On Monday the Up-Island School District agreed to grant West Tisbury more representation during the completion of more than $1.5 million worth of repairs to the West Tisbury School in the coming months.

While selectmen had hoped to assemble a formal building committee to oversee the repairs, on Monday they were content to heed the recommendations of the school committee and simply add three members to the school district’s own building committee.

“If this drags on, and organizing a committee would probably do that, there could be increased costs,” said Vineyard schools superintendant Dr. James H. Weiss. “I wish we had had this conversation two months ago.”

Mr. Weiss was also stung by newspaper reports of the selectmen’s displeasure with the school committee.

“I’m not comfortable going forward with another building committee when the newspaper quoted people saying the school committee isn’t up to the job,” he said.

Mr. Weiss said that establishing a new committee could complicate the effort to begin repairs in early June. The town will begin to solicit bids later this month, and Mr. Weiss said that the project could last for more than a year. Selectman Cynthia Mitchell agreed that the town should pursue the most efficient solution.

“I think it would be a shame to impede the forward progress of this project,” she said, agreeing instead to appoint three members to the school committee’s five-person building committee. Selectmen will appoint their three representatives in the coming weeks.

The up-Island regional school district currently leases the building from the town of West Tisbury but the town is assessed 80 per cent of the costs of its operation. For a repair job that has recently swelled to seven figures, after a feasibility study revealed widespread rot and leaks, that means a big bill for the town, which has recently embarked on two other major capital expense projects: the West Tisbury Free Public Library renovation and the new police station. The town’s capital improvements planning committee has recommended that the town pay for the repairs through a longer term — perhaps 15-year — bond. In a presentation before the selectmen last month, Vineyard public schools business administrator Amy Tierney said annual payments for bonds with a 15-year term would range between $83,200 and $128,000.

“It was the price tag [of the project] that got everyone’s attention,” said selectman Jeffrey (Skipper) Manter on Monday.