[Music] delegation sheet So if anybody wants to comment or ask questions I ask you to sign the delegation sheet So April 16 I will call this public hearing of the Christian school committee to order We're here to discuss
the pending exclusion article concerning an air quality decarbonization project This meeting is being video recorded for future cable broadcast Please silence all cell phones for the duration of the meeting Could I have a motion to open
the school commun all in favor i Any opposed seeing none motion passes How can we stand [Music] so second Thank you
I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all Thank you all being here today As members of the school committee elected
by town residents one of our primary responsibilities is to ensure that our students receive a quality education in a safe and supportive environment To fulfill that responsibility we must ensure that our school with the necessary infrastructure creates spaces
where students can spaces that are not only safe but also conducive to learning The proposed addresses concerns related to air quality improvements and energy
efficiency by meeting necessary to extend the life of our current school buildings ensuring that they continue to meet the needs of our students and staff in years to come This will improve the need for classes and construction while providing a healthier efficient
environment Tonight exclusion question which will support the efficient public schools quality clean energy project to provide you with more details on this important initiative I will now turn the presentation over to superintendent Dr Paul and our school
business manager Mr Patrick Thank you and good evening Tonight we're going to discuss the proposition 2 and half exclusion for the Christian public schools an airing quality and clean energy project I would ask that we hold
all questions until the end So as we discussed um we're here to talk proposition 2 and a half dead Um as it relates to the clean energy we're presenting here tonight uh
a excuse me a solution is a measure that allows government such as a tax exceed the tax set by 2 and 12 to cost to the products such as school
construction projects There's more tax The same facilities and systems and also benefits staff and the community So just to walk us through a timeline
I'm sure that many of you can remember that in the summer of 2023 it was a very wet and humid summer As we approached the start of the school year as we work on our cleaning during the summer our floor refinishing etc a
teacher noticed who a teacher who was involved in summer programming noticed that her room had a white film of mold across much of the furniture Immediately we began to investigate the matter and we realized that there were multiple rooms with the same type of
mold We met with our facial and maid's team and we approached a plan to safely clean the surface mold So the mold was cleaned and in a matter of time it kept returning We realized at that point we had a much bigger problem at hand So we
contracted environmental and engineering firms We purchased dehumidifiers and we continued cleaning the space Mold testing was performed and walkthrough assessments of the building and equipment by the environmental and engineering firms were made along with
many many follow-up meetings The good news is that black mold or toxic mold it was not declared to be that and also we were not declared to be a sick building that was immediately ruled out which was relief
However there was still many concerns surrounding the building equipment the building envelope resulting in humidity concerns which inevitably caused the mold From there we set up a steering committee to discuss next steps And this
committee consisted of our town administrator a select board member a finan member the board of health director our school administration faculty and staff and some staff members are actually parents as well So as the mold kept reappearing we decided we
needed to close school early around Thanksgiving and give it time give time for professional remediation deep clean which costs the school over six figures in ESR funding And as you know ESR funding is only available one time So it
was onetime funding we used to clean and deep clean our school And I know this was a huge inconvenience for families but we we felt like we had no choice at that time We heldformational meetings to discuss ongoing concerns testing results
and possible solutions Eventually it was decided by a steering committee to pursue a comprehensive energy management services procurement to capitalize on a full investment grade audit of both school buildings that consisted of the
building envelope the equipment everything They went through um the plan They just went through both buildings all these engineers and that would take into the information to pursue a project which would be a permanent solution to
address our billings We issued a procurement for comprehensive energy management services through the department of energy and resources and under Mass General law chapter 25 to address the issues as part
of environment energy efficiency and upgrade effort So as a result of a very thorough procurement process and I can tell you that seaman supply training energy efficient investments inc we had many
stakeholders vet them out with a very comprehensive process We have a rubric We had a team checking references from other municipalities other school districts interviews Um we interviewed these companies We ended up selecting
train as our turnkey provider for a designbuilt solution for more efficient and effective design engineering There's a statutory obligation under this procurement for training to generate conservation measures of energy
which have greatly benefit benefited this project via energy efficiency and related grants incentives and rebates that we will be discussing later on tonight So here are some images from
when the mold was present As you can see it was in the air traveling to some of the ducts and vents It was also on cloth surfaces on furniture and even in this picture underneath furniture And
obviously it was obvious in obvious spaces So we really knew we had a problem Also we got continuous uh staff complaints and concerns We ended up replacing classroom carpets chairs
bulletin boards whatever we had to do that we found old time But it was definitely an ongoing issue And that really led us to our school closure that November that Thanksgiving week where we had Surf Pro
coming out to deep clean our school during the Thanksgiving break In addition you can see our current banding fixes which consist of 63 classroom and office dehumidifiers and
93 classroom and office air purifiers We had some of those air purifiers during co and as the pictures tell these units are in the way of teaching and learning They're right behind the classroom work table in the path of a bookshelf and
they all increase our electricity usage and give off noise and heat as they run impairing the educational environment In addition as these units fail we need to continue to replace them or replace their filters which becomes
very costly Some of you may also recall that more recently a neighboring school district had to close school for several days due to a fire started by similar equipment malfunctioning And again we have more
than 60 of these pieces of equipment in our classrooms running day in and day out at night And this is one of the risks that is posed So mentioned um the cost to deep clean test humidifiers uh replace equipment
furniture etc um was exorbitant uh it it total $274,000 plus um uh using asset funds that were otherwise allocated to some teaching and learning initiatives that weren't able to um move forward instead that use
those fun to deep cleaner and remediate our school building Um we didn't have to ask for the town We didn't have to tap into cash or request that Um and there were no there was no support necessarily that we asked for Uh this doesn't
include the hours that cost us labor for overtime for continuous deaf hours you know continuous cleaning uh vacancies from teachers out schools out cost of substitutes so on and so
forth Um and it doesn't include the the cost that it took to restrategize our facility to maintain these efforts that we put into place and take them away from their daily duties So moving on we're going to talk about
the project overview which addresses the environment quality improvements a building management system upgrade building model improvements dock ceiling and air terrification So for the indoor environment quality improvements um we
will improve room comfort maybe control at ABS with upgraded HVAC systems and controls this project that will replace or upgrade these systems in advance of failure Addressing long-term infrastructure needs and making a more
efficient and cost effective piece of equipment to fail or break down emergency is always a more expensive approach than proactively making improvements and maintaining our as feedback and receive the electrol
ticket system day in day out We we have teachers [Music] comp and it we we try to make these changes management system and there's no [Music]
responsible flare up um that otherwise hasn't been a So again this this fix this equivalent fix will address improving indoor indoor air quality and creating an environment that's healthy and cons conducive to water The next product is a management
system upgrade An upgraded measurement system allows for better water and control of heat cooling ventilation systems and help helping to quickly address any safety concerns such as you know fires gas excessive heat so on and
so forth before they become critical Um to coincide with the previous slide BMS unfortunately does unfortunately has failed components as I just mentioned that replacing one by one becomes costly and isn't always effective Um it
negatively impacts a labor on maintenance and custodial team has to waste on trying to respond to these fixes Um and an upgraded system allow for much more appropriate use of that time In addition to controlling existing upgraded equipment this is critical
control harmoned in this project So new car buy nice fancy car with all this technology might not understand it all But built into that car is a system that alerts you when you need an oil change when the tire pressure low when you know
something's an emergency problem So similarly this building system will do the same for old and existing equipment as well as new equipment that we have Um and just for not too long ago we actually had an incident next door where our boiler failed in the winter It got
so burst and we walked into you know water on the floor and some damage done to the hallway um that we were able to address But again a proper building management system would notify us in advance that something fail and goes down and we'll be able to tackle it
before emergency This this project also invested very uh so invested [Music] very of both schools Um and there's need for upgrade insulation structural developments Um and all these things are
help maintain the integrity of the building and reduce the weight of issues such as humidity from structural damage or even possible temperature and air quality inside the school it you know tightens up the building so that it's environment
that we can now control and not worry about ex exterior you know forces pushing and out you know uncontrollably Um and again it extends the useful life of the building So your home you know you don't want to have doorways and windows that are drafty You know attic
spaces means that you know wind and water and humidity is just coming to You want to address those things before doing more damage to your house um and and more damage to your equipment because in return you know cold air is coming your heating equipment is going to work harder to offset that cold air
coming in and it's going to run out faster require more maintenance and more repairs So that's why this is a critical facet of uh the project as well Another important is ducting So similar to the golden novel you want to control the air that flows through the
ducks and where we send it So you know ducks can have leaks They can they can uh reshape things like that This was us cleaning them sealing them and making sure that the air that we're trying to control gets to the direction in the
places that where it's first year Um it would you know help ensure that our systems are functioning properly minimize minimizing circulation cold spores etc and improve the air quality throughout the
building Air purification has been done We have many air purifiers throughout our building spaces This would eliminate the need for those and it would centralize the air uh purification through a power active filter So similar
you know to the excuse active systems are devices that actively clean or treat the air as it passes through the HVAC system using electrical charges to neutralize contaminants A passenger seal residential setting
relies on natural airflow airflow to get through those filters and purify the air Unlike filters found in resial homes these electrically charged active air filters capture bacteria viruses gases etc By offering air purification system
this will swim to reduce the presence of harmful airborne pollute pollutants allergens and pathogens making indoor air air environment quality safer for students and staff Proper air can prevent the spread of illnesses improving overall health and safety of
all of our occupants So as far as product cost this project is proposed as a not to exceed $4.2 $1 million project Already we've secured funding of $500,000 from a green community grant to reduce this number And we've locked in
minimal a minimum $200,000 incentive rebate from Evers to also offset the cost The remaining cost as we know why we're here tonight Uh other than to educate you on the project it would need to be funded by a debt exclusion So again not to exceed around 4.2
million less the grants that we've secured and the rebates that was and we're looking at a conservative $3.5 million project What does that mean to our taxpayer and our residents that are here with us today within the community um so
here's just some stats on our current uh tax rates t tax statistics for lack of a better term Um our residential tax rate in Kushnet is $10.79 per 1,000 of assessed value Commercial is $1522
