Officials try to decide about capital projects
By Caitlyn Kelleher JOURNAL REPORTER

Ashburnham and Westminster town officials met in a joint meeting with the Ashburnham- Westminster Regional School Committee on Tuesday, Oct. 9, expressing a variety of opinions on the funding of capital items for the regional district.

The officials discussed about $192,000 of capital items that Superintendent of Schools Michael Zapantis said are emergencies. These items include exterior security cameras, a new passenger van, HVAC repairs at John R. Briggs, a new driveway and parking lot for Overlook, and a new hot-water heater at Meetinghouse School.

The school committee is approaching the town for money for capital projects because voters in each town rejected $150,000 capital exclusions for one-year tax increases to fund a capital plan.

The district cannot use money from their operating budget to fund capital repairs or purchases.

"We need to bite the bullet," said Ashburnham Advisory Board member Maggie Whitney.

Some of the town officials supported the idea of asking voters, at each of the two fall town meetings, to appropriate some of the money the district voted in September to return to the towns to fund these projects. The money being returned is interest earned on money from the Oakmont building project and the Westminster Elementary School building project.

"Ashburnham is in dire straights," said Ashburnham Selectman Chris Gagnon. "I'd appreciate this, if this was an exact match for the money coming back," he said.

Gagnon also suggested finding away to split the money between town and school projects.

"We're broke," said Ashburnham Interim Town Administrator Paul Boushell.

Westminster Advisory Board member Tom Maeder said he did not think voters would be willing to appropriate any more money then the district was returning to the towns. He said in many ways voters have already said, "let's spend this money on the schools."

Ashburnham Advisory Board Chairman Bill Johnson asked the school committee if it had thought about using the Excess and Deficiency, which must be and has not yet be confirmed by the state.

Zapantis said over the course of the last few years the E&D money has been used to offset the next year's operating budget.

"It's the worst possible thing we can do as a school system," he said.

Zapantis would not estimate what the district would have for E&D money once the number is certified by the state.

Westminster Selectman Thomas O'Toole said he was concerned about what would happen if another capital exclusion is rejected in future years because then this interest money would not be available.

"This Band-Aid isn't going to hold," he said.

The officials had some discussion the actual capital items being proposed.

Two of the items being proposed by Zapantis said are security cameras for the outside of Oakmont and Overlook schools. Members of both Advisory Boards asked for statistics on the success of the cameras in deterring vandalism and prosecuting offenders.

Ashburnham Selectman Mark Carlisle said Ashburnham's DPW director suggested patching for another two years and then repaving as a cost saver and a better solution.

Some of the town officials asked why the school committee was coming back to ask for more money after all of the failed overrides.

School Committee Chairman David Christianson said the committee is required to do everything it can to protect the capital investments.

"I think we're on better footing if we ask and you say no," he said.

The meeting lasted for more than 90 minutes and they agreed to met again during the school committee's Tuesday, Oct. 23, meeting.