BRODHEAD - The Brodhead School Board on Monday considered but ultimately shelved a discussion on how to handle an energy-efficiency project brought to a halt by a petition campaign.
The district had contracted with Honeywell Energy Services Group for the project, but canceled the contract last week when it became clear that a referendum couldn't be held before the terms of the contract ran out.
The board clerk, Jim Wahl, presented meticulous record-keeping on the 605 valid signatures submitted to the board to force a referendum on a loan for energy-saving improvements to district buildings.
Wahl received 66 petitions from 17 collectors, including board member Paul Donovan, who voted against the project. Donovan said he got an OK from the board before he petitioned for signatures.
About 30 people attended the meeting, but no one signed up to speak during the public comment period.
Superintendent Chuck Deery presented the board with four options - plus a fifth option he joked would get them "lynched."
Option 1: Hold a referendum by either running a special election this summer at a cost to the district of $13,000 to $15,000 or put the referendum on the fall ballot at a significantly lower cost.
Option 2: Just shelve the project, pay Honeywell for its $35,000 analysis and "walk away."
Option 3: Piecemeal some of the work recommended in the Honeywell study, using in part the $70,000 to $80,000 saved this mild winter on heating costs.
Option 4: Restart the whole process, giving the district a chance to rework the scope of the project and "strike while the iron is hot."
Option 5: Go ahead with the project, but put it all on next year's tax levy.
"Probably a bad idea," board member Michael Oellerich deadpanned after Deery described the last option.
The board discussed the options and the viability of using a combination-approach to a few of them, but ultimately decided the topic needed consideration in the Building and Grounds Committee, a subgroup that includes John King, building and grounds director, and board members Mike Krupke, Oellerich and Al Schneider.
Also at Monday night's meeting, the board decided how many seats to make available to open-enrollment applicants. After agonizing over class-size caps and hiring new teachers, the board voted to open eight seats in kindergarten, seven seats in first grade, two seats in second grade, two seats in third grade, 13 seats in fourth grade and two seats in fifth grade.
The district had contracted with Honeywell Energy Services Group for the project, but canceled the contract last week when it became clear that a referendum couldn't be held before the terms of the contract ran out.
The board clerk, Jim Wahl, presented meticulous record-keeping on the 605 valid signatures submitted to the board to force a referendum on a loan for energy-saving improvements to district buildings.
Wahl received 66 petitions from 17 collectors, including board member Paul Donovan, who voted against the project. Donovan said he got an OK from the board before he petitioned for signatures.
About 30 people attended the meeting, but no one signed up to speak during the public comment period.
Superintendent Chuck Deery presented the board with four options - plus a fifth option he joked would get them "lynched."
Option 1: Hold a referendum by either running a special election this summer at a cost to the district of $13,000 to $15,000 or put the referendum on the fall ballot at a significantly lower cost.
Option 2: Just shelve the project, pay Honeywell for its $35,000 analysis and "walk away."
Option 3: Piecemeal some of the work recommended in the Honeywell study, using in part the $70,000 to $80,000 saved this mild winter on heating costs.
Option 4: Restart the whole process, giving the district a chance to rework the scope of the project and "strike while the iron is hot."
Option 5: Go ahead with the project, but put it all on next year's tax levy.
"Probably a bad idea," board member Michael Oellerich deadpanned after Deery described the last option.
The board discussed the options and the viability of using a combination-approach to a few of them, but ultimately decided the topic needed consideration in the Building and Grounds Committee, a subgroup that includes John King, building and grounds director, and board members Mike Krupke, Oellerich and Al Schneider.
Also at Monday night's meeting, the board decided how many seats to make available to open-enrollment applicants. After agonizing over class-size caps and hiring new teachers, the board voted to open eight seats in kindergarten, seven seats in first grade, two seats in second grade, two seats in third grade, 13 seats in fourth grade and two seats in fifth grade.