per,000 of assessed value Um and the average single family assessed value home is $471,732 This is al direct information from the state that the town actually reports out The average single daily taxition is
$5,90 So based on a 20-year bond which is what we've discussed um with town personnel how we borrow the money um and 4% annual interest rate which we received from bond bond council Um the principle of the debt obviously 3.5
million with a related interest of 1.47 47 million over the term of the month The highest year we will be looking at $411,500 principal and interest payment Lowest year $178,500 interest payment and on average that's
$248,500 interest and principal payment What does that translate to so in the house that I just discussed the impact on the tax rate will be about 15 per $1,000 in assessment value or
$7.76 back to the single family home of $471,732 for that annual tax bill Similarly for the lowest year the the increase in the tax rate would be 8 cents per $1,000 in assessment value or $37.74
um to the average family tax bill in Kushnet for that year That's yearly And then on average again you know if we were to average this all out it would be about 12 uh per $1,000 of assessed value and $56.61 61 cents to
the average single family tax bill in cushioning Um you know we won't take this lightly We understand that everybody has different means and incomes in town different values on their homes You know every dollar counts for for everyone quite frankly Um but we
did see some comparisons floated out there online and in conversation you know when we look at $56.61 some people spend more than you know that cup of coffee per month So um just making some small changes it it could help us with this project for you
know the population of 400 plus students and teachers So there are many benefits and we kind of grouped them into three different categories Fiscal benefits social benefits as well as environmental benefits So on the fiscal side of things
we have many facility updates The approach to this project has allowed for savings through energy incentives and grants and also provides a small measure of utility savings over time even after adding equipment These
savings although they're small still the project over time and also they're also guaranteed by training and new equipment They will be lower maintenance costs Not only that will our staff be trained on how to
properly maintain the equipment they'll have a building management system that updates them when something isn't working as planned and there is an opportunity for extended warranties on the different components of the project which was requested by a select board
member Potential for improved educational outcomes as a result of a conducive learning environment And more importantly in the worst case scenario where a project is where a project is not approved and the bill is continued to degrade This
project would otherwise help avoid the need of a new school and its related tax implications which is over $100 million project which would obviously have an impact on our town residents Social benefits The project would optimize
indoor air quality in the schools solving the humidity issues It would positively impact student learning environments and help retain our educators Consistent and positive learning environments for your kids The future of
Kushnet It would arguably solve or reduce sick days and mental and physical health Also as you know many community groups use our facilities for sports clubs meetings voting etc And now we would have improved environment for all
to benefit And then the environmental benefits it would be a measurable reduction in utility consumption and a measurable reduction in greenhouse gas emissions This type of project could serve for a community model for
sustainability leading to a broader improved environmental impact So key important dates upcoming dates that to keep an eye on Our annual town election is Tuesday April 22nd where amongst other things you will vote on
this ballot question as well as the annual town meeting right here in the same location on Monday June 2nd If you haven't seen the ballot shared by the town at this point on the screen you will see the actual language of the
ballot question related to this project And then you can visit our website if you have all the information up there on this project as well as frequently asked questions surrounding a Proposition 2 and a half debt exclusion You will also be able to find
a copy of this presentation after tonight and other related documents on both of these pages And then at this point I think we're available for questions I just want to say that we have some representatives here from train our experts Um as well
as well as Beth Green from Beacon Solutions She's a consultant that the district hired because certainly I am not an expert or an engineer in these areas We hired the experts We had a consultant who was looking out for our best interests in all of this you know
from start to finish So we really appreciate having Beth on the board So Beth works for the district And then of course we have people here from training I'll let them introduce themselves and as people ask questions or make public comments but I'll turn it back over to
the chair Thank you Superintendent Mr McIntyre for that comprehensive overview of the public schools environment quality and clean energy project and related exclusion ballot question As we discussed today this project is
crucial for improving the indoor environment extending the life of our existing school buildings and creating a healthier more energy efficient space for our students and staff The other help us address issues related to air quality building infrastructure and
energy use all the need for costly new construction As elected school officials we are committed to doing our own due diligence to ensure that any decisions made are the best interests of our student staff and community We believe in this project that is supported as the best option that will address the
problems that the school has faced in recent years So as Dr mentioned at this time we want to open the floor for public comments We welcome your thoughts questions feedback If you have signed in for comment we'll be 3 minutes for your comments So when you're ready please
step forward to the podium and kindly state your name and address uh for the record before providing your comments Thank you again drive to push the button Sorry slide Got it That
better got it Got it Union Beachwood Drive Uh question I have is this sounds to me like a band-aid Uh what's causing the problem is it under the concrete and if it's not going to get fixed by
digging up the concrete and laying air filtration under there this system is just going to work double time for the rest of the system's life Are there any plans to fix the problem not just put a band-aid on
it i'm able to train to help address this problem but through the investment grade on it you know all facets were investigated um not only trained but engineers that we had in preliminary before we engaged in this procurement walked through and
highlighted the failures of our equipment and controls and the relative humidity in the classrooms and you know essentially landed on that being the number one contributor to this problem Um I don't know if you guys want to share part of you know your investigation and how we landed on this
and the solutions that are presented Can I just interrupt one second so this school was added on to years ago We don't know the exact date Is this problem throughout the old system as well or just a new part of the building so uh if you refer to the renovations in
2002 perhaps uh that's the last construction I know we did the additions district Um yes the the problems of the entire school uh not just the new section not just the old section We have visible mold and refining mold um in all
sections and there's failed equipment and controls throughout the building evenly addition Good evening My name is Max Marray I'm a project developer I'm an engineer by training Um predominantly mold is caused by moisture right moisture deposited
services Uh and the u the the most recommended way to control mold is by controlling indoor moisture indoor moisture is um in this case most cost effectively controlled with a pro with a solution that we proposed So this
solution is not a bandaid um in my engineering opinion it is not a bandaid it is to address the root cause which is humidity control with within the space So we're going to control what comes into the classroom but we're not going to do anything that's causing the mold
problem under the concrete The the the mold um grows where there's there can be uh due condensation right on the surface surfaces and that is a function of how we control the air flow uh for example there in a function
in HBASC system the air flow should be within the nuts and if the ducks are leaky then there's uncontrolled uh uh condensation if the exhaust fans and the supply fans are not coordinated uh if they are out of maintenance um then that can cause some unbalance and cause some
of the air flow so a lot the the mold issue to addressable issue is to address um air flow humid control uh through the coverage solution that we proposed Thank you
Hey North uh Michael B from keynote commission Um just a couple of quick questions Um first of all we haven't no one's mentioned um where these systems are Is this going to be in every classroom every office computer room and all that sort of thing or is it just
selected areas good good question It it is in every area um that we can cost effectively add add the solution to So essentially covers all the areas that are served by a vetivation unit So that does cover all
the classrooms uh covers the um covers the cafeteria covers the gym It covers essentially all the occupied areas Um next question would be uh the system How long do you propose that system is
going to last and be useful before it's outdated the the system is um the system at its core with the technology is essentially um the same technology as we have been using as a air conditioning system but
with smart controls with other uh components to make it work uh in in ways that we can better control community in ways that we can better control So uh in terms of reliability of the system with the proper maintenance the typical life uh of of system is I would say about 20
years about 20 years 20 20 years and beyond right they have many systems that are that are still malfunctioning I'm sorry and does the system decline slightly over the years and so like if it's running tomorrow
it's at 100% 20 years it's at 70% what's what's the efficiency you Oh I don't know if you have those as well So naturally systems decline slowly over time Um the fact the multiplier of that is heavily affected by how
well-maintained those systems are how close control of those systems are That's exactly what this solution is looking to address Ultimately at over that 20 or 25 years it's kind of an industry standard of how the equipment lasts Having a tight control of how it's
maintained is by far the biggest factor in making sure that it reduces a quarter or more or less of that loss over time Okay So what kind of a warranty is on the system is it a full 20- year
warranty for service workmanship and parts and labor and all that so that you know that's the equipment and the longevity of the equipment So not only again is this agreement that's in place at this time that we just talked about there was an addition you know 23 years
ago on that equipment that they did deemed as failed by train as well as other engineering companies that came to take a look at it Um so anything and again with any routine maintenance or proper maintenance of this equipment we should expect 20 if
not 20 plus years Um the air purification is going to replace 93 different units throughout the school building Um which the filters are expensive the electricity is expensive Um the labor tied to fixing and repairing all these little small pieces
of equipment is expensive Um and we're going to get long active filters We're going to have to replace those way less way less frequently Um we're going to get more components too So it's not just the weight equipment but all the pieces and
components along with I think we're going to get better and a better result than what we're dealing with at this time Um as far as warranties um and extended warranties and maintenance plans and things like that Uh chairman excuse me sort uh Mr
Gasper asked about that information which you know investigated his direct concerns on that We have a spec sheet uh in front of the panel here anyway to to uh speak further on that So I get that
to train people Yeah I was actually wondering about maintenance explain that sort of Yeah So um when you are doing a construction project like this with train there are naturally some standard warranties that come with it It's always a first year
markmanship warranty and then any parts and labor warranties that come with our pieces of equipment Um so there's each type of equipment has different standards So sometimes it's a one year standard parts and labor Sometimes it's one year labor extended parts So some
parts might be 5 years We even have some other parts like a heat exchanger for example that's 10 years And then there are options to have extended warranties on some pieces of equipment So for example if there's a first year of parts only you can extend it to a 5 years for
$700 And likewise five to an extended 10 year on compressors So we have a couple other options when it comes to to warranties on new equipment Does a 4.2 include any extended warranties no No
Right now 4.2 is the standard warranties So 20 25 years debt solutions 20 years and we could need a new system after that Correct And we have maintenance to do filter change and that sort of thing
which the electronic filters I'm sure the $5 filters you get at Home Depot So I just wondered what the projected cost are You must have some projected cost written down somewhere that you would uh install these things you know what it
cost So do we have projected cost for the maintenance well before again just the industry standard on a lot of this you know even according you're purchasing at your home is going to be you know 10 years so we can't predict what's going to happen in 20 years changes you know the
