WHITINGHAM- With rising fuel prices threatening to bust school budgets around the state, Whitingham and Twin Valley voters may be feeling smug about their decision to build a woodchip-fired boiler at Whitingham Elementary/Twin Valley Middle School.

The project was originally projected to start reducing heating costs gradually, saving up to $34,000 by 2012. But based on the current price of oil, at $4.51 per gallon, Windham Southwest Supervisory Union officials are projecting a $54,583 savings over the 2008-09 season. The total cost of heating this winter using the recently completed woodchip boiler is projected at $58,268. Had the school relied on oil heat this year, the fuel bill could have been as high as $112,850.

At their Tuesday evening meeting, Whitingham School Board members called the projected savings a “conservative estimate.” The projection assumes the use of up to 7,500 gallons of oil at a cost of $33,855.

The oil-fired boiler will be used to bring the building up to temperature on cool days when it isn’t economical to start the woodchip boiler. Board member Jack Kincella said the 7,500-gallon figure was, at best, a “guesstimate” of how much oil the school may use. “I think the savings could be higher,” Metcalfe said. “I think 7,500 gallons seems like a lot to heat the building when we’re not using the woodchip boiler.”

“Even so, $54,000 is a significant savings,” said chair Seth Boyd. “That’s a lot of money.”

The projected heating cost anticipates the school will use 450 tons of woodchips at a price of $44.25 per ton, for a total of $19,913. The total estimated cost also includes $4,500 in operational and maintenance costs for the woodchip boiler.

In other financial matters, WSSU Superintendent Dr. M. Peter Wright told board members that initial estimates of Whitingham’s end-of-year fund balance is about $30,000 and may be as high as $40,000. “We saved $10,000 on the playground project thanks to the volunteer work,” he said,” and if that’s added in, the fund balance could be higher.” Wright said the figures won’t be “official” until auditors give their stamp of approval.

Kincella questioned the amount of mileage reimbursement for daily trips to the town’s transfer station. Board members noted that the school is located about an eighth of a mile from the transfer station, and even a month’s worth of trips shouldn’t cost more than a few dollars.

The water system at the elementary/middle school in Whitingham will have to be upgraded to meet new state requirements. Deerfield Valley Elementary School has been struggling to upgrade its water supply for more than a year, although their project has been exacerbated by a system failure.

Wright said the state inspected the school in Whitingham in June, and recently forwarded a report detailing the results. According to the report, the school needs to install a water disinfection system, install a new water storage tank, and make several other minor upgrades. Wright said it’s likely that Whitingham and Twin Valley taxpayers may have to pay little or nothing for the improvements.

“We’ve applied for a forgiveable loan for the engineering, and we can apply for another at the construction level,” he said. “It’s a tedious, tedious process.”

Board members also reviewed the school’s policy for snow days and delayed openings. Although the current policy allows for a delayed opening in the event of inclement weather in the early morning hours, Wright said, in practice, the delayed opening hasn’t been popular with parents. “If we have a delay, some parents say “How do I get my kids from point A to point B?” Wright said. “Other places have tried it. Parents go bananas when there’s a two-hour delay in Bennington.”

But board member Cheree Dix said that on some of the snow days, students could have been safely transported to school within an hour or two of the regular time. She said the snow days extended the school year too long last year for some kids to enjoy summer. “Some kids had a couple days off and were right back in school for the summer school program for the whole month of July,” she said.

Kincella said a delayed school opening was difficult for families that have two full-time working parents. If school is cancelled, they can make daycare arrangements. If school is delayed, they have to make alternate childcare arrangements and make transportation plans to get the children to school when it opens. “There’s a massive amount of double-income families, and they’re traveling farther for jobs. It seems unfair to do that to them.” Board members decided to keep the option on the table, and asked principal Bill Anton to survey parents to gauge their opinion on the matter.

Board members discussed upcoming public forums on school facilities issues with facilities committee chair Phil Taylor. One of the issues left to be resolved, according to board members, is the status of Whitingham’s $2 million credit, specified in the contract. Although the credit would stand, under the contract, if a new or renovated facility was constructed in Wilmington, it isn’t clear whether the credit would be valid if the middle and high school were both in Whitingham. “The contract doesn’t address that, according to the legal opinion we got,” said Metcalfe. “The contract anticipated a facility in Wilmington.”

One of the options on the table is a Twin Valley Middle/High School at the Whitingham site. “Whitingham would also be getting a lot of renovations to their buildings, which might be a reason not to get a credit,” Metcalfe said. “But it’s a matter that will have to be negotiated.” Other “big” issues include the disposition of the current high school under the Whitingham scenario, and impact of a reappraisal on Wilmington taxpayers.