EL school board OKs service agreement

BY JEFF HORVATH
Times-Shamrock Writer

The Elk Lake School Board voted unanimously on Thursday to approve a three year, almost $56,000, planned service agreement with Johnson Controls Inc.

Over the past three years Elk Lake has made major upgrades to its energy infrastructure, installing a new system that is significantly more energy and cost efficient.

Nonetheless, the system is also more complicated, so JCI representatives must train Elk Lake’s maintenance staff how to keep it operating smoothly in order to guarantee energy savings.

The service agreement approved Thursday finances this training, and also finances 40 hours of “emergency services” per year. Essentially, this means that Elk Lake pays JCI to be on-call in case something goes wrong with the system, and has pre-paid for 40 hours of their time, per year, to resolve any issues.

Elk Lake and the SCCTC will split the cost of the agreement.

During the first year of the agreement, JCI employees will work 12 eight-hour workdays (once a month) training the maintenance staff and performing routine checks and mechanical upgrades to the system.

The total cost of services in year one is $21,960, of which Elk Lake will pay $19,325 and the SCCTC will pay $2,635.

In year two, JCI will work six eight-hour days at a total cost of $21,662. This total cost also reflects updates to the system’s software that will be made in year two.

In year three, JCI will work only four days at a cost of $11,720.

The SCCTC will pay 20 percent of the total costs for years two and three.

Each year of the contract includes the 40 hours of on-call time.

In other business, the board approved the transfer of $50,000 from its budgetary reserve to its food service fund, and approved the Sterling Act, which provides a tax credit for residents of the school district who work in Philadelphia, for another year.

Elk Lake’s Cabot royalty payment for September was $3,108. That total rose to just over $5,000 in October.
The board also accepted with regret the resignation of elementary wrestling coach Rich Harvey.

Prior to the meeting Board President Anne Teel publicly thanked Alice Carr and Matthew Curley for their service on the school board.

They will be replaced by Abby Jones and John Pierson who were elected in November.

Carr served on the Board for 24 years, and Curley for eight years.

Teel also welcomed her new colleagues.

Principal Marc Weisgold lauded the elementary students who raised $20,000 for the American Cancer Society at Elk Lake’s mini-Relay for Life on Saturday, Nov. 14.

Moreover, both Weisgold and secondary Principal Brian Mallery said that Elk Lake’s Veterans’ Day ceremonies went very well.