environment any factor the life of this equipment take necessarily is that all this equipment comes from the rigorous training from training for our teams to be able to update maintain repair on the
equipment and keep it functioning at you know the best levels that it should that's not something we don't understand you know install the wrong way this is again comprehensive and our whole team will be trained on it if there's turnover on our team will come back and
train them on it um so we will ultimately be experts of our own equipment to be able to reduce some of those some of those costs um I I just want to add one thing we spent upwards of $300,000 to mitigate this once before that was the one time ESRE funding my
concern would be what if this happens again where is the money going to come from who's going to do a deep cleaning again this is not a part of our operating budget so that's a concern for the school district um right now someone talked about a mandate we feel as though
we have a bandaid on the project on on the school right now with all of these small dehumidifiers which are not commercial grade and just two quick questions Um and I'll be on here Uh the was there ever a plan B what if this doesn't get approved i'm just wondering
what it looks like for the town if this doesn't get approved So again the return on this project and the investment that was conducted you know for a good solution you know we were talking about you know a structure that
was born to essentially be and provide electricity while operating all these systems and that was you know tens of millions of dollars which we realized isn't you know feasible in this community Um so you know we look for the best fit Those were plans A B C DE F and
G What we've landed on is plan A It's what we're speaking to We know it's a comprehensive solution We know all of these things have to work in unison And by addressing just one component of that now we can't guarantee that that's going to solve a problem but we do know equipment costs are going to go up We
know you know just everything's going to get more expensive the more we put it off And to Dr at this point If our mandate fix right now fails sure we might adjust the building level but we still have $300,000 that need for remediation because now we have to go back out and wait to try to get the
equipment component to make sure that you know everything's operating in unison in accordance with the product that was designed Right I think my last question probably be for the select man Uh Chairman Hinckley I don't know if you have the numbers in front of you or not but um do we have any other uh prop 2
and a half debt exclusion that we're currently still paying on for the town other projects in town yeah we got a couple the police station one of them Um Mr Gas actually might know that a little more in depth than I do So the town's carrying and I don't have
the exact number in front of me to towns county and roughly $435,000 in debt exclusion The majority of that is coming from the police department and roughly $93,000 and change will be coming off July 5th I believe 2025 but it's still
going to be being carried on the books and Mr And if you have a question about plan B once we're all done public input I think you bring up a valid point of a plan B Thank you Thank you
Hey everybody Um my name is Lisa Kalo I actually own property in a cushion So I am a taxpayer as well I am from Dartmouth I've been a an employee of the Accession public school system for 29 years I've been living in that building longer than anybody here Um and I
appreciate the um walk down me that lane of what has taken place but I'd like to go back even further because this mold is not new 2023 is not when the mold started I can take it back to 2002 when we did the renovations of
the building Um you know it goes to the lowest bidder It was done not in a great way and it and it's not working now There's leaks in the gym The closet is not is not feasible in that gym Um fast
forwarding a little bit I can remember one year when the custodian didn't want teachers in the um classrooms over the summer and shut all the classroom doors And when the teachers came in to get their classrooms ready the rooms were full of mold from floor to ceiling to
everything that was in there And basically what was done at that point in time is they just sent the custodians back in there to clean up the mold There was no remediation done at that point And we're probably talking about 15 to 20 years ago Um this is not a new problem This is something that they have
inherited They've worked a lot of hours I mean just to secure a $500,000 grant is huge money that is getting taken off that project Um you know in 2023 it was a wet and humid summer Dr Bailey is absolutely right Um
and our custodians and staff that were working actually contacted me as the union president to let me know that there was mold all over the building and that they were directed to clean it up So that's when we started having the conversation and that was July of 2023 We actually had our own people come in
and do testing Um there were 11 surfaces at that point that were tested and nine of them had detected mold There was mold above the ceiling tiles in the library There was heavy mold growth there The plan was tested in the yellow wing which is the old part of the building for those of you who have had kids in the
past that have come through Um and there was mold growth there as well Steel shelves and classrooms had mold growth The AC unit in the library had mold growth and people were getting sick We had um C2S Energy a company come through and do a walk through with us um as far
as on our side from the AT side and they found mold growing entire inside the entire set of the blue wing which is the fourth grade wing because pipes had burst and the mold was growing in there um which goes into the gym which is the new area of the school department of the
school over there Um there's condensation on the windows because if you come to my building you can see that the heating registers run alongside of the windows So when you have heat and cold weather with the windows you now have condensation and then you get mold
Um the heat is not regulated The heat has not been regulated in that building for at least 15 years I mean I'm just throwing out dates or years that I think but I have been there like I said for 29 years and I can't remember it being this
bad The band-aid has fallen off at this point Um staff and students were out sick I was sick when I went to the doctor last year Um I was told that I was having symptoms of asthma I do not have asthma I was on prednazone for two
months because I was in those buildings late at night doing walkthroughs with the people that were doing testing for us doing walkthroughs with the company that came through to look at the building to see where was the mold coming from where is it coming from the cement is it coming from underneath you
know where is this coming from cuz obviously you have to fix the where it's coming from before you can just band-aid it Um and now I'm just going to fast forward now into 2025 we have people and teachers out sick again So you you go in
every room every room is like 75 to 85° If you drive by the elementary school at any time you will notice that most of the building windows are wide open because you can't even breathe I had a student in there today stand up in the middle of a of a group lesson and say
"Can somebody please turn the heat off?" because that's how hot it was and the window was open We ended up turning fans on So my concern is if we don't fix this problem our kids are getting sick our teachers are getting sick Um what are we
going to do if we don't if this doesn't go through how are we going to fix this problem because we cannot continue to come to school having teachers staff being sick everybody's covering for each other kids are sick Um there are people here that their kids have been sick from
what's been going on over there So my question is is if this doesn't pass what are we going to do how are we going to fix this problem because lawsuits are going to end up happening when people it's people's health that we're talking about and it's the same people that it's happening to again people have dry eyes
because now we have dehumidifiers in all of these rooms and we're drying everybody out So we're trying to control the mold with just the dehumidifiers in the classrooms And now we're drying people out So people are having issues with dry eyes People are starting again
with rashes People are not feeling well People are having headaches That's not a healthy environment to work in That's our working conditions And and then it gets bigger and bigger and bigger So my question to the committee to the chairman of this of the um selectman
finance committee if we don't fix this problem or this doesn't go through how are we going to fix this what are we going to do yes so I do want to comment you know cuz it was the idea of a potential plan B for it um but the school committee
stands by the recommendation the recommendation that was made was for copy It's a solution that we think will provide us with the most um chance of solving this problem permanently If this doesn't pass obviously we will have to go back to the drawing board but we are in support of this comprehensive
solution to actually address the problem and to your point get rid of the mandate to fix the problem Thank you Mr Chair Uh Mr If you break it down from a simple financial standpoint we've all made comments and I'm only speaking for myself at this
point We've all been comments that we want to see some kind of fix There might be a situation where we have to take it in stages just simply from a budgetary standpoint That doesn't mean we're not going to make an effort to try to fix it It means that it might not happen in one
shot Ultimately it's up to the taxpayers of this town whether this happens or not We don't have any say on it The school doesn't have any say on it They can only provide the best information possible which is why they do things like public hearing so everybody can ask questions and we can talk about it Hence why my
colleague Ash train for all the information on the warranty stuff just to make sure that in 10 years we don't void a warranty on the roof It's all stuff that we have to think forward to do But I can't tell you that if this doesn't pass I can spend $3.7 million
next year to fix a whole system But what we can do is try to figure out a way to tackle the building envelope Then tackle air ceiling and figure it out along with lines like that We get free cash that we can spend Sometimes it's not always great Sometimes it's more than others but there's other ass in town too So we
have to make the decision on what we have to do And we might have to stage it out instead of getting done with one complete project It might take a couple of years to really work on the project find all the solutions and make sure once again if it goes that route we're going back out for procurement out to
bid cuz we have to So saying no to fixing the problem We just have to figure out the best way to move forward but we have to let this process take its course first So can someone can I make one more comment and you can ask your question yes Well I understand
of course we all appreciate the budgetary concerns but I do want to call out that it is quite possible that if we take it in stages that a it won't solve the problem b that it will cost more money right because prices aren't going down they're going up and I think I'm correct in saying that from the get-go
we will lose the $500,000 grant that we've already been awarded So that was that was actually going to be my question Would you still have that $500,000 grant if you're going to do it in stages so I I just need to know that PE or make sure that you clarify that if this doesn't go through you're going to
lose a half a million dollars on fixing something that is causing people and students children to be sick in a school for something that we have been bandating for 20 plus years Um you know I just need to make sure that people understand that there's been a lot of
work that has gone into securing those grants and um I know it hasn't been easy and especially as a union president and working with the school department I really appreciate the amount of time and effort that they put in to rectify the situation So I just want to make sure
that the town's people realize that if we don't vote this through or it doesn't get voted through you're going to lose a half a million dollars and potentially spend double the project on something that is making people sick at work Hi Mr Hi Mr Gas
So it's a bit alarming to me sitting up here listening to you speak and I sympathize with you and all the other teachers and the students Um but it's a little disheartening for me to listen to you say that this problem has been ongoing for 20 years and it's really
been brought to the board of selection we'll call it at best 2 years ago Okay So to me that's very disheartening because when we talk about future cost going up think about if this would have been discussed 10 years ago 5
years ago how much cheaper it would have been Correct Correct So it's it's something that we all need to try to figure out Um I can't I don't have my magic ball to tell you what the town's people will do but I can
tell you right now um I think the board of selectment should have a plan B in place to do something because doing nothing won't be the answer people on I appreciate that but I just want to make sure you know when you social media is
not always everybody's friend and when you see some of the things that are posted that are not necessarily true I just want to make sure that the town's people and people are understanding exactly what this is about and not about the mishandling of money in the school
department or that we're just spending money to spend money There's there's an actual problem here This is not an air conditioning project This is not what we're doing an air condition project We're we're fixing the air quality of the elementary school So I just want to
make sure that the facts are out there Um we live in the world of a lot of fake news So I just want to make sure that there are real facts and people are making good judgments when they're voting especially because it's affecting my members and the kids that we are here
