NORTHFIELD — The Selectboard settled on a contract with M.L. Schmitt Electric from Springfield for repairs to electrical and fire alarm systems at Northfield Elementary School during its meeting on Monday.
According to Selectboard member Heath Cummings, M.L. Schmitt recently conducted an electrical project at Hillcrest Elementary School in Turners Falls. Stating his approval for the contract, he said the company was “accurate” and efficient in its work.
Town Administrator Andrea Llamas said the concurrent projects at Northfield Elementary will include needed improvements to the school’s electrical systems.
“They will be upgrading all the computer connections and the clocks, and phones for the classrooms,” she said.
Other projects involve repairing the intercom systems and replacing carpet and tile.
During Annual Town Meeting on June 29, voters approved approximately $159,000 for completion of these projects. Llamas said this vote and added money allowed the town to include improvements to the school’s fire alarm system in the bundle of projects.
“It just made sense that these all get packaged when they’re opening up the walls and ceiling, to run all of these concurrently,” she said. “And the bids … fall squarely under the amount of funding that’s now available.”
Llamas said the town had planned to start these projects as soon as the school year ended, but because Town Meeting was delayed, the projects were unable to start. She said on Monday that the contractor is ready to order materials and equipment to start as soon as possible following the Selectboard’s approval.
“Even the school agreed that it was well worth going a little bit into the school (year) if we have to, to get it all done,” Llamas added.
However, Selectboard member Tracy Rogers noted it is unclear if students will even be occupying the building space in the fall, or if remote learning will continue instead due to the pandemic.
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.