Osborn Hill Bills: $300K and Climbing

The bills have begun to roll in for the at -- to date, the district has north of $300,000 to pay.

That figure doesn't include the current remediation of the Library Media Center or the upcoming plans for the school's gymnasium,

Superintendent of Schools Dr. David G. Title and Board of Education Chair Pamela Iacono delivered the news to the Board of Finance Tuesday with this caveat: the estimate is still climbing.

"We don't know when it's going to end," Title said.

Title did add that opening the building on time did present a "big financial benefit" for the district. , Title said there would have been extra costs for additional buses and moving and utility costs for the two buildings.

The district expects to spend an additional $100,000 to $120,000 on a temporary gymnasium at Osborn Hill. The site plan for the portable gym was approved by the Town Plan and Zoning Commission last week; Title said officials will know within the next week or two what type of structure will be used and when it will be erected at the school.

Currently, students are spending physical education time outdoors on nice days and in the school's all-purpose room during inclement weather. Title said the all-purpose room is a very small space and won't work as a long-term alternative to the gym.

"It's just not a good situation at all," he said.

Finance board member Jim Brown asked whether the school's gymnasium can ever be used again.

"When will you know if we have to tear down the structure?"

Title said the district needs to come up with a remediation plan approved by the Environmental Protection Agency for the gym, which will include weighing the benefits and costs of all options.

"It will be at least a month to six weeks before we know much about that," Title said.

One component of the long-term remediation plan is to replace the school's windows -- the project that the district requested in the Fiscal Year 2013 Capital Improvement Plan, which lead to the testing for hazardous materials and discovery of elevated levels of PCBs in the school.

"So you're north of $420,000 and it has nothing to do with the bonded replacement of windows or the long-term remediation plan," Board of Finance Chair Tom Flynn recapped.

Finance board Vice Chair Rob Bellitto asked Title and Iacono how the district plans to pay for the invoices as they roll in.

The costs are currently being charged to the district's maintenance and consulting services accounts, Title said, but savings will soon have to be found elsewhere. It's too early to tell what parts of the education budget will take a hit to cover the expenses, according to Title.

"I don't know what the hit is going to be and I'm not looking forward to it," Title said

The town's contingency fund -- -- will not provide for these costs.

"We'll have to look for savings in both [the town's and school district's] budgets," former Chief Fiscal Officer Paul Hiller said. "The last place to go is the unassigned fund balance.

The district also hopes to hire an expert consultant to give advice and guidance on how to determine if PCBs are a problem at other schools in the district that were built around the same time as Osborn Hill School.

"It's likely we'll have to come back to ask for a special appropriation," Iacono said.