working for your kids and their health at school when there's not good air quality Basically I can assure you that from me on social media cuz I refuse to be honest
Thank you Main Street Uh I just want to get this straight my head This is going to be voted on in Tuesday's election Is that correct yes Okay The first thing I want to say is I
think this is a pretty poor way to spend $4 million without having meetings prior to the election Tuesday but that's what we're going to do So okay Well the the communication was lousy I'll put it that way But having
said that uh I came in with a very negative attitude But after listening to the the previous speaker and doing my homework uh I went to the Tom Flyn's uh office this morning and got all the website to
look at Uh I can see that we have a problem I was on the building committee 22 years ago whatever it was and we had a lousy contractor In fact we start with that I'll just say that that mole bubble
has been there since 2022 23 24 I mean two uh 2002 or 2003 We never we never heard anything about it for all these years I know the roof leaked on the uh uh elementary
school Correct We just replaced that a few years ago That was about a 20 year roof I think So if this is going to fix the problem you know have we identified where this mold is coming from if this is going to
fix it then I'm forward 100% But if it's a band-aid we're going to be back here in 5 years and say "Well that didn't work." You know uh then that's that's a big issue Now I'd like to ask the engineers here
is it going to you know is this a fix or is this is this a maybe so again I think where this was brought to some of the more recent personnel intentions in the summer of 2023 when we were hit hard with it We had to you know take care of it within a month to open up for school You know we
thought we had it fixed We thought we addressed it for it to come back um for us to be professional remediation Right Ever since the professional remediation and the humidifiers in the classrooms the air purifiers things like that we have not had evidence of mold again in the buildings We actually know as far as
testing before remediation testing after remediation and these family fixes have shown through testing that there was no continued evidence of mold after it was professionally remediated and we put these minor pieces of you know minor
faces in place So one other question are we talking heat pumps oh that's just going to be an air conditioning system Well they're also system Okay So these are uh VRF heat pumps Yes So so heat and
air condition Yes they can do both and they will be doing both in this case So offsetting some of the swing season heating doing it more efficiently via these heat pumps and then also maintaining and um keeping the oil boiler that's still in place To your
early question about the solution we were selected as the energy services company for this project Our main goal the number one thing that we wrote down our list to address was this issue This issue of excess humidity in elementary
school But we had no other ulterior motives That was it was fix the problem Figure out how to do that in the most efficient and most fiscally responsible way over the long term So not in one year not in two years but over the long term how do we address the problem and
make it so that this isn't just that big fix getting back to heat pumps I had heat pumps put into my home 60s something years old Mhm Best thing I've ever done However when you use the heat
cuz my house wasn't insulated to today's the heat is not the same So I don't know if you're going to insulate the schools and use just heat pumps to heat it Is that part of this project so it'll take there's a couple different scopes of
work that Patrick mentioned Um it's not just the heat pumps also building a lot of improvements controls duct ceiling and more So it really we're taking a comprehensive approach to fixing this problem Um and to your question about heat pumps operating the heat pumps
nowadays are designed to below 0 degrees operation Um but we envision these heat pumps to go back Yes we are tightening up the building We're doing extensive building building envelope upgrades weatherization and those heat pumps will operate in heating probably down to
about 30° and then your boilers will take over after that So it's a combination approach We don't envision them 100% taking over right away but you can correct everything wrong Absolutely For to give folks idea of our
solution right in case uh that wasn't made clear we are putting we are essentially engineering a central solution right so every single uh every single CFM air flowing through the central units will pass through the coils for dehumidification and will pass
through the active filters for uh for purification Right so the the from that regard this is an as long-term of a solution as we can responsibly design utilizing the existing infrastructure right that's also our consideration is
that it has to integrate in a cost effective manner into the existing infrastructure there are many solutions out there and some are better for this tool than others Now in terms of uh the the heat pump aspect um the the the heat pump during certain conditions is simply
a more cost effective manner to operate the system to heat right so we do still have the hot water coils existing hot water coils in the zones so the hot water is fully available but during certain conditions such as mild systems
correct the boilers will be maintainable yes correct so at least heat pumps going to work 24/7 in the summer They would not be Are they going to be
you know the uh custodians going to have air conditioning at night when they're cleaning the schools and houses going to be a little more expensive i think that's part of the controls right intelligent controls
that's integrated into the new system So that's where we control how do we set angle of things computerized Yes control absolutely give the staff better visibility um earlier diagnostics of any maintenance issues and also help
optimize the operations I just a misconception too again of the cooling right so we're going to use the cooling to combat the humidity there's not many controls in each classroom for the teacher to say hey I feel like it being 62 and you know cold in the classroom so
I can wear my sweatshirt the the the cool control is maxed out by set points that are are built in and engineered to hit that humidity level and nothing more nothing less So the the cooling cool you immediately turn on the spots to the
humidity but not you know turn the heat down because it's not 90° outside you know operating in our t-shirt inside it's it's going to come on relative to the humidity levels that are being measured but it's used for humidity basically it's going to be used for
humidity because I heat pumps in other words if you have a thermostat in your home and you have oil heat you put it at 70 and stay at 7 A heat pump to get it at 70 Sometimes you go to 78 to get your house at 7 They don't they don't the
thermostat's not working the same as uh my system Maybe I get the wrong system I probably have the same contractor Anyway they're not we're not going to have air conditioned schools per se Uh
cuz that's the word out on the street They're going to air condition the schools So you're what you're saying right the heat pumps are to remove the humidity Yes Okay The goal of these pumps is to remove the humidity It will not be to keep the the schools at 62
degrees There's no way you're going to control each each classroom each teacher's lightning I can tell you that No I think you know that right hi [Music] I wish you were on Tuesday but I I
really think that you should have had more uh input from the town's people because a lot of people have no clue what they're voting for Tuesday So thank you Hello Hi my name is Rich Cart I'm from uh Wing Lane in Richmond and I was on
the building committee with Hamilton when we did this school and I probably put in more train unit ventilators than you guys ever seen Okay I've been building schools for 40 years I just want to know how you going to control Well first of all is the
control system going to be a new train control system or is it going to be upgrades to the existing engines it will be a new train building management system into So is that your tracker system it's Tracer SC plus Yes
And it's partially because more cost effective to do factory installed controls on equipment was really the the deciding factor there and it integrates better into existing systems Okay And the other thing is what that woman was saying the rooms overheating I I'm not
too familiar with or I can't remember I should say Uh are those all the units in the classrooms over there that school is just main rooftops [Music]
Rooftops Rooftops and central area Okay So that's where you are with a hot bar coil in We'll add the TX coil And the coils you're going to be adding to the rooftop units for the humidity control We'll be adding the coils to the existing central air handlers and then
there are a few package rooftop units that we're converting to dual fuel Okay So it's not a full package It's just a split system with an air handler on the inside Some are packaged and some are those split systems with the DX coil act So that the existing uh HME units of
which serve the predominantly the uh classrooms right uh will get a coil coil that that can do either heating or cooling depending on your combo with controls All right And I I guess the other thing is
that oh that room's talking Sorry went back to my unit ventilator scenario because I couldn't understand how you want to control the heat But apparently the heating valves in these units I'm working the the pump will have this control Right Right Okay That'll take
care of you in it But what's going to take care of what this woman was talking about the room will be in That's part of our scope as well to address the deficiencies of the existing systems because we will not just install a brand new system and not touch anything that right And the other question did anybody
ever check the dampers to see if the outdoor air dampers were working yeah So in in repairing some of those deficiencies like outdoor air dampers not working actuators being failed sensors failed we've included funds to cover all of those deficiencies as well
on these aged arrogant parts Are those standards and actuators going to be replaced or upgraded yes the ones that we found and and it's just the ones you found that weren't working Right It's difficult to figure out the ones that aren't right now because we don't have insight into walking and touching every
single one But that's part of the retrofitioning process of installing the new control system We'll be tweaking and as we find these failures we'll replace them and repair them So they'll refresh that for the next Just out of curiosity how many main air handlers do we have
over there to take care of the school we have 11 HF units there that we will add a coil One HF um uh is a very small unit We will not add a coil to that Okay
And there is also three RTUs but they are relatively small And when this all gets said and done is there a balancing issue going to be put in place to make sure that the air flow is correct for the rooms that work yes And is there any list or a plan to look
at to see what type of equipment is being put in maybe that's just for me cuz I'm curious Yeah Yeah The investment will be investment has actually more recently posted the full forum page on our website So by all
means I got all right Thank you Thank you I'm sorry Well I'm union driving With all due respect you I'm sure you put a lot of hours and hard work into
this What are the other plans that maybe this would be directed to the superintendent how many more options have you had to look at to before you determine that training called the best solution and and what what would those
suggestions have been different than what trains offer yeah So we had um quite a few stakeholders vet out the vendors came in We had a bunch of engineers not just from training looking at both the schools We had seen I
mentioned another company and we had a very extensive rubric We did interviews with the companies and then we also um called references We call the municipalities We contacted other school districts to to just check on the work
and we decided um everyone individually scored on on companies and we decided on train is our turnkey project Um this is what we are proposing We think that there's lots of life left in the in the
school buildings Um this would be phase one We know that eventually we're going to have to look for a middle school but right now to say we're leaving at the elementary school We have I don't know if the town's people realize but we have staff people who have been on workers
come We have substitute teachers in for staff And you know when kids go through their grade levels kindergarten first grade second grade they get one chance at it And when you're going to first grade and you don't have your teacher there for an extensive period you can't
get that back So it really does impact a lot of things that people don't realize So since I've been on and the college has come to play we've really taken a comprehensive approach with all stakeholders before that steering
committee We want to do what's best We believe that our schools are the cornerstone of this community I try to treat the schools with my own home I will not spend taxpayers money on the young $100 million school is not necessary We we feel this project and
the engineers are certainly not the expert We feel the engineers have told us many engineers have told us the way to go This is what we're proposing Um if it doesn't go through I'm concerned because as Mr B stated there is an
uptake going on right now in the school building There are people out right now I even feel for the last couple of years the parents who are complaining to me about their children's illness the headaches um etc I'm doing my best honestly um to rectify this problem This
is not fix My concern is if this doesn't pass how much longer are we going to take to come up with a different solution you know I feel as though we worked really hard to get this project where it's at for the voters And again I
