Boiler plan on ballot
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
FORT FAIRFIELD — A central wood biomass heating plant — designed to offset at least 95 percent of the 41,696 gallons of heating oil used annually at Fort Fairfield schools — has been fully engineered and is awaiting a public vote to begin construction.
On Tuesday, Nov. 8, Fort Fairfield voters will be asked: “Do you favor authorizing the School Board of Maine School Administrative District No. 20 to undertake an energy conservation project including the installation of a biomass boiler and related renovations and improvements and also including the construction of an accessory building (the “Project”) with the total Project cost not to exceed $1,821,142 and to issue bonds or notes in the name of the school administrative district for school construction and/or minor capital project purposes in an amount not to exceed $1,321,142 with the balance of Project costs to be derived from a United States Department of Agriculture grant in the amount of $500,000 administered through the Maine Department of Conservation?”
According to Marc Gendron, SAD 20 superintendent, the proposed plant — combined with several small efficiency improvements in both the middle/high and elementary schools, which include new domestic hot water heating systems and Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) on pumps — will save $98,740 in energy costs in the first year of operation based on predicted and historical energy costs.
“The energy savings are being guaranteed by Trane, the prime contractor and energy services company for this project,” he said. “The wood chip boiler that has been selected for this project is a Hurst boiler; Hurst is one of the premier boiler manufacturers in the United States and has been in business for over 40 years.
“The wood chip fired boiler is being installed by local Aroostook County contractors and is expected to provide local jobs both during the construction phase and long-term jobs in the wood products industry for the 30-year anticipated life of the plant,” said Gendron, noting that the only reason the issue has to go to referendum is because officials changed the design plan. “We’re going with an above-ground storage for the wood chips. The reason we did that is because it saved us some money because where we were going to put the pit, we had problems with ledge and water. State law says that any time you build a building that’s greater than 600 square feet, you have to have voter approval, so that’s why it’s going to referendum.”
The total financed amount for the project will be $1,321,142.
“The project will be self-funding which means that the guaranteed energy savings will pay for the debt service over the financing period for the project,” said Gendron. “No local capital will need to be raised to support the project; local taxes will not be increased to fund the project. If this goes forward, we’re definitely going to save some money in the long haul, but the real savings is going to be when the project is paid off.
“Right now we’re seeking QSCAB financing, which is a government program that would allow us to get 0-percent financing,” he said. “We won’t know until after the election if we’ll receive the tax exempt financing. If the proper financing is in place, I believe this is in the best long-term interest of the school because it will save us money over a long period of time, and I think it’s the best thing for the community because we’re going to be using local resources and local labor to develop those resources instead of shipping our money overseas. If we don’t get the financing, the project’s not necessarily dead, but we’ll have to look at it because there would be increased costs.”
SAD 20 has been awarded $500,000 in federal matching funds by the Maine Forestry Service for the installation of the wood-biomass renewable energy project.
Though located at Fort Fairfield Middle/Senior High School, the district’s elementary school would also benefit from the project.
“We’re going to pipe the water from the high school to the elementary school underground in Tex tubing (an insulated pipe surrounded by Styrofoam),” Gendron said. “We’re going to dig a trench, lay the pipe about four feet underground, and the hot water that’s heated by our biomass boiler will go about 1,000 yards to the elementary school, connect to their boiler, and heat the water that will heat that building.”
Gendron said the district is currently spending between $135,000 and $150,000 in oil.
“Of that money, not much of it stays in our community,” he said. “By going to wood chips, instead of that money leaving our area, all the wood chips will be provided locally … anywhere from Houlton to Fort Kent. We’re not importing the chips from Canada or the South, and that will help us provide long-term jobs for the people that work in the woods, as well as those who process and deliver the chips. There will also be some temporary jobs in terms of the construction project.”
Residents can vote Nov. 8 from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. at the Fort Fairfield Community Center.
