Last winter it cost $68,000 to heat Pittsford's Lothrop Elementary School. The school board has put together a plan that it thinks will reduce the school's annual heating bill by $40,000, but first school directors must find a way to pay for the project.
To that end, school board chair Melanie Clerihew has asked the Pittsford Select Board to allocate money from the town's Burditt Fund to help make bond payments on the project. Work includes insulating the building and switching to a wood pellet furnace. The project is expected to cost over $800,000, according to an article in the Rutland Herald.
Minutes from the Aug. 20 select board meeting state:
Ms. Clerihew explained that the State Fire Marshall, plumber and Efficiency Vermont have inspected the current heating system and have indicated that the pipes are old, there is no heat recovery, the oil tanks are nearing the end of their useful life and the insulation in the buildings is inadequate.
Clerihew is scheduled to go back before the select board on Sept. 17 to make an official request to use Burditt funds to help pay back a bond for the project. In the meantime, the select board has requested the school board research other funding possibilities through the state.
Both the school board and the select board will hold votes on the project in the coming weeks. Ultimately, the school board plans to put a bond vote article on the ballot in November.