respect whatever the voters think but I I hope that they see that we are a culture of our community This is why we move to a Christian with we're very proud of our schools Um and we have great staff and great students We want to continue that and we need a healthy
and safe environment to do so I understand And I'm not criticizing believe me I know it's a lot of work I was involved with the schools with my [Music] children They're similar schools Is this school have the same problem or is the
system because this school is newer the system that's working in here is keeping the mold and the condensation out So I address that you know engineering aspect of it But again this this building is
completely different within you So system is open like that you control to to control the environment We've had better those units in this building Um if you're professional procurement so traditional construction procurement you
know you have a design phase which costs our money right so we have to pay so for our ads product $2 million project the design fee for that that project is not $1,000 you have to
offer then construction say what's it going to cost to actually do the work that's We go through the daily design phase through this type of repairing and we have part of construction for you It's fixed at 4.2 If we enter into a
contract that tariffs anything else can increase to cut its costs I'm not disputing that at all to make sure that we look at other engineers and listen to mechanical engineering
structural engineering electrical engineering free that design fee and then project off 1.5 million or 4 million
after it to fail would be whatever So concessions there So this was very process strategic process um and you know it helps the
cost for the res and we want we want this we want that So we want to address the problem at a cost that's efficient and effective for the community I appreciate that Coming tonight I had no information whatsoever These are just questions that I thought would be beneficial for me to
make my decision I appreciate I may have to um the procurement from the from a technical perspective Go ahead Thank you From a technical perspective we did consider many options right each each building is unique Each solution is unique For
example in a building that has available natural gas that the dehumidification options might be different from a building that is central with this infrastructure So we did uh as a preliminary phase explore many options That's what uh Mr
I mentioned previously as the the best uh the good better best approach right because we look at the Swiss solutions and we work uh together with a consultant for Kushnet to make sure that we come up with a solution that's the best opportunity and you know I feel bad
about the communication aspect right so our main communication has been newsletters to our families and you know our students uh we don't have outreach take emails everybody in the community We use the platform our school community meetings uh our website things like that
to communicate right so we've been talking about this at the school level since you know over a year ago All those meetings for those who don't know we already recorded and posted to a YouTube website that you can go back and view those In addition if you go across the
town website you can subscribe to all the department meetings and committee meetings that they have so that you're notified when they're having those meetings and what the agenda of those meetings are Um so again obviously many I'm frustrated too to hear that but
there are there are community members that aren't aware to be able to leave those videos and and uh uh assignments are you know uh subscribe excuse me to the other meetings and agendas that are going out there for all
boards Um make a comment and then we'll take you guys Thank you Thank you Um my name is John of 35 Harry and a Christian Um
the issue with me is that first of all I have no children in the schools Uh I don't have any grandchildren in the schools I don't have any great grandchildren in the schools But the point isn't I'm a
taxpayer and I'm proud to say that I that that my tax bill was $10,000 this year in property tax That puts me that the assess you know for for this debt exclusion would
be $37 for the average uh you know taxpayer and with a home and I would be twice as but given that how important it is to have climate
control in the schools protection of our children's health the staff's health I can never face my neighbor if I and who has
children and say to them and say injured sick by by moles issues and other air quality related issues that I I really didn't want to spend 74,000
$74 $74 per year additional my taxes Uh I didn't want to do that even if the young sick that's their problem I just don't want to spend spend that extra money How unconscionable would I be as a
human being okay we spend 17 million plus maybe an excuse budget How can you effectively teach and
have children grow if they're getting sick how can staff teach well if they're if they are sick or taking sick days forced to take sick
days So you have absentees and you have a lack of deliverance of the of of your of of your your educational plans So it's really a to me it's a conscious issue Climate 20 some odd years
ago when Paul train was dealing with some of the issues in the school building climate change was not a big issue then but it is now We're going to get more rain We're going to get more wind We're going to
get more moisture So we're bound to have increasing amount of problems in the future and that is directly affecting the our children's health So I would tell you I I just make a greedy people when they go to the
ballot when they move So think of that our children's welfare our staff's welfare our obligation as an employer to our staff is for them to have decent working conditions and healthy working
conditions So this is why I I support this public hearing to say you know please vote for vote for that issue Thank you Thank you sir Hi uh John Tor's Way Um I think you guys
are all doing a great job Um I I think this is a a necessary um this is necessary action for you guys to take Um but I'm just curious how we how' you how'd you arrive at the prop 2
and a half as the really the the way of funding this because I I think I'm afraid that that might be the biggest barrier here getting this done to the total change to total scope of
the project it wasn't in the budget So when we were looking at the grand scheme of things how to get fixed in the process and the phased approach that Patrick and the superintendent and the rest of the school committee put together we couldn't cut a 3.7 to 4
million two 4.2 million check for it right but you could could you secure a bond and and figure a way to um pay that debt from other sources without needing to get a vote yes
No that's not massive So So for example that that repayment's roughly uh what it's less than 1% of the overall budget for the town Yeah Yeah So I mean I'm just saying I mean it's it's less than one and a half%
of the school budget is So so with that said right how many times have you gone to a department in a year and said hey can you cut a little bit right I mean and you did that across the board that the thing's paid
for that so in other words this thing's kind of relying on people to vote to get this done Um and and when when I think of like coming up of a a plan B my plan B would be you know secure the funding
for this and figure out a different way of paying for it without a problem You know because well I'm just saying like the the way the town's going to vote is they're going to think hey we already paid for this That's the way they're going to vote They're like hey we got these buildings like you know
you have to maintain them It's like with my house if something go like the roof leaks like I'm I'm responsible that's in my budget I got to figure it out So so that's I think the expectation of the voters And so when you leave it up to them they might not you know might not
understand the the scope of the work that you're trying to do with the real problem that you're trying to solve And so if you could exclude a vote from that happening I think that that would be you know a better way of making it happen That's just my fantastic Appreciate your
comments Great comments I think this came up at the last hearing we had The school committee made it very clear that we were um open to other options other than a dead exclusion and we made that clear from the beginning But unfortunately you know that was the only option that was presented and not trying to move the project forward didn't
really seem like a a valid option and so we felt like we had to put it to to the bones Yeah I I I just feel like the debt repayments um are are very rather nominal relative to the overall um you know budget for the town That's
just my thoughts Um and and the people of this town the way they're going to vote I mean you know my my taxes last year went up 17% another 12% this year My source is up 30% The you know the water bill water and sewer because I've got water and sewer like that's up 30%
like I I think it's a tough avenue That's just that's just my thoughts And I think your plan B should be hey no matter what we're securing this debt We're figuring out how to fix this problem but we also have to figure out within our existing budget How do we
make it happen that's my thoughts on it So any any questions on that thoughts appreciate your thoughts Thank you Thank you Good evening Good evening everybody Jesse Ellis 922 Middle Road Um so a
couple of just comments uh and then a few follow-up questions actually thinking back on the last few months So I think one thing that's very important to take into consideration is not just the humidity control which I understand is the primary scope of the project but
one thing that we've mentioned a few times is better normalizing the temperature and the overall comfort of the school buildings at large Now I know you know for myself you know moderate sized home we have a poor concrete basement We run
in the summertime couple of dehumidifiers pretty much all summer And quite frankly they're noisy They generate a lot of heat They heat the basement up like crazy that the uh um heat pump unit upstairs can't quite keep up with So when you think about that in
the scope of a very large building like this you know not only are you generating a lot of constant noise during classroom hours but obviously you're generating a lot of excess heat which speaks to the 80° plus temperatures that we've seen in some classrooms Now I I'm sure that anybody
who went to public school in any large facility like this can remember when they went I was in these schools myself especially when you get towards the end of the spring early summertime I mean it is virtually impossible to have
a productive school session when the kids are sweltering in their seats They're sweating It makes everybody drowsy It's very difficult to focus Now on top of that we're also looking at the constant noise generated by these classroom dehumidifiers Now if anybody's
ever worked in a building that has a window unit air conditioner it's not dissimilar from that and trying to listen to instruction and be engaged in class when there's that constant level of noise It's very very difficult and even for an adult I mean when we're talking
about 7 8 and 9year-old children they don't have the level of distress tolerance that adults do They just don't So it's I think that it's been somewhat understated what a significant impact just in the daily learning environment there's been
because of the sort of band-aid solutions that we've had to put in place which I think really makes it apparent that this is a really critically important project at least in my eyes Now there's a lot of costs involved and the last gentleman's point I'd be very
interested to know what the next step is if this vote is turned down at town elections Are we still planning to find other means to move forward with the project or are at that point are we stuck um because we certainly wouldn't
want to see a million dollars go down go down the toilet You know the sum cost fallacy is a tough one in business but we're not talking about business right now We're talking about public health and the future of the town So so if this were to be voted down what
are the next steps is the project dead in its tracks or do we have other alternatives to find separate funding solutions right Like I mentioned before at this point nobody is opposed to fixing the
health and safety generated issues at the schools There's always going to be the next step So if this on the 22nd this fails on the 23rd I'm sure I'm going to be on the phone with Patrick It it's it's something that I've told him
that I was committed to try to solve any way we can We just have to take it step by step We can't I mean what Mr Tab said you know we are going through every budget this year line by line dollar by dollar reducing paper clips staplers I
know I'm getting dramatic about that but it's true We're really cutting anything that we deem unnecessary to move forward with just typical increases year-over-year health insurance costs everything like that So we have to evaluate the entire budget regardless
and we're doing that if we come up with a solution in the process There's a lot of figures that aren't finalized yet either So we don't even have those answers yet but I'll be telling them all three to four times a week at minimum Um
and we're always working to try to figure something out So it's not something that we're just going to say this is dead in the water and walk away from I mean both my children are in the elementary school so you know I I hear what they say I have a lot of friends that are teachers I have a lot of friends that are administrators in other
districts I hear from all different angles So I'm sympathetic to the entire process but I'm also very sympathetic to the financial health of the town and we have to look at every possible avenue but we also have to realize that hard decisions are
going to have to be made as well Yeah Yeah I mean I remember going to school and teachers having to fight over the number of photocopies that they could make for their classrooms And unfortunately that's just the reality of the budget Now instead of photocopies we're looking at things like ink cartridges and paper clips To your point
