NEWPORT — After two years of debate, disputes and delays, it appears that an end to a saga involving storage of the Newport School District’s buses is finally at hand.
Last week, the School Board voted 4-0 to move forward with its plan, approved by the Selectboard, to build an addition with a conference room and two offices on the end of the town’s Public Works garage where the district leases two bays for its buses. The district also will make improvements inside the garage, including pouring a concrete floor and adding heating.
Superintendent Donna Magoon said Tuesday the district has $231,000 already set aside for projects inside the bus barn and the addition so there will be no additional tax rate impact.
Board member Kathryn Boutin said she was tired of delays and wanted to be sure the district’s transportation employees have a “safe, comfortable place to do their job.”
The vote seems to put to rest a dispute between the town and the school district, which dates back to late 2022, when the town, under former Town Manager Hunter Rieseberg, said it was evicting the district from the two bays it leases, after the district said it would use the lease money to make repairs inside the bays instead of to pay rent.
When the town refused to reconsider the eviction, a petitioned article, presented by then-School Board member Bert Spaulding, to lease the bus garage for 99 years at a cost of $1 was overwhelmingly approved at the March 2023 annual school meeting. The Selectboard responded to the vote in a June letter to the school district that year stating that the petition article was not “enforceable” and the district had to be out of the bus barn by the end of the month. It later rescinded that demand in a 4-1 vote, allowing the lease to continue.
Since then, the two entities have gone back and forth with what could be constructed.
The board’s approval of the upgrades and addition last week marked a rejection of an alternative proposal the Selectboard had made in October for a large pole barn — a building without sides — on a separate area away from the garage.
The Selectboard said the pole barn would better serve the district’s long-term needs by allowing all of the district’s vehicles to be under cover and better guard against vandalism. In addition, the town could gain much-needed access to the bays now being used by the district. The School District has 15 vehicles, including six, full-size buses. Currently four buses and four small vehicles fit inside the bus barn bays.
Even though it made the offer, Selectboard Chairman Jim Burroughs said at the October board meeting that the board was not rescinding its September approval for the proposed addition on the Public Works garage.
Last Thursday, Magoon informed the School Board of a $1.3 million estimate for the new building construction, site work, engineering and possible environmental cleanup. A new septic system, waterline and electrical hookup would be additional costs. The estimates came from Harvey Construction, the contractor on the new career technical center next to the high school.
If the town were to seek voter approval in a warrant article for a 10-year bond, it would add 26 cents to the tax rate in the first year, Magoon said.
“It is not fiscally responsible to build a barn and forget about education,” Magoon said.
The board did not give the proposal any serious consideration.
“I think as a community and a district, now is not the time to divert our resources away from our core goal: education,” board member Boutin said. “Diverting a million away from educating our kids, I’m not OK with it.”
Board member Melissa Mitchler said taxpayers are going to be asked to pay for teacher and support staff contracts along with a budget next year and some are being hit with significant sewer fee increases. If she was going to seek $1 million from taxpayers, Mitchler said it would be to fix current buildings, not construct a new one.
A few residents agreed that the board should tell the town it is not interested in the pole barn idea.
“As a taxpayer, I would tell the town, thank you very much but not now,” said resident Becky Nelson.
The work the board approved will include pouring a concrete floor in the barn, installing a heating system, separating the electrical system so the school will be billed separately for its space, and construction of the addition, which will have a foundation.
On Tuesday, Magoon said she had received approval of the plans from Planning and Zoning Director Christine Donovan and Donovan confirmed that she told Magoon the district could “move forward” with the addition.
Donovan also said the town wants to see additional information that was not on the application. Town Manager Kyle Harris said Wednesday the board wants to review the documents to ensure the outside appearance of the addition is consistent with that of the Public Works garage and the construction materials will remain in good condition for the long term and not add maintenance costs.
At the School Board meeting, Magoon lamented what she said have been obstacles thrown in her way on this project and she is pleased it can finally move forward.
“I hope to have this all done by January,” Magoon said Tuesday. She expects concrete to be poured in the next few weeks.
Patrick O’Grady can be reached at pogclmt@gmail.com.
