CHESHIRE, Mass. — The Selectmen are irked that the failing boiler room roof in the former Plunkett School in Adams is still not fixed. 

 

The board shared its displeasure after meeting with Robert Putnam, superintendent of the Adams-Cheshire Regional School District, on Tuesday.

 

"It isn't fixed, he has no date, it hasn't gone out to bid yet and he doubts it will be fixed before the school year starts," Selectwoman Carol Francesconi said. "That's the bottom line."

 

Adams town meeting had pledged $130,000 to repair the roof at what is now Hoosac Valley Elementary School. The repairs were supposed to start this past spring. 

 

With the closing of Cheshire Elementary School, the district compiled a list of capital repairs at Hoosac Valley Elementary, which will now house Grades prekindergarten through 3.

 

During school consolidation discussions in the beginning of the year, Adams again committed to repairing the roof but the project was put off while the town tried to solicit more reasonable estimates. In late December, the Adams Selectmen were informed by Putnam that the project was more complex because the ceiling had to be removed as well. 

 

Francesconi said she'd lost faith that Adams will replace the roof. 

 

"They close Cheshire School and they are going to get all of these repairs done before school opened and nothing has been done," she said. "It won't be fixed for September and I guarantee it still won't be done by next spring." 

 

Chairman Robert Ciskowski said Putnam had told the board that the roof is structurally sound with the interim repairs the district made and there is no mold.

 

Selectman Edmund St. John IV, recently a School Committee member, did not feel this was the case.

 

"He said there is no mold but quite frankly, I would like to see that because on those tours I went down there and took photos of what really looked like mold," he said. 

 

In other business, the Selectmen decided to go forward with replacing the lights in the town garage and salt shed with more efficient LEDs.

 

"I think it is one of those things where it is an investment up front but it will pay for itself down the road," Highway Superintendent Blair Crane said. "Electricity isn't getting any cheaper and the town isn't going anywhere."  

 

The current lights are antiquated and many no longer work.

 

Crane said the change out would cost $17,000 but National Grid would cover more than 40 percent of the cost. 

 

Through the more efficient lighting, he said, the town would see a payback in the garage within five years and at the salt shed in a little more three.

 

Crane said the town could apply the program for all town buildings but the payback would not be as drastic. 

 

"The Town Hall Annex would pay off in 33 years just because you don't use enough electricity," he said. "It has to do with how much you use and the light fixtures you have in there ... maybe the fire station would be good to look at next."