SOUTH DEERFIELD — With the scope and price of Frontier Regional School’s fire alarm replacement project changing, requests are coming before each of the four community’s selectboards to allocate more money.

The district previously allocated $200,000 of excess and deficiency money during the fiscal year 2025 budgeting process. Excess and deficiency is the balance, whether positive or negative, in a district’s general fund at the end of a fiscal year. However, the district needs more funding to fully replace the fire alarm system at Frontier, as the cost came in higher than anticipated.

Selectboards in the four member towns are now being asked to approve another $200,000 in excess and deficiency money to fully fund the replacement project.

Superintendent Darius Modestow said the School Committee approved the allocation of additional money, but the matter needs to come before each of the member towns because Frontier is a regional school district. Once it is approved by the communities, Frontier will still have about $450,000 left in its excess and deficiency account, which in the past has been used to reduce town assessments.

“This is a straightforward project that simply needs additional funding,” he said. “Using E&D makes the most logical sense, as the project was already approved and avoids the need to go back to taxpayers for additional funds.”

While the school is replacing the out-of-date system, Modestow said the current fire alarm system does work, although it has “caused a significant number of false alarms,” placing an “unfortunate burden” on the South Deerfield Fire District.

“The existing panel cannot be upgraded. Therefore the new system will include a new panel and sensor units,” Modestow explained. “We will also add new strobes, repair or replace failing sound units, and bring the system up to new building and fire code.”

Two towns have already approved the appropriations. The Deerfield Selectboard gave unanimous approval when it came before the board at its Nov. 20 meeting and the Whately Selectboard followed up with its own unanimous vote on Tuesday evening.

“This is a done deal, you have to have this done,” Selectboard member Blake Gilmore said, noting that the current system is decades old. “It’s definitely time.”

“I would like the fire system to work properly at the school,” Whately Selectboard member Joyce Palmer-Fortune said.

To move the appropriation forward, three of the four communities must approve it (state law requires a two-thirds vote from member towns). Once approved, Modestow said the district would like to go out to bid by February 2025 and work will be done during summer 2025.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.