so um one of the questions that I had with regards to ongoing costs of the system not the initial purchase the installation that kind of thing Do will we have any sort of ongoing contractual cost commitments to training for future trainings let's say we have staff
turnover in 10 years 15 years what have you And has that been factored into sort of ongoing figures in the budget and not just to train but also any other tangential costs that could be related to the project i know that one of the things that's a
real it can be very difficult to work within the school budget because of the very large number of fixed costs that we have That could be in the form of health insurance It could be in the form of contractual obligations So what thought has been put into some of those other
ongoing costs so naturally training is I think it's already mentioned today is a huge portion of of the passing from construction to long-term payments right um so we ensure that everyone who is available to be trained is trained on
our systems Um I would also mention that and this is recently happened to me where we had someone new come in to a maintenance team where we where we have a long-term relationship with and they said "We have this new person Can you please come and train?" And we did no
bill for that Absolutely We think training is super important Um and as for long-term maintenance and contractual obligations that's up to the school district to decide really um we have a a guarantee for these energy
savings So naturally we expect that these systems be maintained over the full term of the agreement but that doesn't it's not required that that be done by train Um it could be done by a portion or accommodation
all it would need to pass Thank you Um and then last question we may have covered this during the presentation but what's the projected completion timeline for this project really depends on when we uh kick it off
So we'll assume that it gets voted in in the affirmative next week Yes I believe that we still have the project going to the town meeting which will be in June Um I think if we're looking at end of June to really start and kick off the
project that's when we order equipment After we order equipment we have lead times Um so lead times on this equipment are pretty fluid right now Um there's some big changes happening in the HBAC industry regarding dress So um
specifically with this type of equipment um so it's kind of something that's changing pretty rapidly Some of the equipment we have right now is in stock Um it might not be by July August next year right um so it's it's kind of
constantly changing but we envision that you know we would be moving very very quickly once we get the go ahead to report on the project Would the work be taking place during school session or is it all projected to take place during summer breaks are we looking at
completion by fall of next year so again it somewhat depends right on when we can actually get equipment um in certain situations we've been able to work while kids are in school as long as it's not in occupied areas We are
incredibly sensitive like you mentioned about sound and aggravation of being noisy and loud during construction when kids are in school So um sometimes we've been known to work second shifts We've also been known to work on the weekends Um we work over school breaks So sometimes on winter breaks April break
February break Um and then naturally our primary period of doing most of the construction usually is summertime but we make ourselves pretty flexible when we can Thank you All the questions 36 I'm not have any questions about the
merit of the project It's really more about the procurement and the savings So I just want to clarify I just say this is an energy management services contract under 25a Is that correct so that falls under the department of energy resources under the state Correct Correct So that's a
question because on their website the do's website they have a pretty comprehensive definition of what these contracts are Point number six guaranteed savings DMS contracts involve a guarantee of achieved savings by the esco So what is the guaranteed savings in this contract
don't they have an exact dollar value on top of my head i believe it's in the thousands It's four figures each year Um so that accumulated over 20 years escalated um by an energy escalation but usually
conservatively about 3% So I think where those questions are when you're not equipment naturally you're adding energy consumption right um with the project in heat pumps that are also offsetting some of the fuel
usage with oil um those somewhat even out um especially we take into account the building management systems building off of upgrades and the dust seal that will also all save energy So we've taken a comprehensive approach here where we combined adding a little bit of energy
consumption with saving both KW and also the process or usage of the process So I guess my concern is whether you say 3 4,000 a year looking at annual cost of 300,000 per year previous slide The very next sentence of the definition says
these guaranteed savings in these contracts are quote normally structured so that the loan repayment is less than or equal to the savings guaranteed amount In this way you are short of being able to meet your loan or lease payment obligation from the savings generated by the project So it just doesn't seem to meet the definition of
an energy service contract So Beth I would actually have a really good response to this if she wants to chime in after me but Massachusetts legislation actually allows for states to pay for the project in part or in whole It's not required in Massachusetts that it 100% pay for itself And
especially with a project like this where you're addressing a comfort issue and an energy issue It's really a combination of both Um we completely get that cost equivalent to escalator since the law came out It's just that we're talking about like a 1% repayment under
a section of the law that allows this type of procurement to happen without any competition and yet we're really not doing the spirit of the law And I don't know it just doesn't seem to meet the definition when we're saving 1% of the annual cost And the other guy Mr Tavs was I just wish there was a better way
to fund it I'm not against the solution for the building at all I just don't really think I guess I'm just questioning the procurement and the payment structure That's all And thank you for your questions I I understand where the questions are coming from and it's not uncommon when
you talk about this procurement Um get these questions a lot So with performance contracting when the district went out to bid which it was a formal bid on the central register for an RFQ qualifications those qualifications not only included um like
Dr Bailey mentioned resumes uh previous projects we've done references etc but also included a markup sheet that we had to submit that we used to develop pricing So that's how we develop all of our projects and that was used that and the cost for the audit was used to
select the vendor So each vendor had to put together essentially their pricing beforehand So it didn't have a specific like a typical RFP a scope of work that we responded to with one price It had essentially the structure of how you go
about pricing So it's not competitive by any means They received pricing from each vendor that was fully aware about the project how they these projects work I'm just again just wish it didn't have to be an override So um we we totally we wish
there was another option other than an override and I just have to reiterate the only option that has been presented to this committee at this point is to move forward with an override And so again we felt like we couldn't do nothing We had to try to get this through This committee is more than welcome to exploring other options if
they were presented to us but they haven't been train selling and energy savings contract I would have been more than 1% but thank you ladies and gentlemen u you know most of you know who I am Mike chairman of the finance committee here in Tom
Kushner Beachwood Drive I got to say it actually feels nicer to be down here than up there usually I'm up Yeah Uh but tonight feels good to be down here Um first of all I want to say as a finance committee chairman I care about the fiscal health of this town As a
healthcare provider personally I also care about the health of the buildings uh the school buildings that we have So I can wear both hats uh you know the fi last at last year's annual town meeting the finance committee was asked indirectly to be involved in this
project and we have we've participated and we've attended a lot of meetings I spent a lot of time um analyzing everything Patrick's done I know Patrick has spent a lot of time uh doing this um and researching and behind the scenes work I know how it goes um and a lot of
it goes unrecognized so We were asked we've analyzed things Um so you know some of my concerns along the way was how are we getting any other companies involved to get quotes from
other companies besides Train and I'm not knocking Train Um you know you're you're you might have the right solution I don't know that for 100% is a fact Um but some of my concerns along the way as well as my finance committee members concerns were are we exploring any any
other options besides some of the high-tech stuff um Patrick you said the the air quality has been tested and has been okay as far as you know to date Correct Correct Obviously you can't keep mitigating it
with uh dehumidifiers in every room and I understand that something has to be done I mean this this can't continue So I believe that the at minimum the building envelope and the structural issues have to be addressed Um and one
of my concerns is if this doesn't pass what is the plan B and I and you you know I've reiterated that in you know communicating Um we need to have we need definitely need to have a plan B Um and what is that going to entail
um I I don't have all the answers to that Um I did as you know I reached out to a company by the name of Logitech and I think I believe you looked into them cuz I I know they do a lot of school work and they strictly do um
deunification projects in schools and you came back with an explanation apparently their their project wasn't going to be as cost-effective Um the other thing I I took upon myself was to reach out to Carver Public Schools because I had heard that they were dealing with a similar issue in one of
their schools So I reached out to the superintendent's office there and um they they got back to me because they were had a similar moisture humidity issue in one of the buildings and they utilized a um a local engineering company out of Dartmouth and then they hired another contractor I think out of
way to handle all the the structural issues that they had in their school with moisture getting in water you know water seepage wherever it was coming from And apparently it worked great for them Um so those th those were
my issues as you know being a chairman of the finance committee we're responsible for the entire town's finances not just the school and the school is a big part of it believe me we know that as a finance committee um when we look at everybody's budget and and this is an important
project and one way or another this has to go forward I just I believe uh Mr Hinckley or Mr Maskar had said previously um it may have to take it may have to go in steps Um and one of my thought
processes let's say it fails at the ballot cuz we don't know what's going to happen We have to have a plan B I don't know if Train would be the company that would just do the structural issues or we go back out to bid with a private contractor and have them come in and
address all the structural issues and get some different quotes and then retest the air quality and see where we're at If there's still issues at that point after everything is sealed up then absolutely we got to go to the high tech
the higher tech solution And I know that you know Eversource dangles the carrots out there Um there's the the $500,000 and that's that's no chunk change And I think that's an important thing to consider However I I believe that would always
probably be available in this state If it's not available right now it probably be available at a later date because they're still going to make those kind of grants available to do projects like this um solution The reality is is the grant is
on the table now There's no guarantee that the grant is on the table later So let's not lose sight That's $500,000 that is available today Can I add um that we've already done a comprehensive audit that has already been done that's looked at all the things you've talked
about and we've also gone out and looked at comprehensive procurement and got we looked at companies beyond train So I guess what I'm hearing is that we should repeat that process and keep taking the can I don't know No that I feel like you've done a lot of this work already I
Yeah I know you have Yeah I I get it My My question is if it doesn't go through what are you going to do well I think that's a problem we have to address together for this law board and finance committee Um the debt exclusion
was the uh the option presented to us as a way to do this Um you know it's not a exclusion then we yet we need to understand what the options are But look I I know you've been through the whole process I've I've
lived it for the last several months and one of the things that bothered me a little bit is I don't feel like we've had enough public outreach prior to tonight's meeting Yep Um I I don't think there's been enough talked about at every one of our
school But does does everybody watch the school committee meetings i Yeah I do because I'm involved in the town but I don't know if all the town's being so I don't know how much they're they're privy to some of this information That's and that's part of the problem And I'm not opposed to the project Believe me if
it's if it's $70 a year fortunately that's not going to hurt Okay um but for some other residents it might I'm not going to speak for everybody in this room And it's it's our it's the finance committee's responsibility to look out
for the entire town And that's and that's pretty much all I'm all I'm saying I'm not opposed to the project in any way I just want to make sure that we're going to be able to do something maybe maybe at a lesser cost but at least we have to address the
