by Chris Tergliafera
At the Wednesday, May 18 regular meeting of the Berlin Central School District Board of Education (BOE), what was intended to be a presentation to establish a budget, funding source and schedule for the propane conversion project at the middle/high school, turned into a conversation about fast tracking the project to complete it as soon as possible.
Among the concerns with the current system are the ever rising heating oil prices, which currently stand at roughly three times the cost of propane, which has a locked in rate for the upcoming year. Another concern is the school’s current oil tank, which is past its life expectancy. While there’s been no issues with leaking, the thought is that it’s better to do it before a problem occurs, as opposed to after.
If fast tracking the project goes as hoped, work would begin around the time the buildings would need to be heated. However, each school has two boilers, but can run on one. This would allow replacement of one while the other heats the building.
The Board requested a more precise estimate for the project at the next roundtable meeting on Thursday, June 2.
Budget Vote Results
Both Superintendent Jospeh Dhara and Board of Education (BOE) President Frank Zwack thanked the community for their support during the Tuesday, May 17 vote, which saw both the budget and bus propositions pass. Both also thanked outgoing BOE members Rachel Finney and Jeffrey Paine, welcomed incoming members Kimberly Collen and Andrea Beckwith and congratulated Sherry Bowman Cluck on re-election.
Other News
The modified sports recognition ceremony will be Wednesday, June 1, from 3 to 5 pm, in the high school auditorium.