By Evan Brandt      Sparks fly over school renovation proposal

POTTSTOWN — The three-member Neighborhood Schools Committee voted unanimously Wednesday to recommend to the full Pottstown School Board that an architect be sought for the installation of new, energy efficient windows at Edgewood and Rupert Elementary schools.

Information was also presented by the committee's chairman, Thomas Hylton, about further energy efficiency projects that could be accomplished at all five of the district's elementary schools — information which mirrored the preview he gave the school board Jan. 7 — as well as new information about a potential funding source.

The state recently announced a $315 million low or zero interest bond program, funded through federal stimulus money, that is available to districts with high taxes and high poverty, and Pottstown is listed among those eligible, as well as growing districts, which includes many other surrounding districts. (See related article on A3.)

The program provides funding particularly for creating sustainable schools, including "increasing energy efficiency," as well as "creating or renovating space for high-quality pre-school, full-day kindergarten and/or reducing class size in the early grades" and even for "correcting health and safety deficiencies."

Two of the three school board members who sharply questioned Hylton at the Jan. 7 meeting — Michele Pargeon and Polly Weand — were also present Wednesday night and again questioned Hylton on his proposals.

In fact, every member of the School Board except Robert Hartman Jr. was present, along with two former School Board members, Robert Morgan and Phil Thees. Together they made up seven of the nine non-committee members in the room who were not paid to be there.

Hylton began the meeting by again reviewing the rationale and facts which support his proposals.

In addition to the windows, which are the only project which the committee is proposing be done this year, Hylton is also advocating for the installation of geo-thermal heating and cooling systems for all five schools, which would create the opportunity for installing new wiring for improved technology in the buildings.

This would also include the installation of energy-efficient lighting at all five buildings.

Hylton, who did the majority of the talking from the committee side of the table, said installing energy-efficient windows "seems like a no brainer to me and would likely pay for themselves in not too many years, particularly as energy prices rise."

He said "if we're really lucky," the windows could be installed over the summer with minimal disruption of classroom time.

Franklin Elementary School teacher Lindi Vollmuth asked that any proposal regarding the windows include instructions for how teachers should prepare ahead of time, and a contingency plan for what happens if/when the work takes longer than predicted.

Having voted to recommend the window replacement to the full board, committee discussion moved on to other aspects of Hylton's proposals.

A set of goals for the schools were set out after "discussions individually with the committee members and (School Board) President (Rick) Huss," Hylton said.

The goals being considered are to have the most cost-effective school facilities in Pennsylvania; the most energy-efficient schools facilities in Pennsylvania; the most environmentally responsible school facilities in Pennsylvania and the most child- and family-friendly school facilities in Pennsylvania.

Assistant Superintendent Reed Lindley suggested another goal, "having the most instructionally supportive space to fit programing needs," to which Hylton replied "sounds good to me."

Making Edgewood the district's school that is complaint with the regulation of the Americans with Disabilities Act, would at least make one of the five schools ADA compliant, Hylton said in addressing another element of his proposal.

He noted that if the district undertakes extensive re-construction work at any of the schools, it will become necessary to make all of them ADA-compliant and codes-complaint, which will mean adding millions more dollars to the cost.

Pottstown would not be the first district to install geo-thermal systems. And, at the Neighborhood Schools Committee's next meeting, Tuesday, Jan. 19, David Anstrand, an architect and former head of facilities at the Manheim township School District in Lancaster, will be on hand to talk about his district's 10 years of experience with the systems, Hylton said.

Geo-thermal systems are also "expandable," said Hylton. "So as long as you don't put the wellfield in the area you might expand, you can add to them."

Weand, who began by saying "I want to make it quite clear I am all for energy savings," continued to press questions about the potential health impacts the projects might have on the school children, as she did Jan. 7.

"I'm not saying there are health hazards in these buildings," Weand said, adding rather that she is concerned there has not yet been any discussion about "issues that might arise" once work begins in any of the buildings.

"We don't know what we will find. There may be asbestos, that is a major concern I have," said Weand who, along with Morgan, noted that asbestos mixed in with the concrete at Pottstown Middle School added costs and time to that renovation project.

