Four items top the schools’ capital planning wish list for next year, with a total cost of roughly $111,000, according to School Superintendent Tom Jefferson. The biggest item, a $35,000 communications system for the elementary school, also is the schools’ top priority, Jefferson told the school board at its meeting December 11. The other items on the list include $32,000 for 24 high-end computers for Bromfield’s computer-aided design (CAD) lab, $23,000 for a heating system upgrade and for fixing the roof and porch at Bromfield House, and $21,000 for two ride-on floor scrubbers, one for each school.
The new communications system for the elementary school would include intercoms and voice mail for individual classrooms, something the current telephone system does not allow, Jefferson said. Having an intercom to aid communication within the school would improve safety for students and teachers, he noted. In addition, there are currently only two phone lines that the public can use to call the school. The actual cost of the new system will likely be slightly under $35,000, because that is an estimate from a prior year, according to Jefferson. The schools are researching the best type of system to buy, and are looking into several different types of systems, including wireless.
Another area where new technology is needed is in the Bromfield CAD classroom, Jefferson told the board. “We need computers with more horsepower there,” he said. Buying more powerful new computers for the CAD lab would free up the computers now in use there, which could then be moved to the library and other classrooms to replace outdated equipment elsewhere.
A more efficient use of custodians’ time is the goal in purchasing the two ride-on scrubbers, which can clean tile floors quickly. “You can ride down a hall faster than you can mop down a hall,” school board member Mark Hardy quipped.
The final item, the request for money to fix up Bromfield House, is needed because the roof, porch, and heating system of the historic building all need repairs, Jefferson said. He estimates that the roof and porch each need about $10,000 worth of work, while the furnace needs $3,000 to upgrade.
Hardy, who is the school board liaison to the Capital Planning Committee, noted that the planning process went very smoothly last year because the school administrators had “very clear and compelling back-up information” for all the items requested. He counseled Jefferson to do the same this year.
The superintendent also provided a preliminary list of the capital spending needs for the schools for FY09. It includes such items as $80,000 to replace Bromfield’s boiler, $62,000 to install new heating and ventilation units on the kindergarten-wing roof, $20,000 for an emergency generator for the elementary school, and $9,800 for more custodial equipment for the schools. Another possible item for that year’s list is money to acquire a large piece of property in town, if Harvard decides it needs space to build a new school down the road. “The Devens vote didn’t give us a clear direction,” Jefferson noted, but added that a subcommittee that is looking into the question of school growth will report on the issue in a couple of months.
