Kristen Chapman, Daniel Hodge, Doug [Stone], and Jennifer LeDuc. The board asked administration to provide grant/ supplemental budget details and any restrictions ahead of the special finance meeting.
