The Salisbury Township School District school board held its operations committee meeting Oct. 6 and opened with Board President George Gatanis issuing an apology for heated remarks from his seat during the last month’s board meeting, saying, “I didn’t think and I let what my ears heard go right to my mouth without passing through my brain first.”

Board Secretary Michael Taylor gave an update on the debt restructuring plan the board approved back in June, mentioning the plan worked extremely favorably for the district, citing savings of about $285,000 from initial projections. A discussion of various capital improvements planned followed, with information presented by Taylor and Director of Facilities William Brackett.

Highlights included a projected need to replace the HVAC system at Salisbury Middle School. Installed in 2005, the units generally only have about a 15-20 year life span. They have estimated the current cost to maintain the system in place, as opposed to replacing it, would be an additional $500,000 per year, a cost that will continue to rise over time.

Compounding the issue is the fact many of the parts for the system currently in use are buried deep in walls and the control system used is no longer able to be maintained because it is obsolete.

Also in the middle school, other needed capital improvements include replacing the wood shop heating unit as soon as possible, with a price tag of around $23,000; updating the roof, which is only under warranty until 2025; installing a new fire monitoring system and various infrastructure projects such as exterior wall caulking and patio space repair.

Also discussed were improvements needed at Salisbury Elementary School, including updated window systems, ceiling grid and tiles, as well as a recurring issue of water penetration in the B and C pods in the building. Brackett speculated the water issue was likely not a result just of severe weather events, but also of the drainage system beneath the building which would not be accessible to repair.

Brackett said timing on these projects is crucial, as once you move further into the school year, most contractors are spoken for and bids received will be fewer. The remaining contractors will be at a premium price. He urged the board to begin conversations about renovation versus new construction for school buildings.

Salisbury’s Coordinator of Technology Chris Smith provided an update on needed improvements for the board room’s sound system, which creates volume irregularities and intermittent, unexpected microphones cutting out and problems with events recorded or streamed live to viewers at home. The proposal, to be voted on at a later date, will include provisions for new microphones as well as solutions for sound interference.

The next meeting of the operations committee will be held 7 p.m. Nov. 3.