Roxbury committee flags heating costs, 40‑year fuel tank and kitchen recertification needs

At the May 6 meeting, public commenter Nate Donahue told the Roxbury Village School Committee he is pursuing an energy audit or consultation to reduce operating costs, saying about 25% of the building budget currently goes to heating.

Donahue said he is in contact with Tim Post of Gees (a vendor he met at an Efficiency Vermont expo) who requested more information on the school’s systems; Donahue will funnel system details to Post and other vendors for evaluation. He also noted the facility has a roughly 40‑year‑old buried fuel tank that will need replacement and that addressing that issue should be handled by a subcommittee.

Committee members discussed current vendors and systems: water testing is performed quarterly by Presidential Water Systems; heating is serviced by Gillespie; and Temperature Control of Vermont reprogrammed the building controls on May 5, 2026, and has agreed to provide training for on‑site staff.

Separately, Heather Holter briefed the group on kitchen recertification and conversations with the Fire Marshal. The committee needs to find an alarm monitoring vendor (the old vendor, Johnson Controls, only monitored alarms) and is considering an all‑inclusive provider—Vermont Life Safety was mentioned as a possible bidder—to provide alarm monitoring, sprinkler services and hood suppression for the range. Holter said the Fire Marshal indicated the building would likely be treated as a "mixed use" facility, requiring the vendor work and a Change of Ownership filing before inspection.

The committee did not adopt long‑term energy contracts at the meeting but noted options to shop for fuel suppliers rather than joining a town pre‑buy program. Members agreed a subcommittee should handle the buried tank replacement and follow up on vendor quotes; those items will return for committee review at a later meeting.