Finance Committee Meeting – Tuesday 10/11/22
5:00pm @ Cusick Conference Room @ WRCC
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89739173846?pwd=WXB5eGZkTFNiVWRqUFovMlQ3UHEwdz09
Meeting ID: 897 3917 3846
Passcode: 80wrNY
Members: Shaun Murphy – Chairperson, Michelle Luetjen Green,
Anne Beekman, David Schoales
Board Recorder: Wendy Levy
Agenda
1. Approval of Minutes
2. Year to Date Fiscal Review; 1st quarter FY 2023
3. Whetstone Village Property update
4. Recommendation to Board to Approve Warrants and Payrolls
5. Other
Meeting is scheduled to adjourn at 5:50pm
cc.SM, 10/5/22
….
Note: These proposed minutes should be considered preliminary until they are approved by the
board at a future meeting.
WINDHAM SOUTHEAST SCHOOL DISTRICT (WSESD) FINANCE COMMITTEE
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2022
REGULAR MEETING – 5:00PM
HYBRID MEETING: BUHS MULTI-PURPOSE ROOM & ZOOM
DRAFT MINUTES
WSESD Finance Committee Members Present: Chairperson Shaun Murphy (SM), Michelle Luetjen Green (MG) (Note: Ms. Green arrived to the meeting where indicated in the minutes), David Schoales (DSC)
WSESD Finance Committee Members Absent: Anne Beekman
WSESU/SD Administrators Present: WSESU Business Administrator Frank Rucker, Superintendent Mark Speno, WRCC Director Nancy Wiese
Others Present: Wendy M. Levy (Board Recorder)
Please note: Because of Zoom’s attendance format, this attendance record may be incomplete.
CALL TO ORDER:
Chair SM called the meeting to order at 5:03pm.
I. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
MOTION BY DS TO APPROVE THE AUGUST 9, 2022 MINUTES AS PRESENTED.
MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
MG arrived to the meeting.
II. UPDATE ON CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PROJECTS INCLUDING:
• Academy School addition/renovation, BUHS HVAC, Dummerston HVAC, Guilford HVAC, Oak Grove Windows
Frank Rucker gave an update. Highlights included:
• A reminder that the Capital Plan was approved by the WSESD Board.
• For Fiscal Year 2023, there are $3.3 million in projects approved by the Board, encompassing approximately 39 projects. Of those, 18 are funded by ESSER.
• The BUHS HVAC project includes hundreds upon hundreds of controllers which manage the air-flow. They were installed in 2003 and they are becoming obsolete. This project upgrades them, and includes miles of new wiring. Heat-exchanges and air-handling units are also getting
upgraded. The project is on-schedule.
• At the Dummerston School, the project includes removing the old oil boiler and replacing it with a new wood-pellet boiler. Almost all of this project is funded by ESSER. The air-handling unit is back-ordered, but scheduled to arrive on Monday, September 19. The project also includes expanded ventilation units in some areas, which will improve environmental conditions. Their control units were replaced before supply-chain issues emerged. This project is almost finished and on-budget.
• The Guilford Central School’s HVAC project is in its second phase, and the air-handling units are on their way. Controls and wiring were replaced in the first phase.
• The Academy School’s major project — addition and renovations — is almost done. Over the summer, asbestos was removed and the windows were finished. No PCBs were found. Some unit-ventilators are on back-order — and this is also true for the Guilford project. Although these ventilators are more efficient, because of increased pandemic-related air-exchange needs, they are using more energy.
SM asked Frank about the status of the windows at the Guilford Central School. Frank said they have to wait for PCB testing on the caulk before replacing the windows. This is a state-wide testing program, and the date is to-be-determined.
Frank’s update continued:
• At the Oak Grove School, the Vermont Department of Health, the Department of Environmental Conservation, the Agency of Natural Resources, and the Agency of Education are doing mandatory PCB testing. Oak Grove and Cabot are the first two schools in the state for this program, which includes mitigation strategies. Initial findings indicate there are no PCBs at Oak Grove that exceed immediate-action level, but some warrant additional testing and analysis. Frank will share more updates on this as information arrives.
• More updates will come soon on the other approximately 34 projects. Some are still in the design phase.
SM asked about completion dates. Frank said his team is confident the projects will be complete by the September, 2024 ESSER deadline. He will provide more information as it becomes available. SM praised Frank, and Robert Clark, on their diligence with meeting ESSER deadlines.
DSC asked if there were any significant changes to any of the capital projects. Frank said that in Dummerston, the initial project included rebuilding the air-handler, but when the technicians reviewed it, they said not to rebuild, and to move it out of the boiler room.
Mark Speno said the administrative team has done well with balancing the District’s resources between the Capital Plan’s projects and other commitments to support students.
Frank noted the WSESD Board developed a policy on climate issues, and his team’s overall goal is to perform a net-zero carbon footprint assessment at all schools and to shift the majority of its power needs to solar.
A discussion ensued on other projects and funding sources, and moving to renewable-energy sources.
III. RECOMMENDATION TO BOARD TO APPROVE WARRANTS AND PAYROLLS
SM said he reviewed these items ahead of time. Highlights from the warrants included:
• Capital improvements.
• Food for a staff event.
• Disbursement to the Supervisory Union.
• Legal fees.
Regarding legal fees, SM asked Frank if the Finance Committee should discuss accrued legal fees for the sexual abuse investigation and other issues.
SM said he wants to make sure that Frank, as CFO, is aware of them. Frank said he can review the fees with Mark Speno, but he does not handle these invoices because of confidentiality. To date, the legal fees for the investigation are $80,000. SM said the public and the Board would be more comfortable establishing Frank’s oversight on the legal fees.
Frank said he agrees, and he will discuss this with Mark to ensure internal controls and accountability.
MG said she would like this to be on a future Finance Committee agenda.
MG asked if Frank will plan for the need for legal fees during the upcoming budget season. Frank said he would, and he has a plan to include this.
DSC asked if it was appropriate to have a flat-rate retainer for the lawyer. He noted this is a new board, and they have a lot of questions. Frank said this is a common thing for boards to do, and he will look into it.
IV. OTHER
DSC asked for an update on the Whetstone Village properties. Nancy Wiese said the Whetstone Village Association indicated they would like to take over the properties, but not purchase them. Nancy said she is not in favor of this, but acknowledged it is a better solution than the District continuing to pay the association fees. She said that regarding the possibility of the Windham-Windsor Housing Trust buying the properties, they don’t want to pay the fees, either.
SM noted that building on these lots will be difficult, and the Association is resistant to it.
Nancy said the Association has many restrictions, and they asked the District to ask the town’s Listers to deem the lots unbuildable. A discussion ensued on whether the lots are suitable for building, paying the fees, and making a decision about the properties.
MOTION BY DSC TO ADJOURN. MG SECONDED. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.
The meeting was adjourned at 5:52pm.
Respectfully submitted by Wendy M. Levy from minutes taken by Wendy M. Levy.
This represents my understanding of the above dated meeting. If you have any changes, please submit them at the next Finance Committee meeting.
