Four years into Wiscasset School Department’s energy-saving steps with Siemens, the savings are surpassing the contractor’s annual guarantee, Siemens told the school committee June 13. Company representatives said the department’s investment will be paid off in about year 12 or 13 of the 20-year contract and then the rest will be all be “excess savings” as students and staff continue to benefit from the improved lighting, insulation and more.

Good lighting and a comfortable temperature help keep students engaged, Siemens’ Kelechi Chuckwunenye said. “I don’t know about you, but if I’m freezing the last thing I’m going to care about is what’s going on in my math class.”

Maintenance and Transportation Director John Merry and school committee member Jason Putnam, now chair, supported the project when it was proposed in 2016 and the committee nodded it; in 2017, town voters said no and the committee, in consultation with counsel, found it could proceed anyway, according to Wiscasset Newspaper files.

In a phone interview and email responses June 15, Merry recalled Siemens did all the bid documents for the different aspects of the project, did the vendor interviews, bid openings, concept drawings, provided administrative and engineering support, project management, satisfied all code and state requirements, and spent several months negotiating with lending agencies to secure project funding; and the department took out a bank loan of about $1.4 million.

The performance agreement took effect Feb. 26, 2019, Siemens’ slideshow said. Reviewing year four, which ended Jan. 31, Chuckwunenye said the contract guaranteed $64,639 in energy savings but the department ended up saving $75,595. Four years in, guaranteed savings total $247,478; actual, $285,189. “So you guys are crushing it, in terms of your energy savings and your cost-savings ... The project is very healthy and is over-performing expectations, so it’s been well worth your investment.”

In a phone interview June 14, Putnam said, “The whole thing has worked out great, and the savings are big. Plus the students were uncomfortable before,” he recalled. “One room would be too hot, one room would be too cold.”

“It was a worthwhile thing to do,” Merry said June 15 about the project.

Also June 13, the committee recognized retirees: Educational technician Mary Bailey, nurse Marilyn Sprague, special education teacher Brion Controvillas and social studies teacher Susan Townsend have all have been “very valuable assets,” Putnam said.

Fourth grade teachers Kaden Pendleton and Becky Hallowell said students created an interactive field guide of trees around Wiscasset Elementary School. Access the guide via wiscassetschools.org

Crazy Hat Day and a visit by reindeer were among rewards WES students earned this school year for being safe, respectful and responsible, school counselor Neera Harmon told the committee. Harmon said 80% of students followed expectations all the time. “This is amazing, and was not true when we first started the programming” seven years ago, she added. Sharing data helped staff see the value, she said.