The $1.1 million bond included $288,000 for building repairs, $500,000 to completely repave the parking lot, $175,000 to repair the current playing field and an additional field, and $77,000 to replace kitchen equipment including an air handler.
Harwood school board member Mary Gow said, "I think it's very sad that this was not approved. It was a good opportunity to get some essential work done at the school and proceed with it in a timely way and have significant savings by taking advantage of the 0 percent interest bond."
TOWN MEETING
Moving forward, Gow said she expects the vote results to be discussed at the November 18 school board meeting and possibly move ahead with another proposal for Town Meeting in March.
School board members voted unanimously in favor of the bond at their October 7 meeting. An informational meeting was held on November 3 to address the proposed projects' specifics.
Harwood Union Principal Duane Pierson gave a brief presentation to residents about the need for essential repairs. According to Pierson, "Under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, 0 percent or very low interest Qualified School Construction bonds are available for certain school projects, like Harwood's."
UPGRADE PROJECTS
At the October 7 meeting, Pierson outlined the facility upgrade projects in order of priority. First on the list is the replacement of the water main, estimated to cost $50,000; the school's roof ranks second on the list, estimated to cost $126,000.
The school's dishwasher needs replacement ($31,930), the air handler needs upgrade and repair ($67,235), and the range hood, currently broken, needs to be replaced ($20,000). In addition to building repairs, the bond includes $500,000 for repaving the parking lot.
ATHLETIC FIELDS
Harwood's athletic fields were built in 1967 when the school had four sports teams and 85 student athletes. Harwood now has 11 teams with 240 students competing for use of one soccer/lacrosse field. The sports teams have grown by approximately 300 percent.
In 2000, taxpayers paid $71,000 for an adjacent property intended for the addition of athletic fields. The plan is to build one additional field and repair the existing field.
According to Pierson, with a 0 percent bond, taxpayers would have saved over $270,000 compared to a 2.9 percent loan for the same amount.
"This fiscal year alone (since July 1) we have spent $15,000 on repairs. The ongoing costs of maintaining deteriorating facilities is excessive and difficult to predict," Pierson continued.
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