Schools nix performance contracting plan

By Mike Berger

Despite reservations from FinCom members, town meeting voters at last Wednesday’s second session authorized a $1.5 million loan to finance a new, more efficient heating system for the Rodman Educational Center.

This latest proposal came as a bit of a surprise considering that the School Committee’s stated plan — and the one that had appeared in the town meeting warrant — was to finance the project through a “performance contract” whereby the project would be paid for with energy savings over a specified number of years. However, school officials determined that the plan, as presented by Johnson Controls, was too expensive at $2.2 million and also too risky, since the estimated $85,000 in savings would not be guaranteed by the company.

Under the revised plan, which passed with a clear two-thirds majority, the school board will repay the town $125,000 each year until the loan is paid off using expected energy savings out of the operating budget.

In addition to housing the school department’s central offices, the 62-year-old, 52,000-square-foot Rodman building houses the town’s food pantry as well as classes for early childhood education and collaborative programs. While the building is structurally sound, the steam boiler is in serious disrepair and many of the pipes are underground and not easily accessible.

School plumber Bill Dickie said the system almost failed in early March and warned that another failure could shut the building down. He advised against using a band-aid approach and spending another $100,000 for short-term repairs, noting that the system could still fail again next winter.

School Committee members Cindy Thomas and Reuki Schutt said the board considered all options, including moving classrooms to the Kennedy school or even an override, but felt the loan was the best option at this time.

Selectman John Connolly said it was not only a school problem but a town problem. “Stuff happens and this is an emergency,” he said.

But FinCom Chairman Alan Hines voiced concerns about recent cuts in the school operating budget — as did others in the audience — and he did not like the fact that the proposal was submitted on such short notice.

FinCom member Dr. Irene Johnson said she does not believe the schools can absorb the additional operating expenses and said school officials should decide between the Kennedy expansion or the new Rodman heating system.

School Committee Chairman John Bonnanzio said the board felt the most feasible and cost-effective option was to work within the budget. Selectman Bob Burr, who spoke just before the vote was called, added that the School Committee’s actions were not “surreptitious or deceitful,” but a decision made in response to an emergency situation.

In other news:

* The entire town operating budget passed without much discussion. Hines praised all departments for making the necessary cuts to stay within the budget parameters. He did urge all town leaders, including the School Committee, to be mindful of upcoming labor negotiations, while adding that the previous pay raises negotiated by the schools cannot be sustained in future budgets.

* The Canton Association of Business and Industry made a recent donation to the Fire Department for chest compression systems, freeing up capital money for the Opticom System, which allows police to change a traffic signal or open locked gates while in their cruisers.

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