School Committee Approves $295,000 in Capital Projects for Two District Schools

GILL — December 7, 2021 — Gill-Montague School Committee approves $295,000 in capital projects and clears a retroactive field trip. The committee voted unanimously Tuesday to submit a $285,000 floor replacement project at Hillcrest Elementary School to the town of Montague and a $10,000 building management system upgrade at Gill Elementary to the town of Gill; both will go to competitive bid. Business and Operations Director Joanne reported that Hillcrest's hallway tiles are cracking and held together only by wax, with asbestos abatement and seamless flooring planned for high-traffic areas at an estimated cost broken down as $4,300 for project management, $188,900 for abatement, and $109,450 for flooring. The committee also gave retroactive approval to an out-of-state field trip to the Connecticut River Museum in Essex, Connecticut, after Superintendent Brian Becker acknowledged the paperwork was delayed in the nurses office amid COVID-19 contact tracing. The open Montague School Committee seat remains unfilled, with a December 20 deadline for letters of interest and a planned appointment vote on December 21.