Where We Are Now - October 8, 2008

The school heating study is about to begin! The company that will be doing it is AKF Engineers and the cost is $30K, so the study will be covered in full by the money we raised plus the NYSERDA grant. AKF are due to do their initial site visit next week and conclude the study within a couple of months.

Engineering Study Update

We'd like to take this opportunity to update the community on the latest developments with the Engineering Study. Members of the Haldane Buildings and Grounds committee met with two engineering consulting firms through the NYSERDA "FlexTech" program during the month of April: Clough Harbour Associates and Malcolm Pirnie, Inc. They decided that Malcolm Pirnie was the best qualified to conduct the engineering study and they are now finalizing the contract details. Pirnie submitted the contract paperwork to NYSERDA on April 25. Per NYSERDA, the scope documents have been sent back to Malcolm Pirnie for edits noted by NYSERDA. Once the edits are made, the document will be forwarded to Haldane for review, and then the Buildings & Grounds committee needs to review the proposed scope and the board has to approve the final proposal. Once this is accomplished, we will have details of the contract, including the total cost of the study.

Our fundraising effort has raised a net total of $15,023 (after expenses, mostly advertising), which meets the goal that was established for the community contribution to make the study possible. A big "thank you" to all who contributed, and a special note of appreciation to Hans Moeller, who got the ball rolling by suggesting that we embark upon this fundraising endeavor.

Why "total cost of ownership" is important

A geothermal heating system costs more to install than a traditional steam system, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is more expensive. In fact, it can end up being a lot cheaper. Click on the image below to watch a video and find out why.

Notes on the March 4th, 2008 Board of Education Meeting

The school board discussed the heating study again last night, but it was at the end of a long meeting so discussion was short. The superintendent reported that he had spoken to Greg Lampman of NYSERDA and that the school would not need to pay John d’Angelo to write up an RFP for the study because NYSERDA would help do this. He said NYSERDA would also help identify which consultants from their list would be best able to complete the kind of study required. There was some discussion about the scope of the study, with some board members expressing the need for an all-inclusive study with detailed engineering drawings of all possible options. Wayne Robinson pointed out that such a study would be extremely expensive and probably unnecessary. When the board was asked about funding the study, they said couldn’t answer until they knew exactly how much the study would cost. Some board members seemed to think the school’s share (50%) should be funded in full by the members of the public who offered to contribute, while others felt this was probably unrealistic. A subcommittee of the school’s Buildings and Grounds committee will meet with John d’Angelo on March 12 to discuss the scope of the study, and after that I think the plan is to seek consulting firms that can do the work and get prices from them.

Who Pays What?

Rudolf van Dommele received a quote from Friedman Fisher Associates for a comprehensive feasibility study for a geothermal system. Included in that study will be an operational cost comparison of the existing steam system versus a proposed geothermal system. The cost for that study is $30,000, plus additional fees for AutoCAD drawings and travel expenses.

The District already has installation cost estimates for steam and hot water system that were prepared by the school’s consulting architect, John D'Angelo of Fuller and D'Angelo PC. The Board seems happy with those numbers, and based on those numbers elected to go with a steam system.

The consulting architect informed us that it was difficult to predict what the school’s future oil usage would be with the new steam system. Although some components of the new system would provide greater operational efficiency, these would be offset by improved ventilation, so oil usage might not be any less.

A group from the public has volunteered to raise money to help fund the heating plant study. They are doing so because they believe geothermal is both environmentally friendly and cost effective when compared to steam. In order to prove or disprove the system’s cost effectiveness over the long term, the group is willing to fund the school’s share of the $30,000 study proposed by Friedman Fisher Associates, in other words, $15,000 plus 50% of the related travel expenses (NYSERDA to pay the remainder through their FlexTech program, http://www.nyserda.org/programs/flextech.asp).

If the Board wishes to expand the scope of the study to include design work for steam and hot water system, the school should pay for that portion of the study.

If the Board believes the new steam system will result in greater operational efficiency over the existing steam system, the school should fund the portion of the study that quantifies those efficiency improvements so the new value can be included in the operational cost comparison.

Why Pledge?

Some might wonder why the Haldane School Board cannot now fund this study.

Here are some important reasons why the study can and should happen now:

1. NEW INFO ON BOILER HEALTH:

Last summer, it seemed as though the boilers might not last through the winter. Due to terrific work by Wayne Robinson and his team, the boiler lifespan has been extended slightly, allowing time to conduct a further investigation of heating plant alternatives.

2. THE COST OF OIL:

Oil is now at $100 a barrel; a year ago, it was $60 a barrel. That's a 66% increase in one year. We think the price is not likely to ever go back to $60 or less, and that the uncertainty of the world economy and world politics warrants a close, data-driven look at what the true ownership cost is over the projected 20-30 year lifespan of a new heating plant for the District.

Here's why the District cannot fund this project itself:

THE BUDGET!

Haldane's current budget was set in the Spring of 2007, and does not include extra funds for this kind of project, or really any unplanned project. If we want to do this study now, and really see whether, as most believe, geothermal is the best option for the district, then we have to step up to the plate and pay for it. That's the simple answer.

Where We Are Today

At last night's meeting, after 2 1/2 hours of discussion between the Board of Education and the public attendees, the suggestion was made that if the group of people who signed the petition could manage to raise the funding for an engineering study, the Board would consider delaying the referendum until the Fall of 2008. The Board will vote on this possibility at a meeting on Thursday, February 28th.

The study is estimated to cost $50,000, and it is assumed that half of that amount would be covered by NYSERDA. So in order to further explore the option of geothermal heating & cooling for the District, we need to raise $25,000.

If each of the 157 people who signed the petition could contribute $100, we would be three-fifths of the way there. If each contributed $200, we would have more than enough to cover the cost. Please take a moment to respond to the poll at right, and send in an email with your pledge.