By Jodi Wolfe
Staff Writer

The Allenstown School Board has set a final $3,483,730 estimate on the proposed 10-year bond for an addition to Allenstown Elementary School and renovations to the town’s two schools.

Previously, the school board was looking at $3,260,000 estimate on a bond for the addition, prepared by Ross Currier of Conneston Construction Inc. and Kurt Lauer of Lauer Architects. Then the board decided to make changes to the security systems and kitchens of the two schools. Currier and Lauer also suggested adding a price-escalation contingency because steel and wood markets have increased prices greatly and will continue to increase from now until the addition is built.

The board reached a decision to increase the budget estimate by $223,730 before its first meeting with the budget committee on Thursday, Dec. 16.

The 6.8 percent increase includes 22 additional parking spaces at the elementary school, a price-escalation contingency, a $26,230 kitchen upgrade to the elementary school, $29,755 in kitchen upgrades to Armand R. Dupont School, as well as $44,000 for security updates to the two schools.

The kitchen upgrades at the elementary school include a new walk-in freezer, additional sinks, an island, a warming oven, a new garbage disposal, replacing existing sinks, adding more electrical outlets, as well as remodeling space to make the kitchen bigger, said Thomas Irzyk, vice chairman of the school board.

At the Dec. 9 school board meeting, Allenstown Elementary School Principal Theresa Kenney told the board that the elementary school’s freezer has not be replaced since the school opened in 1962.

The kitchen at the elementary school services both of the town’s schools.

While the Dupont School’s kitchen will be updated, there will still not be enough room to cook meals at the Dupont school kitchen, but there would be more room to prepare, said Irzyk.

The kitchen updates at Dupont include new warming ovens, new sinks and updating the facilities. “The facilities are way out of date, electrical-wise,” said Irzyk.

The proposed security system would cost $22,000 for each school, providing complete card access for the entire school.

The administration would be able to change the code as staff come and go, as well as lose cards, said Irzyk.

The 22 additional parking spaces would total 44 parking spaces at Allenstown Elementary School. The new parking spaces would be built on an old basketball court in the back of the school. Then all faculty members would park behind the building.

This would leave the front parking open to buses and visitors only, and eliminate parking where students walk on their way into the school building, said Irzyk.

If the addition passes, construction would start in July 2005 and continue to March of 2006, said Currier.

The school board expects to get 60 percent reimbursement from the state to pay for the addition and the renovations.

The board looked into a five-year bond, but a 10-year bond made more sense, said Irzyk.

The current bond rate is 4.498 percent, with a tax rate increase of 34 cents per $1,000 of property value for the first year, $1.11 in the second year, then decreasing each year to 56 cents per $1,000 in the 10th year, said Irzyk.

On Thursday, Dec. 30, the budget committee voted to approve both the school board’s operating budget and the bond budget.

Public bond hearings and public bond information sessions possibly combined with the Allenstown Building Space Needs Committee will take place in the near future, said Irzyk.