Wiscasset could save about $500,000 over five years by farming out cleaning work at its schools, one company's leaders told the school committee on April 9.

But that figure will depend on the services the town wants, said Leo Bifulco, owner and president of Benchmark Cleaning & Supply in Portland. Wiscasset may not buy any services from the company, which serves Regional School Unit 1, based in Bath, and several other school departments; committee members asked some questions, but made no decisions following the company's pitch.

Costs for any custodial services the company would not provide need to be determined, also, members said. Regional School Unit 12's Maintenance and Transportation Director John Merry advised the committee to pay attention to details such as whether the company's workers would replace light tubes, interact with vendors, and do plumbing and electrical repair.

The schools' custodial staff does all those things, plus the cleaning, Merry said. “Those (are) important details that kind of get overlooked.”

Some members of the Wiscasset schools' custodial staff attended the presentation. Jeff Speed, head custodian at Wiscasset High School, has been on the job 40 years; Tim Delano, Wiscasset Middle School's head custodian, 34 years.

They were just there to listen, they said.

Wiscasset schools have a total of 10 custodians, all of whom are in a union, Merry said.

Benchmark, founded by Bifulco's father in 1966, has saved school systems $7.6 million in the last 14 years, according to Bifulco and his son Andrew Bifulco, the company's vice president.

RSU 1, the customer nearest Wiscasset, has saved $2.1 million in its seven years with Benchmark, Andrew Bifulco said. The company has tools and methods to ensure surfaces are disinfected, providing the safest possible environment for students, he said.

“We understand that these are somebody’s children.”

Committee addresses Nichols step-down

Also April 9, the committee formally accepted member Sharon Nichols' resignation, effective in June.

Vice Chairman Steve Smith said he was disappointed that Nichols said she was leaving because she could not support a three-school budget; the committee is heading toward a change to two schools, but more time is needed, he said.

“It's just a matter of timing,” he said.

Nichols was not at the meeting.