Students in the Gillett School District will see changes in their classrooms this fall due to energy-saving projects completed this summer.
The School Board on Thursday toured the secondary school building to see some of the changes first-hand, including new heating equipment, automatic flush toilets and new sink fixtures in bathrooms, and upgraded lighting in classrooms and hallways.
Classrooms were modified by lowering ceilings and installing energy efficient air exchange vents. In addition, asbestos was removed in problem areas.
“It’s so much better,” Secondary School Principal Steve Linssen said.
Superintendent Todd Carlson praised Honeywell Project Manager Chris DeLeeuw for the equipment layout, which provides better accessibility for servicing the heating equipment.
“One of the hard things to do was change the filters,” he said. “(DeLeeuw) made sure there is easy access for when they need to be changed. I’m really happy with that.”
DeLeeuw summed up the project by saying, “To date, under budget!”
Funds for the $2.975 million energy-savings project were approved by the School Board in December when it applied for an energy savings exemption to the revenue limit, then secured a 10-year loan at an interest rate of just under 3 percent. Annual payments of an estimated $350,000 are to be offset by the approximate $67,000 in energy savings guaranteed by Energy Services Group, the district’s consulting firm for the project.
DeLeeuw said the project will be completed by the end of the calendar year. Calibrating the temperature controls will be completed after school starts.
“The controls are the last thing in because they take the longest to tune. It takes cold weather to tune, to be sure everything is working correctly,” he said.
Categories
