BOE Presentation Well Received

The Orange Board of Education presented four significant facilities issues to the Board of Finance at its Jan. 23 meeting. 

The BOE’s Facilities Director, Mike Luzzi, led the detailed presentation. 

The issues are: new roofs at both Race Brook School and Peck Place; a new boiler at Turkey Hill School; and a driveway repair, and possible redesign, at Peck Place School. 

In each case, a failure at the facility could cause the district hardship, and the BOE was asking the BOF for help in redressing these problems before those potential hardships occur.  

The presentation outlined the causes for concern for each problem, a potential timeline for correction, and the rough project costs. 

In the case of the roof structures at Race Brook and Peck Place, many clear and detailed photographs illustrated cracking of membranes that have gone beyond their projected life expectancy, numerous failed patches, lap seam adhesives that are dried and splitting, and pitch changes which have occurred over time and caused ponding of water and plant growth on the roofs.  

Due to licensing and project processing, the soonest the roof repairs could be addressed is the summer of 2013. 

In the case of the Turkey Hill boiler, which was installed in 1964, the top nipples are failing and being repaired or replaced at a yearly cost of $5,000 - $15,000.  As the bottom nipples fail, the boilers will need to be split to reach them, doubling the cost of repairs to the point where the BOE could end up spending on repairs about 1/3 the cost of replacing the boilers. 

Furthermore, installation of a new gas boiler (vs. oil) would save the town money in fuel costs.  (An oil-to-gas conversion at Mary L. Tracy School is on target to save at least $25,000 this year.)

Finally, the Peck Place parking lot needs attention. It was installed in 1968 and has seen numerous patches, including patching this past fall. In addition to the poor condition of the blacktop, there are neither enough spaces for day-to-day parking, nor special event parking. 

Thus, the question at Peck Place is whether a complete redesign of the parking lot might best serve the school’s needs, due lack of spaces, unsafe vehicle traffic patterns, and unsafe pedestrian patterns at curbside drop-off and pick-up.

After the presentation, the Board of Finance members asked many questions of Luzzi and indicated they would discuss the Board of Education’s needs at a future time.   

 Click HERE for the complete powerpoint presentation.