Messy Westport school grounds lead to budget question

WESTPORT – A recent budget conversation between school officials and the Finance Committee led to a bigger conversation on the curb appeal of the three active school buildings.

School personnel have pitched a level service budget of around $18.2 million – or 2.8 percent above last year’s budget – and the selectmen and Finance Committee have deliberated over it.

The Finance Committee has yet to make a recommendation, but committee member Robert McCarthy took issue with the appearance of some of the school grounds.

McCarthy said some of the cosmetic issues have led to complaints, and some people have cited these issues as reasons why they did not support the town’s bid for a new 5 through 12 school. Despite that criticism, taxpayers overwhelmingly supported an override to borrow money to help finance the new building.

Still, McCarthy, a grandparent who sometimes picks up his grandchildren, complained of cracked walls, potholes, vines growing from untrimmed shrubbery, as well as leaves from the previous season and sand from the previous year dotting the landscape.

“That’s the general perception of the public waiting in line to pick up their kids and/or grandkids,” McCarthy said.

Superintendent Ann Marie Dargon and Business Manager Michelle Rapoza conceded that these issues are present, but the short-staffed custodial and maintenance department are stretched thin.

Dargon said that the district has a maintenance staff of two and a custodial staff of 13. Dargon noted that facilities director Michael Duarte has skills in many trades and works to correct many issues on his own.

Rapoza mentioned that the district repaved the Macomber parking lot recently, expending well over $200,000. However, Dargon added that with a new school on the way and the high school closing down to students in 2021, the district opted not to repave the high school parking lot.

Dargon and Rapoza mentioned that the district often teams up with the Highway Department to patch up potholes, but most of those efforts are only temporary fixes.

At the School Committee meeting last week, the entire committee, Dargon and Rapoza went into more detail. They mentioned that because of the age of many of the buildings and some of the major maintenance issues that often come about, Duarte and his staff are often faced with major issues.

As a result, some of the minor issues get neglected.

“It is sort of a Catch 22. When we say we keep up our buildings we do. We don’t spend money on cosmetic things,” Carney said.

Rapoza and Dargon said that because of Duarte’s expertise, the district saves money and spends less than the average 10 percent that districts often spend on maintenance. This fact helped the district garner reimbursements points from the Massachusetts School Building Authority.

School Committee Chairman Antonio Viveiros said there should be a bigger conversation on these issues. He recommended that the district compile a list of capital needs and devise a top three list of those needs.

As for the rest of the fiscal 2019 school budget, the selectmen have recommended that the school spend 2.3 percent over last year. That selectmen recommendation would amount to around $18.1 million.

Selectmen Vice Chairman Shana Shufelt said that the budget is tight this year and selectmen have tried to balance the needs of many departments, as well as some proposals for an additional position respectively in the police and fire departments.