Plainfield School District
Facilities Committee Meeting
1.18.07
Present: Mike Higgins (Chair), Elizabeth Church, Doug Cogan, Bill Fleming, Bill Knight, Bill Taylor, Superintendent Russ Collins, Interim Principal Steve Beaupre, Plainfield Fire Chief Dave Best and State Fire Inspector Max Schultz.
The meeting was called to order at 7:03 pm.
Minutes from the Dec. 21, 2006, meeting were approved without changes.
§ Schultz reviewed the results of a Fire & Life Safety Inspection that he conducted at the Plainfield School on Nov. 7, 2006.
§ A sprinkler system is required for the school to comply with state regulations adhering to the Life Safety Code and Uniform Fire Code of National Fire Protection Association.
§ Wood frame construction throughout the building and an open design concept present particular fire hazards at the school.
§ Fire retardant must be applied to interior walls and ceilings that are made of wood.
§ No more than 20% of any wall areas should be covered with flammable materials (such as art work and teaching materials).
§ Doors to the teachers’ lounge and gymnasium should be fire-code approved and activated to close in the event of a fire alarm. (Interior classroom doors can be closed manually in the event of a fire alarm.)
§ In rooms that do not have exterior exit doors, windows should have code-approved egress (openings with at least 20” width and 24” height, no more than 44” above the floor). This requirement can be waived if a sprinkler system is installed.
§ Violations of these fire safety regulations could result in fines or school closure until these issues are addressed.
§ An action plan from the Plainfield School District must be submitted to the state fire marshal by Jan. 26, 2007. This plan must show an intent to address these issues in 2007. However, completion of the sprinkler system may extend beyond 2007, in consideration of funding and other building maintenance issues.
§ Final approval of the school’s action plan rests not with the state, but with the local fire chief.
§ Since completion of the school addition 2000, the Plainfield School District has made pledges to Chief Best and state officials that it will install a sprinkler system. Chief Best has seen no progress toward fulfilling this pledge. He is responsible for enforcing the life and fire safety code requirements.
§ Chief Best recommended that a bond be approved at the 2007 School District Meeting to fund installation of the sprinkler system. He cautioned against adding other capital improvement projects to the bond, which could raise its cost and jeopardize its approval.
§ Chief Best’s work schedule may not permit him to attend the March 10 district meeting. In the event he cannot attend, he would be willing to write a letter that explains the need for the sprinkler system, which could be read at the meeting.
§ The Facilities Committee was in unanimous agreement that the sprinkler system should be installed. However, there was not unanimous agreement about the timing or the installation or its means of financing.
§ One option considered would be to propose a bond in 2007 that constituted a “life safety package” for the school. This would include:
o installation of the sprinkler system
o application of fire retardant on wood walls and ceilings
o replacement of windows in rooms lacking two forms of code-approved egress
o replacement of suspended lighting systems (at least in common areas) to reduce the cost of installing sprinkler heads above and below the “lighting clouds” and to achieve greater energy efficiency in the ballasts
o removal and abatement of asbestos in the bathroom area of the 7th and 8th grade classrooms which may be necessitated by the sprinkler installation
Though no cost estimate was provided for this option, prior discussions by the Facilities Committee indicate that it might range from $275,000 to $325,000. Further investigation will be required to refine this cost estimate.
§ A second option considered would be to make use of the Building Maintenance Reserve Fund to carry out some fire-safety projects in 2007, with a larger bond proposed in 2008 to implement other aspects of a five-year plan on which the Facilities Committee has been working. Under this option:
o Application of fire retardant, replacement of certain windows and lighting systems would occur in 2007 at an estimated cost of up to $80,000. This would require voter approval of a $40,000 addition to the Building Maintenance Reserve at the 2007 School District meeting to augment $40,000 in existing funds.
o Installation of the sprinkler system would occur in 2008, as part of a larger bond issue.
o Other capital improvements to be included in this bond, as identified by the Facilities Committee, include:
* parking lot improvement and expansion
* redesign and renovation of showers and bathrooms in the 7th and 8th grade pod and possibly other improvements to that area
* replacement of all windows in the original (1973) building
* addition of clapboard siding to the 1989 addition
Though no cost estimate was provided for this option, prior discussions by the Facilities Committee indicate that it might range from $450,000 to $600,000. Further investigation will be required to refine this cost estimate.
§ A third option considered was a vote on a special warrant at the 2007 School District Meeting to fund installation of the sprinkler system and fire retardant coating, estimated at $225,000. This would nearly double the total cost of proposed warrant articles to be considered at this meeting.
§ In the subsequent discussion, no consensus was reached. However, the second option received the most expressions of support. Arguments presented in favor of the second option included:
o An orderly sequencing of building improvement and maintenance projects in relation to installation of the sprinkler system
o Additional time to scope out and bid these projects to achieve a higher level of confidence about their costs and design
o Implementation of the five-year master plan for the building, which has been the main charge of the Facilities Committee
§ Other ideas and concerns expressed by members of the Facilities Committee included:
o The town may not wish to approve two bonds within a few years of each other.
o A bond in 2007 could finance the sprinkler system, while in future years, increases to the Building Maintenance Reserve Fund could finance other identified projects.
o Escalating construction costs could outpace the benefit of setting aside reserve funds.
o Amendments from the floor at the School District Meeting could narrow the scope of an “omnibus” bond proposal.
o In the event no bond passes, a subsequent emergency meeting could be requested from the New Hampshire Superior Court to address the installation of the sprinkler system.
4. Other Items
§ Four bidders have come forward to offer carpentry work toward the insulation project. This work is likely to be done during the school’s April vacation.
§ ProControls will be coming to the school on Jan. 22 to address HVAC control issues with Bill Fleming’s computer. Bill reports that the system is mainly working well. However, better communication is needed among the teaching staff to help Bill with managing this system. A suggestion was made that notices be posted in each classroom to contact Bill if a room becomes too hot or cold. Teachers should not try to regulate the system themselves.
§ Steve Beaupre expressed concerns about the drop-off area at the school. He recommends that drop-off students enter in front of the school, and that school buses line up beside the school, in order to avoid cross-traffic during drop-off and pick-up times. The new parking lot plan calls for an expanded school bus drop-off area in front of the school to be used in the morning, and an expanded school bus pick-up area beside the building to be used in the afternoon. This parking lot plan is intended to maximize safety and efficiency of traffic flow.
Meeting adjourned: 9:32 pm.
§ Next scheduled meeting: Feb. 15, 2007 at 7pm
(unless the School Board requests a special meeting)