PETERBOROUGH — Residents and officials from nine towns toured ConVal High School Monday in an effort to expose voters to the quality of the buildings and the merits of the bond proposal.

Architects, School Board members and ConVal students were on hand to answer questions about the facility, much of which has been largely unaltered since its construction 40 years ago.

The majority of a proposed $4.9 million bond is designed to address issues of noncompliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. It will also address instances of noncompliance with Title IX, which mandates equal access for both genders.

In addition, numerous parts of the building are noncompliant with fire, building and life safety codes, according to architects.

While primarily intended to address code-related and legal concerns, the bond would also provide for additional repairs. Forty-year-old air handling units in the gymnasium would be replaced. According to Facilities Director Tim Grossi, air should be circulated in the gym with a mixture of 11 to 19 percent outside air. This maximizes oxygen levels and the health of occupants. Due to faulty, broken, and inefficient air-handling units, there is currently no fresh air being circulated in the gym, even during crowded events, he said. A new system would monitor carbon dioxide levels to adjust dampers for maximum air quality and efficiency, he said.

Shower stalls are currently run from a single valve. If one person wants to use a shower, 30 stalls are activated. A ramp would replace a wheelchair lift that does not meet ADA standards and is so cumbersome that most students using wheelchairs or crutches go outside and around the building in snow and rain to access the gymnasium end of the school.

William Fenno of Sharon said the tour was “shocking.”

“I had no idea, prior to that meeting, how shabby that building is,” said Fenno. “This creates in our students the impression that we don’t care about them, and I care very deeply about them. I think our children deserve better.”

Fenno said he likely would have voted for the bond in any case, but the tour has changed his motivation for doing so. He said, however, that he could understand that many would be hesitant to approve any expenditure in the current economic climate. During the tour, Fenno said, he heard from individuals who were moved by the building’s deterioration, but felt incapable of supporting the bond.

“The concerns are appropriate,” said Fenno. “But it’s a good time to invest in these improvements because we can get them done cheaper.”

Fenno referred to the funding plan for the bond, which includes 55 percent reimbursement from the state building aid program. Combined with other planned building maintenance in the next five years, the School Board has estimated the district will complete $8 million of work for $4 million if the bond passes.

Beverly Bacon, Peterborough School Board representative, wrote in an e-mail that the board would continue to propose bonds for the repairs until they are done.

“We will not be deterred because this is not only the legal thing to do, it is the moral thing to do,” wrote Bacon, who said she was pleased by the turnout Monday night. “Our favorite quote from the tour? Someone described the boys’ locker room as having ‘throbbing mold growth.’ Gives you the willies, doesn’t it?”

This story appears on Page 1 on the Jan. 28 Ledger Transcript.