Residents Approve School Overruns in Old Saybrook, Connecticut

OLD SAYBROOK - In about 15 minutes, residents unanimously supported a proposal to move $211,989 out of the town's unappropriated fund balance to fund Board of Education bonding costs and additions to the 2007-08 budget.

About 35 audience members came to the Old Saybrook Middle School Auditorium to hear information about the request.

The call of the town meeting stated that of the $211,989, $49,425 would go toward Board of Education Building Project Bonding Costs and $162,473 would go toward Board of Education additions to the 2007-2008 budget.

Superintendent Joseph Onforio, II said the school projects, which renovated Old Saybrook Middle and High Schools, are nearing completion and explained that a "hallmark of Old Saybrook is its partnership between school and community."

First Selectman Michael Pace explained that at the end of the fiscal year July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007, there was a surplus of approximately $275,000.

"The surplus did not come from over taxation or excess revenues," Pace said, adding that while the town received less revenue than hoped for, the town spent less money than anticipated.

While $211,989 of the surplus was approved for the Board of Education, the remaining $63,011 will go toward the town's unappropriated fund balance.

"This acts like the town's savings account and is used in case of an emergency," Pace said, adding that the town places a percentage of its budget in the fund balance based on Moody's recommendations.

There are several dedicated town savings accounts, Pace said, adding that one of them is designated for a new fire truck.

Regarding the Board of Education's request, a ten page handout was given to audience members.

The handout included a list of detailed purchases for projects undertaken at Old Saybrook Middle School and Old Saybrook High School.

It stated that the district purchased about $226,850 for items related to the school projects with dollars from the operating budget.

The handout, written by Onfrio and Julie Pendelton, Director of Operations, Facilities, and Finance, states that the items were expended to take "advantage of non-prevailing wages, no mark up construction fees, and allowed us to perform the work when student instruction was not disrupted."

Using those funds forced the district to "freeze" furniture, technology items, and maintenance portions of the budget due to lack of money.

The most expensive items included $140,000 higher than budgeted for asbestos removal, $50,000 in watering of ball fields, a $40,000 cost to remove, patch, and replace terrazzo floor in order to reach a corroding acid waste pipe, $33,400 for removal and replacement of unsafe sidewalks, $21,200 for painting of lockers, and $17,200 for supplies to equip two additional science labs.

The handout also stated that there is approximately $208,800 of items that have not yet purchased.

The most expensive of those items include $70,000 for irrigation, $34,000 for 36 computers for the science department for biology and chemistry, and $30,000 for 32 computers in the World Language Lab.