Schools energy-performance contract gets approval by board of education
By Steve Herring
Published in News on July 10, 2008 1:46 PM
An energy-performance contract that could save Wayne County Public Schools as much as $8.3 million was approved Tuesday by the Wayne County Board of Education.
Prior to the meeting, the school board and county commissioners had met in a joint information session to discuss facilities.
Commissioners last week gave their blessings to a resolution in support of the contract and during Tuesday's meeting, Tim Gasper, Trane account executive for energy savings, outlined the plan.
Under the plan, the school board contracted with Trane to conduct an energy audit of the county's schools.
The study identified areas where improvements can be made to reduce energy consumption and/or energy-related operating costs.
The resulting savings in energy are expected to equal or exceed the costs payable under the contract.
In their resolution, commissioners said contract payments are not expected to require any additional appropriations to the school board nor any increase in taxes.
Project contracts are expected to be signed in August. Con-struction is scheduled to get under way Aug. 14 and to be finished by the end of December 2009.
The project cost will be paid over a 20-year period.
Gasper said guaranteed energy savings are projected to be 27 percent, resulting in energy savings of $500,000 and $50,000 in operating savings dollars.
The projects include replacement of six boilers and retrofitting 11,257 lighting fixtures and 1,088 plumbing fixtures, six chillers, 31 rooftop units, 20 transformers and the conversion of four fuel-oil boilers to use natural gas.
It includes work at Charles B. Aycock High School at Pikeville, Southern Wayne High School at Dudley, Spring Creek High Schools at Seven Springs, Rosewood High School at Rosewood, Goldsboro High school, Grantham School at Grantham, Carver Heights Elementary School, Dillard Middle School, Eastern Wayne Elementary School, Green-wood Middle School, School Street Elementary School, Mount Olive Middle School in Mount Olive, Northeast Elementary and Northwest Elementary Schools at Pikeville, the school system's Royall Avenue complex and mobile classrooms.