Last Thursday the School Board voted 6-0 to move forward with an energy upgrade package to the main campus.  At the urging of the Oregon Department of Energy, the board met in special session to approve the energy project because energy  loan interest rates are expected to go up this week.

As stewards of public resources it was prudent to make this decision two weeks earlier than we had scheduled in order to save the district tens of thousands of dollars in increased interest fees. A copy of information presented to the board can be seen by .

Highlights from the project include:

• The project will be funded with a $583,136 Small Scale Local Energy Loan program, Senate Bill 1149 Energy Credits, and CEWO Grant Funding
• The project will generate nearly $21,000 in positive cash flow to the district for the life of the loan.
• Air quality in all classrooms will be improved.
• An additional boiler will be added to the High School/Gym complex to meet minimum heating requirements.
• New web based control systems will be purchased to maximize efficient use of boiler run times.
• Construction will likely begin by the first part of January and be completed by July.
• Energy use will be monitored for one year after project completion to validate energy savings.
• Should predicted energy savings not be realized McKinstry will reimburse the district for those unrealized energy savings.

This project is predicted to save energy, create a better learning environment, AND save the district money!  It is a win, Win, WIN!

The post School Board Moves Forward with Energy Upgrades/Cost Saving Measures by Randy Trani appeared first on 91¿´Æ¬Íø.

The 91¿´Æ¬Íø School Board will hold a special board meeting at 7:30 in the Grade School Cafeteria.  The purpose of the meeting will be for the board to determine if it will move forward with energy upgrades on the main campus. The district was contacted Monday by the Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) with regard to the energy project that the district has been investigating for more than 6 months.  ODOE advised the district that, because the district was scheduled to make a decision about this project at the next regularly scheduled board meeting on November 16th, that it would be in the best interest of the district if it made the decision prior to November 7th because interest rates associated with the SELP loan program are likely to go up after that date. Delaying even a few days could represent significant cost increase which is why this special meeting is necessary.

McKinstry industries has provided a guaranteed energy saving performance contract to the district for this project.  McKinstry guarantees a level of energy savings based upon the energy upgrades.  The money we save on the energy upgrades(based on current energy prices) will pay the entire cost of the loan (about $50,000 per year for 15 years) and provide an average of $16,000 positive cash to the district over the next 15 years.   A copy of the energy saving performance contract can be seen by clicking here.

It should be noted that the district is already spending this money.  Currently these dollars are being spent on oil and electricity.  We can reroute these dollars to purchase new equipment, significantly upgrade the learning environment, and provide a positive cash flow to the district.

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