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Board to look into wind
Published 3/7/2009 in News : Education
By EMILY BEHLMANN
ebehlmann@gctelegram.com
Sometimes it costs money to save money, USD 363 Holcomb Superintendent Robert O'Connor said Friday, as his school district is looking to save some cash wherever it can while facing an uncertain level of cuts to state funding for next school year.
But the district might have found at least one money-saver without high initial costs.
O'Connor said the board will consider on Monday pursuing a proposal from Nexgen, a company that would install a wind turbine in Holcomb that could help power the middle and high schools.
The district previously had shied away from generating its own wind power — a step taken recently by USD 209 Moscow and USD 374 Sublette — because of the high upfront cost of the turbine itself, along with potential maintenance and repair expenses down the line. Sublette's turbine, for instance, cost $348,000, though the district anticipated it would save $60,000 a year on the electric bill.
However, under the Nexgen plan, the company would install, own and maintain the turbine on district property. It would receive government tax credits for generating the power and would sell the electricity produced to the school district -- likely at a lower rate than what USD 363 currently pays Wheatland Electric Co-op for its power.
But O'Connor said he still doesn't know whether the district will move forward with the plan, especially since it's unclear now how much money would be saved. It's hard to anticipate how much power the turbine actually would generate or the rates Wheatland would charge in the future for power, he said.
Also on Monday, the board will look at a few other ways it could save money, along with some other resources.
One way could be to install an irrigation timer system on the well that waters the elementary school yards. This means of preventing overwatering would come with a $21,000 to $23,000 initial cost, but would help the district avoid getting into a situation like it experienced recently, when it used more water than it had rights to use, O'Connor said.
Board members also will consider whether they want to purchase a 14-passenger bus, possibly instead of replacing one of its regular 72-passenger buses that's due to retire.
According to state requirements, school districts can't use buses that have been operating for more than 20 years, and O'Connor said three of its buses will be at that age in the next couple years. Instead of buying three full-size buses, the district might use the cheaper, more fuel-efficient 14-passenger bus for regular routes, like the kindergarten route that carries 10 or fewer children or activities trips that now rely on two suburbans.
Also on the agenda, the board will:
- Consider increasing driver's education fees from $100 to $150 to help fund the program, which no longer receives state funding.
- Review specifications for a proposed driveway for student pick-up and drop-off at Wiley Elementary School. The project likely will open for bid next month, O'Connor said.
USD 363 Board of Education
When: 7:30 p.m. Monday
Where: Administrative Center, 305 Wiley St., Holcomb
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