"If we find asbestos, that is double trouble and a lot more money that is budgeted here," Weand said.

"I will not agree to go along with anything until the health issues of these buildings are made clear for me," she said.

Hylton replied to several comments about asbestos by saying that the most likely way for asbestos to be released is when walls or floors are removed and altered and nothing in his proposal envisions work of that magnitude.

Weand also questioned the funding program Hylton identified, noting "we still have to pay this money back. Does that mean we have to raise our taxes? Of course we'll have to raise taxes. There is no money for this project."

"I don't want to see any more Sheriff's sales in the Pottstown Mercury," she said.

Weand calculated that saving $200,000 a year will take 40 years to pay for the cost of the project.

The $200,000 figure is cited in the 50-page report by Honeywell Building Solutions of Fort Washington, issued July 16, that analyzed the energy needs of all existing school buildings, including the administration building.

It specifically identifies about $48,000 a year in annual savings from more efficient lighting, but does not envision geo-thermal systems at all, but merely replacing the existing boilers with newer, more efficient ones. Geo-thermal systems, which do not burn fossil fuels, could provide more efficiencies than conventional boilers.

Weand also raised issues of the potential danger of mold.

"I don't want to be overly dramatic here, but I know a teacher who went through all the mold problems at (former) Lower Pottsgrove (elementary school) and she is no longer on this earth," she said.

Superintendent David Krem said in 2003, mold problems developed at Edgewood because of a wet summer and the students were kept out of the building until everything contaminated was cleaned and replaced.

Facilities Supervisor Barry Angstadt said several years ago there was "a minor (mold) issue in the basement at Rupert from some water infiltrating from a down spout, but we took care of that. We had a few closets with some mold in them, but it was taken care of."

When it was Pargeon's turn, she noted "every single year our taxes continue to go up and keeping five schools will not help our taxes go down."

She agreed with Hylton that the pending financial crunch caused by increased pension costs will make any kind of project difficult.

"I know it's going to kill us. I will be here, with my children in the schools," Pargeon said. "I have children in this district and you don't," she said.

"There is no need to shout Mrs. Pargeon, we can all hear you," Hylton said.

"I'll try not to get excited," she replied.

"For our board president to set goals for our elementary schools is absolutely preposterous and ridiculous. It should be the board as a whole," Pargeon said.

"This committee is merely making recommendations, it is the board that acts," Hylton said.

"I don't think this town needs to be railroaded by Mr. Hylton's personal agenda," said Pargeon. "It is not helping our community by putting a Band Aid on all five of these schools. I've really been disgusted since the last meeting."

Pargeon also said "I'm not comfortable making only one school (ADA) accessible."

"I look forward to receiving yours and Mrs. Weand's cost-benefit analysis of your alternative," Hylton said.

Pargeon and Weand were joined by Morgan in pointing out that nothing in what Hylton has presented so far deals with the question of how to eliminate the many modular classrooms now at all the district's elementary schools.

"The only way to eliminate the modulars is to have larger buildings," said Morgan. "And that problem, in my opinion, wouldn't be solved by what you've presented here."

Hylton replied that the issue of space would be addressed by his committee at next month.

"The school board has been talking about the elementary schools for 13 years," Hylton said. "We've been in office two months, and we're moving along, but we'll be addressing the modulars and space next month."

Philip Thees, another former school board member, said while he agreed with some of the things Hylton said, "what I need is the big picture. I don't want whatever we do being doing something just to get something done if we don't have the full cost ramifications before we start."

Added Thees, "I don't want to see us approve a project that is open-ended or we're going to end up opening a Pandora's box."

Resident Stephanie Carmody told the committee that "personally, from a taxpayer perspective, if we're going to incur additional debt, I'm not sure energy efficiency is where I would stop."

Hylton's proposal, she said, "would not solve all our problems and I would not, as a taxpayer, be satisfied with spending $8.3 million" and still not be satisfied with her child's classroom.

"We have to start somewhere," said Harris. "A lot of Pottstown's biggest problem is we squabble and never act on anything. I would us to get the point where we are not afraid to move, to make change because if we just continue to stand still, we will self-destruct."

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