building envelope no matter what Um in case this doesn't pass That's that's pretty much all my my main concern I'm not against the project is committed to solving the problem and we will continue to explore all options to solve the problem but that that requires a
partnership with the board and the town's people to make that happen And we're here today trying to do a debt exclusion because that's the option that has been presented to us thus far At last hearing I think Mr Walmart when she was here I think challenged the school committee and his insinuation was that
perhaps we'd fund that from the school operating budget We're not going to do this or try to solve this problem at the um you know impact of our kids education and fund it through an operating budget It's a capital project We need to come up with a way to solve it I I completely understand that you cannot fund this
through your operating budget and I'm not insinuating that and I never did Um I suggest you stay pass here and what we will continue to do right and I think this has to get done one way or the other If it's going to be the whole
aspect of the project I don't know It's it's going to be up to the town people really um because they're going to have the final say in town meeting um if it gets through the ballot process Um but like I said I'm not I have nothing against Train Um seem like a very good
company and um I'm sure you've done a lot of these projects in other schools Correct Correct That's pretty much all I have to say Thank you Mr Chair anybody the speaker brought up
many good points One thing I can help clarify is that this solution um is not just a high-tech solution right this is a physically responsive solution For example we could uh put an air conditioner only unit and during the
summer they can't do the defensification function that typically AC units do But if we would the the project will miss out on the decarbonization grant that real money right then um the I know the team
as a whole fought hard for the application and now it's secure So when you net out that cost the uh heat system is a more cost effective solution than just adding an AC even though uh it's a newer technology So uh some folks might
view it as a higher tech right it is a reliable system and it is a cost effective solution for this for this building for this specific uh issue Similarly some other schools um I mentioned earlier that if a if a building has available
natural gas for example a desicant system uh for those that are interested might be a cost effective solution right however in this particular building uh natural gas is not available heating oil isn't available and for this system uh to install a desicant system would not
be the right solution would be very expensive right we also have to consider uh others such as electrical availability uh structural availability in terms of when you locate the the equipment on the roof where can we locate and how much can we put on the roof I just want to clarify those points
but we have already developed the most cost effective solution to tackle the problem that we were uh the the humility issue that we were brought in to tackle Uh we did not aim to um have a higher technology solution or have a newer solution or fancier solution It is
really the most cost effective solution that can address the issue Thank you Mr Chairman just have one comment But we can talk a plan B and then grants
no just turn on the news every day Grants are drying up It's coming from Washington In another year or two grants going to be off practically We have $500,000 as a as a as a grant to us as
private If we lose that there's not going to be any replacement So just you know let let's just get real Let's not whis be whistling Dixie about grants in the future that are going to save as a practice for health It's not going to be
there Thank you Thank you Good evening 595 street Um I will commend you guys for choosing trains Number one I work for mechanical engineering firm and we use guys very frequently So they
definitely know what they're talking about I will definitely support that Um couple questions I did ask this during our finance committee joint meetings Um Patrick if you know the question about ask is the closet Um this just to make
it perfectly clear is not including the repairs to the gymnasium closet which is leaking Is there any other um part of the facility that is also not being taken care of that we're not aware of um is this actually besides the gym
is this going to control resealing the rest of the building yes Address the gym closet Obviously we discussed this right from the community right this is the issue again that dates back to 2004 We found paperwork disclosing water
infiltration in this closet Why is left and not addressing i have no idea Um when there was rain it tends to be infiltration in this closet due to flashing at the moment intersection Um we've been chasing our tails in that closet for just as long as this project
if not long Um we've sealed we've had an architectural company or engineering firm whatever you want to call it come up cut you know a section of work to see what was behind that wall what was going on And again it was concluded that you know it's a flashing issue Um similar to
what we've talked about today um that's a construction project deal There's no necessary energy savings in that that we'll probably get by DOE to Mr 20's point right um so where on that closet was across you know we're we're pinching
our pennies quickly but we have savings in our operating budget to pay for a design fee for that project $40,500 for a 20ft closet design With that there's going to be a construction We don't know what that cost is expected they they've commented probably upwards
to you know $100,000 if not more Um so that is a factor At the end of the day the the rain that comes into this closet isn't regular Um and this equipment that's in place is still going to be able to combat that environment in that closet while we work for a permanent
solution which would be you know ultimately from our savings or or free cash or another ask So I hope that helps So my next question is to train Have you guys actually run calculations based on any estimated moisture that's infiltrating into that column
yes we have a a covered energy model Correct And you guys you guys are happy that this will take care of that problem Take care of the moisture moisture in the moisture coming in from that Yes And we will have humidity sensors in addition to uh temperature and CO2 sensors in the
spaces as well Okay Thank you Hi Andrew Travis No street Uh just wondering through all the reports the analysts that you did beforehand did you find a cause for the mold again you know the the general consensus you know Mickey shed more to
what their author found was failing equipment lack of control of the air flow in internally and externally You know we're setting the air from the outside environment into our school that's going through filters so on and so forth The lack of controls around all of that is causing an environment that
we can't control in terms of the humid seasons we're pulling in that humidity and creating you know in an attainable proactive I guess environment Um so it's a mechanical
issue That's what the HVAC company determined but before that when you were looking at everything did the actual root cause of the mold come up so like I just heard 20 years we're going to have mold coming in There's going to be a closet that's leaking water that is
nothing to be repaired Uh it's on slat There's a lot of different reasons why we could be getting mold And in those comprehensive analysis was there ever a determination of why we're getting the mold can definitely appreciate that uh solving the issue of uh removing the
moisture from the air and the the mechanicals being the end uh resolution that's needed could definitely end up being the solution Get that 100% But the root cause of why there's an excess amount of moisture and mold developing in the building has that specific answer
been delivered Well so we had you know analysis from my understanding it was lack of cloudiness and humidity We've addressed this and we're addressing humidity with these big fixes Now we haven't had an issue since then So that tells us the solution is
working Um yeah the the boat usually occurs when there's insufficient air flow or uncontrolled air flow or system So to um you know in terms of where the boat is coming into the building if there's a leaky envelope there's a there are leaky
dots where everybody is going to vision spaces um where there's conversation but chance of conversation and that's similar to our homes right if we have a basement that is hybrid engine that's prone to high humidity uh that might be a high risk for mold as well so it it is
not uncommon for for mold to develop I I wouldn't I wouldn't is actually to say that um you know you have serious problem when you have mold but it does indicate the that the mechanical system is not performing as an engineer So over
year over years it's also not uncommon for building systems to not be well maintained and that that um we reiterate that maintenance is very important right so with this we are cognizant that we are not just going to install a new system and not take care of the existing
as we install a new system now the sensors go in the new controls go in we have better visibility and we go through the retro commission at that stage to fix any uh actuators that will work together with the and to have better data to make sure that mold does not
occur Humidity does not occur Mold is really presumably huming the question and what I do professionally is find out why houses are getting mold There's always a myriad of different reasons why it could be but the big thing is I can always pin it down to a reason And then the solution
definitely could be in the HR we go across that way but I just it doesn't seem like we've found the underlying issue But we have found a solution to overcome the problem that I don't know if that's again you know I can't speak to what happened 20
years ago you and I haven't been in the industry that long What we know is summer 2023 which was a record year for humidity is when we had the problem that wasn't humidity that we created inside of our building that was an outside environment infiltrating itself into one
um again you know we've there's a ton of data on this that we have there's a ton of reports from different engineers a ton of studies and testing that we've gone through I can't recall all of it off the top of my head at this point in time general consensus was mechanical failure leading to infiltration
committee for building Yeah Thank you Mr Chairman May I go ahead please try So Mr spoke earlier and told us about this problem that's been lingering for
roughly 20 years And as I said it's disheartening to hear that that problem going on And I think we the board selectman along with the school committee should be having dialogue with each other I know I will do it with my
board because I can't let this problem just continue I don't think any of us want this problem to continue However trying to find $3.5 million of this $500 $700,000 in grants that's not easy to come up with in one
swat We did do it I think about trying to real the last decade is a number of millions of dollars worth of projects without asking the taxpayers for that
exclusion I can't I'm proud of my record I'm proud of the board selection record and might be giving me their support and I'm especially proud of the finance committee's record for continuing this support when I do come up with these
sometimes crazy ideas to finance things but on behalf of the taxpayers and I'm proud of that for the taxpayers a lot of people struggling in this community with that said I think a lot of things in this
town and I can't believe knowing that we will do nothing to the school to try to remediate the problem I don't know what the answer is I don't think anyone on this panel knows what the answer is I've heard several people
saying if we spend that money are you guaranteed will go away none of us are smart enough to be able to tell you yes that is going to go away I'm sure you're not And I'm going to tell you right now even the train
people up here I don't think you'll be willing to say you or me 73.5.2 million and you will again again we can only do what we've been told what
the professors have come in and explain to the school committee Um the voice and I haven't been heavily involved with Mr has been having difficult engagements with the school committee members and staff on this problem with the problem
you would serve came in I do have a solution when 69 months ago presentations are more great box I never forget the little gray box and it was something about
$77,000 on the envelope and a few other things that equated to roughly $900 to a million So I've been thinking about this and I do feel that I train about the lack of
communication when I drive around the street signs around town is available for April 15th and tell me April 27 but nothing solution nothing
um so I don't How many people that are going to support the project i don't know how many people will come to town or not support the project What I tell people that watch this video is
I Mr I want to figure out some solution to do something to the solion in this together We understand the budgetary concerns But the reality of
the situation now is the professionals have looked at what is potentially going to be the most effective solution that will solve the problem It's the comprehensive solution that has been presented So we can take this project in stages It may or may not solve the
problem And as I stated earlier it may ultimately cost the town more money than what this project currently is proposed to cost us So that is of course there's no guarantee that that solution works but they're the professionals and that's their recommendation Uh so it is a risk
to take it in stages It's a risk from a succession that will be successful It's a risk from a cost perspective It is riskless facing Mrs If this were to
succeed with the slight borrow use that million to reduce the borrow down to 2.5 million I'm sorry If this succeed to reduce implications on resision I just told you that I will have a conversation with the board on
