Alternative Organizational Structure (AOS) 98 Facilities Director Dave Benner told Boothbay-Boothbay Harbor Community School District trustees Jan. 5 the Boothbay Region Elementary School generator is dead. The $80,000 unit, just 13 months old with 17 hours of runtime, timed out of its warranty in December.

A Power Products technician discovered the problem during a routine inspection around the New Year, said Benner. “He went to start it up and it shot some fire out of the stator which converts the rotating magnetic field to a current. It's a pretty significant part.”

Benner contacted Lewis and Malm architect Charles Earley who drew up the bid language for the installation, engineer and installer, Travers Electric of Skowhegan. Earley said he would expect either generator company Kohler or the seller would be responsive to the issue, but Benner said no one, including the inspector, had replied by Jan. 5 afternoon.

Benner said a representative from Kohler will inspect the unit and the damage and he is hoping the company will step in considering the unit is nearly new and all upkeep has been done as recommended by the company. The generator will be removed from its outer shell and the stator separated for repair. The cost and timeline for repair are unknown. Benner estimates it will take months.

Power Products has a rental generator available, he said. Delivery, setup and removal will cost $1,550 and $2,695 per month for the rental, though Benner said he has not yet tried other companies. Trustees agreed with Benner that the school cannot go without a generator.

“It's not a good time of the year for this thing to be down ... We're the emergency shelter for Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor and any overflow from Southport or Edgecomb. With the generator we have, we had that spec'd to run that whole building.”

Benner also reported winter break work went smoothly: Kitchen cabinets and a sink were replaced in the BRES special education room; the Boothbay Region High School exam room was re-tiled; all heating and ventilation filters were replaced in both schools; various lights and ballasts were replaced; and most of the requested painting and extra cleaning were executed.

AOS 98 Superintendent Robert Kahler said he spoke about the future of the school resource officer’s funding with Boothbay Harbor Police Chief Bob Hasch and the town early in the school year. Boothbay Harbor taxpayers have covered the cost since former Town Manager Tom Woodin's and former Superintendent Eileen King's tenures. So it has not been shared by Boothbay taxpayers and with police officer shortages and budget woes, continuing to shoulder the cost might be hard for the town and PD, he said.

“It was a short conversation about a month after I got here and then everyone's been right out straight. I wanted to revisit that and it may be if it's the direction we need to go in, is it something we can phase in?”