The Salisbury Township School Board held an operations committee meeting July 31 to receive an update on the investigation into the leaks in the kitchen area at Salisbury High School and the progress of the updated capital improvement plan.

Additional topics discussed were the possibility of securing D’Huy Engineering on retainer, the progress of the HVAC project at the middle school and overview of the summer cleaning projects.

Andrew Mather from D’Huy Engineering started the meeting with a report on the roof leaks over the kitchen area in the high school. After an inspection of the two drains situated on the roof, it has been determined that while there is a clear path to the french drains below, when heavy rains occur the water backs up to the roof, ponding occurs and the water follows the path of least resistance as it finds its way into the building. It became evident only one of the drains is experiencing this problem when saturated pipe insulation was detected.

Garland Roofing, which holds the warranty for the roof, was called in to inspect and it appears seals within the drain are failing which could be a contributing factor.

It is recommended the current adjustable roof drains be replaced with a retrofit style to alleviate the problem. The cost for the new drains would be approximately $2,600. Following installation D’Huy recommends monitoring the condition and if it persists water will then be rerouted to the nearest stormwater inlet.

Mather also presented a timeline for the districtwide capital improvement plan which includes gathering input from administration as well as Bill Brackett, director of facilities and his maintenance and utility crews, building site surveying, prioritizing projects, updating the budgets and finalizing the plan. The updated plan should be completed and presented to the board at the November meeting.

The board discussed at length the possibility of securing D’Huy on retainer as opposed to requesting services on an on-call basis. Brackett reviewed the engineering costs over the past three years and compared them to the $1,800 per month retainer fee and concluded the projects the district will be tackling over the next two years do not warrant the $21,600 yearly outlay for retainer services.

Director Rebecca Glenister asked for further clarification of the benefits of a retainer to which Mather explained a yearly update of the capital improvement plan would provide more accurate costs of upcoming projects.

One caveat to the retainer is that costs are not all-inclusive. For instance, the recent engineering consultation concerning the modular classrooms at Salisbury Elementary School would not have been covered under the terms of the retainer agreement.

The board ultimately decided to table the discussion until next month and have Mather return with more information about the different types of retainers D’Huy offers as well as the cost of an annual capital improvement plan update without a retainer.

Also slated for upcoming replacement is the Salisbury Middle School roof which is covered under warranty until 2024 but is showing its age. Brackett asked the board give the go ahead to enlist D’Huy Engineering to investigate the condition of the roof, determine the scope of the project and prepare a cost proposal to put together a bid so the work can be done during the summer of 2024.

Without a defined cost for the project, the board was reluctant to set the wheels in motion and requested D’Huy present them with the actual costs for a bid proposal at next month’s meeting.

Brackett continued with an update on the summer cleaning occurring within each building. He reported classrooms were emptied and cleaned top to bottom including walls, lighting, furniture, flooring and rugs. In hallways and other areas of the building floors were cleaned and floor finish applied in several layers.

Since the middle school is undergoing HVAC replacement throughout the building, staff in those buildings have been assigned to clean in other buildings. Once construction is complete, much of the custodial staff will descend on the middle school to get it in shape for the first day of classes.

Brackett gave an overview of the many projects in the process of being completed districtwide including tile work in the art room at the high school, retiling in the SES nurse’s office as well as new stair treads throughout the building.

Additionally, all buildings will receive new exterior security cameras which require staff to thread new wiring throughout the buildings.

The board did grant approval to repoint and repair a brick retaining wall at the middle school at a cost of $34,200.

Superintendent Lynn Fuini-Hetten acknowledged the custodial staff for all their hard work getting buildings ready.

The next item up for discussion was to prioritize how $2.9 million from the 2019 bond project will be appropriated. Bond money must be spent by 2027 and there were several projects Brackett priced out. If the bond money is not spent in accordance with the timetable, fees are incurred.

Several capital projects were presented and discussed including a prefabricated storage unit for sports equipment to replace failing wooden sheds, a boiler replacement in the high school, installation of a safer bleacher system in the middle school and a replacement cover for a water meter pit near the administration building.

After weighing all options and considering pricing, Director Sarah Nemitz proposed the boiler replacement and the water meter pit cover appeared to be the most pressing projects in the short term. The other projects should be included in the updated capital improvement plan. Board members agreed to gather more information and make a final decision at the August regular school board meeting.

The next regular school board meeting will be held 7 p.m. Aug. 16. The next operations and finance committee meeting will be held 7 p.m. Sept. 6. All meetings are held in the administration building, 1140 Salisbury Road, Allentown.