Energy savings proposed at schools

Thanks to state partnership funds and a second lien bond, upgrades to Pea Ridge School District facilities may be made without any additional tax burdens, according to school superintendent Keith Martin, who plans to present the facility improvements project to the School Board at its regular meeting Monday.

The roofs and HVAC systems for the Junior High School and Intermediate schools will be replaced and all district facilities will be outfitted with LED light bulbs.

“Improvements are budget neutral to the district,” Martin said, “without increasing the tax burden on our community.”

These actions will reduce future maintenance costs, improve teaching and learning environment for

teachers and staff, Martin said.

“I think this is a wonderful project to upgrade the facilities we have and meet the needs our district will have in the future.”

Martin planned to present the projects to the School Board Monday night. The board has reviewed the projects and met with representatives from Energy Savings Group over the past few months.

Martin said he has been working with Dr. Charles Stein of the Arkansas Public School Resource Center for several years on these plans, which are part of the Warm, Safe, Dry project.

There will be more than 80 HVAC systems replaced.

“Government entities are blessed to enter into energy savings contracts and use the energy savings of the future to pay for those improvements,” Martin explained. “I’m excited to do this. We want to make sure that we make a difference in the lives of the children we serve. We’re making sure they have quality facilities. That’s important to do.

“Without good facilities, it’s hard to learn, to teach,” he said.

The project will provide improved indoor air quality with bipolar ionization and dedicated fresh air supply. Martin said bipolar ionization kills viruses and germs. He said the HVAC units at the Intermediate School were installed in the mid-1980s and are very energy inefficient.

The Guaranteed Energy Savings performance contract provides for energy savings to pay for the upgrades. Martin said there will be internal and external LED lighting upgrades, water conservation improvement sand building envelope improvements throughout the district and power factor correction at the Junior High School.

“The main thing that will save on energy costs is the lighting. It’s amazing how energy inefficient fluorescent light is compared to LED,” Martin said.