Proposed Bond Would Cover Maintenance in South Burlington School District
On Tuesday, March 2, South Burlington residents will vote on whether or not to accept a 2.5 million dollar bond for maintenance projects in South Burlington schools.
Some of the projects include replacing the Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School’s roof, upgrading the fire alarm system for the South Burlington High School and middle school, and replacing flooring in every school in the district.
This proposal, which is article III on the South Burlington ballot, is separate from the proposed 55 million dollar school budget that will be decided by voters on Town Meeting Day.
In 2020, the school board proposed a bond for 209 million dollars to rebuild South Burlington High School and Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School, which was defeated by a wide margin. This new bond, a fraction of this earlier proposal, would instead focus on critical maintenance for the five schools in the district.
“We’ve got to keep the buildings that we have in a good state of maintenance, keep them safe and effective for learning,” said Gary Marckres, Director of Operations and Financial Management at the South Burlington School District. “These projects are all important projects, from a building safety and a building effectiveness standpoint.”
Marckres mentioned the middle school’s roof in particular, estimated to make up 1.8 million dollars of the bond, as being in need of replacement. Roofs take damage over time from the elements, and increasing maintenance work has been needed to keep the middle school’s roof from leaking or causing damage to brickwork.
“Really, it’s at the end of its useful life,” said Marckres.
“I think the facilities folks at South Burlington and the district leadership has done a pretty good job at maintaining sixty year old buildings,” said Marckres, “but they sure need maintenance as they age.”
Bridget Burkhardt, Chair of the South Burlington School Board, also put emphasis on the necessity of a new roof to create a safe and healthy learning environment in the schools.
“Several items had been delayed while we discussed possible replacement or significant renovations of the middle and high schools. In light of the failure of the bond last year, we chose to take a step back to develop a long-term strategy for all five schools,” Burkhardt said.
She explained that replacing the roof now would avoid any damage that may cause larger expenses down the road.
You can find this story published in the Other Paper.