because doing nothing is not an answer or solution Correct So it was an option that I understand what Mr I get it But something is better than nothing A wise man once told me 50% of
something better than 100% of nothing Thank you I just want to get this straight Tuesday we're going to vote Correct Mhm Does that mean it's either done deal or not does it come to the town meeting
so still on annual town meeting to uh vote to let the select board appropriate the funds to borrow for this project as well as authorize the select board to enter into contract with train to begin completion of this project There will be
two act upon a successful ballot vote on April 22nd Tuesday It fails Tuesday and done Mr If it doesn't pass the bill it can still pass in town meeting There just
needs to be a future vote to reoff When we did the school additions and renovations my recollection was a $28 million project Sounds like a real bargain today And we had a 75% reimbursement I believe
I'm getting old I may I may have the numbers off a little bit There's no more school building assistance Is that in the school project yes
Have we tested this school are we good here so far that's yes we're good Am I going to be back in two years and say we need 5 million 6 million to do this one
in 1960 almost I know I know how old but the additions are only 22 years old Good luck Jesse 922 Middle Road I just wanted to make a couple of comments cuz one thing that seems to have come up recurringly
throughout the course of the meeting is uh there seems to be a perception that they're not getting to the root cause of the mold Um I happen to have some expertise in this matter And I think that one thing that's very important to remember is that the presence of mold is endemic in the environment It's
everywhere It's on all of our clothes Everywhere we walk around we have mold spores with us The problem is when it gets a chance to actually settle settle on a surface and grow Um that's really a factor of temperature relative humidity
and air flow If there's high amounts of moisture infiltration like through the concrete that we discussed before through the building envelope but there's a lot of air flow and there's a very tightly controlled uh indoor temperature mold is not an issue except
when you get to extremes Unfortunately if we seal up the whole building let's say we attack the the envelope we attack getting all of the like an absolute minimum of air flow coming into the building from the outside environment but we don't address
the indoor air circulation we will continue to have mold issues and they'll probably be exacerbated because if we don't have the dehumidification the temperature control and air flow it's an environment that's ripe for mold growth
So attacking like there's no way that we can chip up the concrete and lay it back down and moisture seal underneath it while school is in session or really at all That that's an unrealistic solution The only solution at that point is building a new facility which is way
outside the scope of the town budget in the foreseeable future So I think that the it's not like this is some infection in the building with mold getting in and not going out Mold is everywhere It's a matter of what we can do to control it
and reme That's the only comment I have [Music] Just a couple quick questions Hi Jason Alcohol Um if I understand the numbers that were tossed around 3 to 3.4 from 3.5 4.2 So roughly a million is for the
sealing up of the building If I recall that number to dish so presentation before the board selected somewhere around 6 to9 months ago in the board selectments meeting room and they had a slideshow and they had a little gray box and roughly 9
some,000 let's call it a million bucks round number Um that was for 78 was air purification and then whatever the remaining nuts sealing up the envelope fixing all the leaks and all of that stuff I don't know what else is included Maybe training talk about their little
square box Um I just remember vaguely and I remember it was roughly a million bucks And that's one thing I was looking for Do you know roughly numbers we're talking about equipment train versus building in that number
Yes So train has already lost since they come off the in the the project The equipment to address the air quality improvement um is $3.1 million The building control upgrades is approximately half a million and then
the all stock ceiling air vertification um and electrical upgrade is another half a million in total So that's that's where we get the full point I heard earlier and that was in January January 625 in
this uh during one of the earlier discussions um during the upgrades there'll be some other repairs add-ons things that we're not sure of incidentals and whatnot obviously we have no idea what that could be um how detailed is that in the bid as far as
what'll be covered not covered and what may be as you know an extra because it tends to happen a lot with bidware So I'll address it and I'll share but again that goes back to the type of this procurement and what train is offering is fixed firm pricing So at $4.2 million
we get the comprehensive project if they run into anything on the way the liability cost is on is on train It will never exceed $4.2 million and again that's not the amount necessarily borrow because we've offset it with grants and other incentives But the total project
cost when we talk actual cost of the project it cannot exceed $4.2 million you know if we move quickly enough to lock into you know the current equipment and braces and everything like that That's a a great question and thank you for asking So we do run into these types
of issues where where little pieces little components of of equipment have failed over time right it's very difficult to figure out where those are based off of our experience in other buildings and the deficiency called deficiencies The deficiency list that we've developed while doing a
construction project like this um we picked what we believe is a really confident number of to carry in our estimate um to cover any issues that arise specifically primarily with the air handlers the HV units um which are primarily the heating and ventilation
pieces of equipment Um so we are confident that we're we're covered for anything we find in that area And just so you know they have a contingency what they call a contingency built into that budget right and it's usually somewhere
around 5 to 7% of the total cost of the budget the project And I know other people have said it I just heard about this meeting like 3 days ago I don't have social media Um I just happened to drive by town hall and saw something about you know ballot
something So my wife jumped online to look and then very cuz I get three four five notices a year telling me if I don't my dog tag find but I'm here about this multi-million dollar project Mhm So I mean can someone maybe like stick it on the insert with the dog tag let
people know at the town like hey you also have these very important meetings coming up might want to look into it Mhm So that's my opinion So unfortunately uh the town clerk reached out to us saying that you know the town was to help put out a mail inform otherwise we can't
really capture full on details on who's in the school Mr and I you know have discussed and have been careful about campaign laws and ethic laws and what we as a school community personnel are allowed and not allowed to do Um we can talk about that for a long
time It's a problem it it is a problem just for me to talk about that because I am number one for communication to the town and I said why don't we just do a one call and just let everybody know what's happening about these meetings and and it can cannot be done because of these campaign laws um these flyers I'm
I'm amazed that they were even allowed to go out so it's unfortunate that towns have and school districts have this limitation about communicating to the town but it is what it is I haven't been
able to find another way around it Um and neither has this committee So it is unfortunate but we have tried and asked for multiple vehicles to get the communication out and we've been we've been shut down because of campaign laws So if I'm understanding this the school
committee is looking for this funding but it's going through the talent to the taxpayers and the overrides How come the talent like how come it's going through the school committee now like like different avenues so we can make sure everybody knows about it I guess I'm not understand legal aspect of
this Um just to give some clarification anytime there's a project that could be directly affected by a taxpayer as elected officials we are not allowed to share information with any bias towards any direction So for instance when I
shared to social media I shared this flyer and said "This is a debt exclusion question that's going to be voted on on the 22nd all the replies underneath unless it was factual." I couldn't actually go ahead and explain certain aspects of it
So people took it left people took it right upside down I can't respond to that because technically that would show my bias towards the pro project Same thing with this to go through We have to review a few of these documents which are being mailed out Actually everybody that's a registered voter entitled is
going to get one of these probably within the next day Um we have to make sure it's very specific on what we share So the school committee sends out a post that says "Hey do this." It comes off as
skewed So it violates campaign finance law and possible ethics laws Could this have been advertised on town channels better most likely Absolutely With that being said I I
believe um Patrick brought up earlier there's toggles on our website where you can go to get notified from every single board committee at all in this town If it's an appointed or elected committee that holds a meeting you can get notified on any updates they have along
with any agenda that they have And I know a lot of us take it for granted now that the internet is here Sometimes the old school mailer has to happen because not everybody does have the internet Not everybody has the
notifications set up to know exactly when the planning board the school committee conservation meetings happen But I will reiterate that the town website shares as much information as possible through individual board committee notifications which go right
to your inbox and your email and we'll tell you every single meeting that's happening when it's happening always within at least 48 hours notice of when it happens and you can pick and choose which committees you want to look for So I would definitely recommend that This was kind of our own just because of the
actual information that we're legally allowed to share as long as we don't share our individual biases towards it because I can't persuade you one way or the other No like I said just sticking with the dog license thing Get that four times a year So make it easier
Thank you This is J ask a question of train real quick just for some clarification Um this is to touch back I know Morgan you uh were our point person last time Um I'm going through the roof warranty Um actually
this might be more of a question for everybody Uh it says the roofing contractor must be mulehide approved installer to maintain the existing warranty Are you guys a mulehide approved installer yes Who would hire a
contractor who is contractor who is the other question I had in regards to uh selecting gas warranty questions Um you put together a list including the most common expense parts At the bottom it
says the trim select mechanical service agreement Mhm Is that 425,000 full select service agreement is that to cover all these options here or is that something that's included in this origin it is not included in the
project That would be elective and it is that is essentially the premier form of service that we offer So we cover if you have a select service agreement with train any any repairs and you need to call us we come in and we cover it at
any point in time throughout the whole year So that's what that is Anything you can trim it down you can change it That is essentially as high as it would go for your building is what is what they and that's any of the new equipment and also the existing equipment such as boilers The boilers due to the older are
the primary point of that And now is that 425,000 per year yes Okay It's a yearly maintenance agreement That's why the expectation was that you would
likely not elect to asked who we Yes of course I don't think I've ever had a school district do a select service and I understand why you're not suggesting that that realist $400,000 a year to cover a warranty
No it's $400,000 a year so that if at any point in time throughout the whole year anything failed or you needed service or a technician to come out on any piece of equipment it's covered right that' be a warranty That's the
warranty That's the same I guess Yeah if you look at it like that but on new equipment and existing equipment too would be everything in the building The warranty is $80 million The project is only $3.5 million after we get grants Can we just clarify that this isn't
something we're pursuing or entertaining There was a question asked about the smart boat Do you provide different levels of warranties and extended warranties and this is the information that was presented just for people watching and listening I don't want them that isn't if you wanted to come
and change every filter to do regular maintenance right it's not cheap How can you stay in business all right Well looks like there are no further
questions So I do want to thank everybody for attending and sharing your thoughts uh today for your participation This is a really important decision for our district and we value your feedback If there are no further comments I will now entertain a motion to adjourn this public hearing and enter into a school
committee executive session not to return pursuant to Massachusetts general laws chapter 38 section 2182 to conduct strategy sessions and preparations for negotiations with non personnel or to conduct contract negotiations with non personnel
directors instruction and assessment and the business manager May I have a motion to close the meeting all those in [Music] favor say all in favor I [Music] [Music]