SAD 1 bond referendum heads to voters June 11
By Scott Mitchell Johnson
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — SAD 1 voters will decide the fate of a bond referendum June 11 that would enable the district to spend $2.3 million on various energy-saving projects, many of which would see a relatively short-term payback, as well as numerous projects that would bring the schools up to code and improve safety and security.
Honeywell Building Solutions was commissioned last year to do an energy audit of SAD 1, and directors are ready to send a number of cost-saving measures to the voters.
“There are basically two objectives with this project — reduce energy and associated operating costs to the tune of 30 percent of existing budgetary baseline expenditures,” said Jim Lucy of Honeywell Building Solutions at a public hearing last Wednesday night, “and develop a turn-key, self-funded, performance-based project where you have one entity that is responsible for the design, implementation and installation of the work and the guarantee of its outcome.”
The scope of work would include converting from No. 2 fuel to liquefied petroleum (LP) gas at all five of the district’s buildings — Presque Isle High School, Presque Isle Middle School, and Mapleton, Pine Street and Zippel elementary schools.
Other components to the LP conversion would include combustion air upgrades at PIHS and Zippel, new dual fuel LP/oil burners on the boilers at all schools, required code upgrades for LP conversions at all schools, and new underground propane tanks at all schools.
The LP conversion project would cost $982,355 with an annual energy cost savings of $206,181. It would take 4.8 years for the project to “pay for itself.”
Another item Honeywell identified as a “good payback project” is building infiltration upgrades at all schools which includes things like weather stripping doors and adding insulation.
The building infiltration measures would cost $282,800 and would save the district $42,701 annually. It would see a payback in 6.6 years.
The final big-ticket cost and return item would be an interior and exterior lighting retrofit at all schools, which would cost $191,105 and save $21,451 per year. It would take 8.9 years to reach its payback.
“The way to look at this is it’s a lot of money to spend,” said Lucy, “but in short, it’s money that you’re already spending, and if you do nothing, you will continue to spend in energy line items by buildings to the various utility providers.
“This is a way to upgrade building assets, make things more efficient, put lower cost fuel sources in place and allow the reduction of those budget line items, reallocating them as budget neutral, and have this paid off in the projected window of time,” he said.
Lucy explained that in 10 years, the district would have “almost $1.5 million to the positive by making this investment” and nearly $3.4 million over 15 years.
“When folks are looking at ‘Do I vote for this or not?’ it’s not a choice of if you’re going to spend the money,” he said, “it’s where you spend it, and if you don’t do this, arguably you will spend a lot more in your utility line items with not much to show for it over the next decade plus.”
Since the district would be borrowing money through a bond to help pay for the energy-saving measures, officials determined now would be a good time to look at making other necessary improvements, as well.
“The school district has collectively the oldest school buildings in Maine, but we have kept them well maintained,” said Superintendent Gehrig Johnson. “Over the last four years, the building maintenance and repair budget has been severely reduced due to budgeting problems. The maintenance of our buildings cannot be continually put off.”
There are three categories of projects that would be done with $774,145 of the bond money — code compliance, liability/safety and school security.
Code compliant projects would include asbestos abatement for boiler replacements at the high school and Pine Street, while PIHS would see the replacement of two vertical lifts, fire alarm system upgrades and the replacement of the gymnasium bleachers. Code projects would cost $262,840.
Liability/safety projects would include prep work in the boiler room to replace the boiler at both the high school and Pine Street, replace the gym floor and the roof over the auditorium and west wing, and upgrade the generator at the high school; replace the storage barn roof at PIMS and part of the roof at Zippel; and repave selected areas districtwide. These projects would cost $438,205.
School security projects would include upgrading the classroom telephone system at Mapleton and Zippel; lockdown upgrades for common areas at Mapleton, Pine Street, Zippel and PIMS; and make upgrades to camera systems and install entry door lockdown systems districtwide. School security measures would cost $73,100.
The referendum will be held June 11. Voters should contact their municipal offices for exact polling times and locations.
