MOUNT VERNON — On Thursday, Mount Vernon superintendent Steve Short showed school board members Ian Watson and Margie Bennett — and the Mount Vernon News — some of the energy-efficient upgrades being completed at the middle school.
Two new replacement boilers are part of the upgrade. Short said that although the district has spent a lot of money and the maintenance staff has worked diligently to keep the old system running, it just “is not functioning the way we want it to. It has not been cost-effective.” One of the problems is evident in warmer weather, Short said. “When it is 45 degrees out, they kick themselves up to the full rate. ... Also, they are on their last legs. ... the company that originally installed the boilers is out of business and it makes it difficult to get parts to make repairs.”
The new boilers can be operated in tandem at a lower rate and will use less energy than the old system. Watson said the new controls associated with the new heating system are more sophisticated and are much more efficient.
Two new chillers will also help maintain air quality, and with the heating and cooling systems working properly, Short said, the middle school will no longer have a “cave-like” atmosphere, and will not be a place where mold is going to live. The chiller portion of the project is expected to be completed by May 1.
Lighting upgrades at the middle school and in the high school and Pleasant Street gymnasiums are also part of the project and will result in the largest cost-savings to the district. The classroom of Deb D’Ettore was one of the first to be fitted with new lights and ballasts. The students are better able to see the board from the back of the room, D’Ettore said, and the colors are brighter and the classroom just looks nicer. The first day the students came in D’Ettore continued, they all said, “Wow, this is so nice.” Because the ballasts are more adjustable, D’Ettore can regulate the lights to fit the learning activity, like turning them lower when working with the Smartboard. “It’s helping us to use the technology better and do what we need to do,” she said. “We’re thankful.”
Bennett said the board undertook the project to make sure the middle school is an appropriate learning environment. “This is a beautiful building,” she said. “We really want to maintain its efficiency and keep it functioning. ... It has been either too hot or too cold in parts of the building, and I think the teachers are going to be grateful the situation is being taken care of.”
To pay for the $1.3 million project, the board took out a $500,000 no-interest loan (through the state), put $500,000 down (from permanent improvement money), and borrowed the rest, as permitted through HB 264. Short said that by putting money down, taxpayers in the district will save close to $400,000 to $500,000 over the life of the loan. “That, we feel, is using taxpayer money the way the taxpayers would like to see it done. Because the loan payments will be made from money resulting from energy cost savings, we can make these improvements and still save the taxpayers’ money.”MOUNT VERNON — On Thursday, Mount Vernon superintendent Steve Short showed school board members Ian Watson and Margie Bennett — and the Mount Vernon News — some of the energy-efficient upgrades being completed at the middle school.
Two new replacement boilers are part of the upgrade. Short said that although the district has spent a lot of money and the maintenance staff has worked diligently to keep the old system running, it just “is not functioning the way we want it to. It has not been cost-effective.” One of the problems is evident in warmer weather, Short said. “When it is 45 degrees out, they kick themselves up to the full rate. ... Also, they are on their last legs. ... the company that originally installed the boilers is out of business and it makes it difficult to get parts to make repairs.”
The new boilers can be operated in tandem at a lower rate and will use less energy than the old system. Watson said the new controls associated with the new heating system are more sophisticated and are much more efficient.
Two new chillers will also help maintain air quality, and with the heating and cooling systems working properly, Short said, the middle school will no longer have a “cave-like” atmosphere, and will not be a place where mold is going to live. The chiller portion of the project is expected to be completed by May 1.
Lighting upgrades at the middle school and in the high school and Pleasant Street gymnasiums are also part of the project and will result in the largest cost-savings to the district. The classroom of Deb D’Ettore was one of the first to be fitted with new lights and ballasts. The students are better able to see the board from the back of the room, D’Ettore said, and the colors are brighter and the classroom just looks nicer. The first day the students came in D’Ettore continued, they all said, “Wow, this is so nice.” Because the ballasts are more adjustable, D’Ettore can regulate the lights to fit the learning activity, like turning them lower when working with the Smartboard. “It’s helping us to use the technology better and do what we need to do,” she said. “We’re thankful.”
Bennett said the board undertook the project to make sure the middle school is an appropriate learning environment. “This is a beautiful building,” she said. “We really want to maintain its efficiency and keep it functioning. ... It has been either too hot or too cold in parts of the building, and I think the teachers are going to be grateful the situation is being taken care of.”
To pay for the $1.3 million project, the board took out a $500,000 no-interest loan (through the state), put $500,000 down (from permanent improvement money), and borrowed the rest, as permitted through HB 264. Short said that by putting money down, taxpayers in the district will save close to $400,000 to $500,000 over the life of the loan. “That, we feel, is using taxpayer money the way the taxpayers would like to see it done. Because the loan payments will be made from money resulting from energy cost savings, we can make these improvements and still save the taxpayers’ money.”
