By JENNIFER CLAISE
Staff Writer

School officials estimate there will be about $1.1 million left unspent from the bond for Cawley and Memorial schools — money they now hope to use for repairs at Underhill School and renovations at the SAU office.

SAU 15 Superintendent Armand LaSelva said the school board will ask voters in March to approve a warrant article changing the purpose of the original bond to allow them to conduct the repairs and renovations.

LaSelva said the savings are the result of low bids for the projects and careful management of all related expenses.

He said he and school board members toured Underhill earlier this year and found the heating and ventilation system inadequate.

“It’s just old,” LaSelva said. “And correcting it now would likely lead to savings later on because of increased efficiency.”

Fixing the heating and ventilation system is likely to be the most expensive part of the project, according to early estimates, LaSelva said.

Other requested repairs at the school include the replacement of floor tiles and some restroom facilities, he added.

However, he stressed that there are currently no safety issues at the school.

Officials hope to use the remainder of the balance to upgrade conditions at the SAU offices on Farmer Road. SAU 15 serves Hooksett, Candia and Auburn.

At the offices, LaSelva said some windows are cracked, and others are just in generally poor condition due to age, among other problems.

“With the additional money, we believe we’d be able to do both jobs,” LaSelva said.

While the repairs and renovations – if approved – would have no effect on the tax rate, LaSelva said that the extra money would ordinarily be used to retire part of the bond early.