Wind company offers to bail out school

WOODSTOCK — It started with a throw away line at the Woodstock Elementary School PTA meeting on February 3.

Tom Carroll, of Patriot Renewables, asked what his company could do to help the PTA. A parent jokingly said "Cut us a check for $120,000." Earlier that week the SAD 44 School Committee had voted to cut the WES budget by this amount, possibly leading to staff cuts at the last public school in Woodstock.

At the next meeting, on March 3, Carroll was back with an offer to do so. He said it was from monies set aside by Patriot Renewables to defend any appeals to the Main Supreme Court. The Department of Environmental Protection granted the permits allowing construction of 10 wind turbines on Spruce Mountain in Woodstock. The appellate time is up on Thursday.

Carroll said the idea was to replace the monies that had been cut, in order to preserve the staffing level at WES. "We would like to keep the money here; it is our intent to put it into Woodstock," Carroll commented.

There appears to be no provision in Maine law preventing such a donation, but it would be up to the school board as to how the money is actually spent.

SAD 44 Superintendent David Murphy had not heard from Patriot as of Tuesday afternoon. As to the proposed gift, Dr. Murphy said "This would be pretty unique. I can't say we've never encountered something like this but I haven't seen anything like it in the 27 years I have been in the district."

Board member Sheryl Morgan had not been formally notified of the proposal, but "I presume it should be" on the board's agenda for its meeting on Monday, March 14 at Telstar High School at 7 p.m.