St. Ignace Area Schools could save $93,000 a year by installing a boiler that will burn wood chips, a report has shown. The Board of Education, meeting Monday, September 14, heard some advantages and disadvantages to such a system from consultant Steve Boettcher of Integrated Designs, Inc., and will now ponder whether it can afford the $780,000 cost to convert from natural gas.

The district was one of six chosen in 2008 for a preliminary study on the use of a wood chip-fired boiler to provide heat to school buildings. The board then received a second grant for a more in-depth study, which shows the school could receive significant heating cost savings.

Using the school's current $158,000-a-year natural gas consumption and an estimated $65,000- a-year cost for the proposed system, Mr. Boettcher told school board members they would save about $93,000 a year if the biomass heating system is put in place.

He estimates it will cost $780,000 to build such a system, and said since gas prices are increasing faster than the price for woody biomass, a new system would pay for itself within about nine years. Mr. Boettcher worked with Messersmith of Bark River, which would install and maintain the new heating system if the school decides to go forward.

Preliminary design plans were presented to the board Monday, and Mr. Boettcher suggested board members look at other schools with similar systems, like Mid Peninsula School north of Escanaba. A handful of Upper Peninsula schools have adopted this option, he said, but none since the mid-1980s.

"It does look like a feasible heating option for districts here," Mr. Boettcher said, but "because of low natural gas prices, nobody has done this for 20 years."

With rapidly increasing gas prices, rising at about 5% per year, and Upper Peninsula loggers looking for customers interested in purchasing the woody biomass necessary for such a heating system, Mr. Boettcher said it is a viable option.

Some concerns other districts have had with making the switch, he said, include disposal of the ash waste from the boiler and worries that the wood supply will run out.

"At this point, to some people, it's scary," Mr. Boettcher said, but the U.S. Forest Service reports that the U.P. timber supply is actually increasing.

About 1,300 cubic feet of ash would be produced each year, which is organic but can not be disposed of in landfills. Mr. Boettcher said other options could be explored, like spreading it on athletic fields and finding local residents who would be willing to dispose of the ash, which is similar to ash created in a home fireplace.

The initial construction costs include building a wood chip storage building, the boiler system, and underground pipes tying heated water into existing building heating systems, which would serve as a backup.

The wood-fired heater would cover about 85% of building heating during the year, while the current gas boilers would provide 15%, Mr. Boettcher said. Digital controls would allow timing of moving parts in the system, air/fuel mixes, and other variables to be adjusted from the Messersmith office in Bark River.

"This would be the primary heating system," he said. "Existing boilers could boost it when necessary."

Board members said they would investigate some of the other U.P. schools who have similar systems and report back on the feasibility of looking further into the system.

"At this point, you as a board need to give it some consideration," Superintendent Mike Springsteen said. "I think the board is definitely interested in it."

Financing could be a hurdle, he said, but the district is willing to look at all funding options, including bonds, grants, and tax levies.

"Financing of a building would certainly be a big issue for us," he said. "It's a pretty significant investment."

Board Accepts Two Resignations

Classroom aide Angela Abercrombie and board member Kathy Campbell submitted resignations, which were accepted Monday.

Ms. Abercrombie, who worked as an Elementary School classroom aide and coached girls basketball, volleyball, and track at the high school and middle school levels, has accepted a physical education teaching position at Bawating School in Sault Ste. Marie.

School board member and secretary Kathy Campbell has been hired by the district and, therefore, no longer can serve on the board.

Sean Arthur was elected the new board secretary Monday.

Mrs. Campbell was hired as a full-time classroom para-professional at the St. Ignace Juvenile Detention Facility, and worked her first day Monday, September 14. The school board approved her resignation and gave Mr. Springsteen the authority to post and hire for her new position after the fact.

The position became available when the district received federal stimulus funding that will create a full-time classroom para-professional at the detention facility, something the school has not had in the past. Three teachers are present at the facility through the day, and Mr. Springsteen said a full-time employee will add consistency to the program.

"This will allow us to have one person out there all day assisting teachers," he said. "I think it's going to work very well."

The $43,000 in funding received, which was earmarked for the youth center or juvenile detention center, can be spread out over a two-year period, which Mr. Springsteen said should mostly cover salary, benefits, and retirement for those two years. After this period, he said the board will need to re-evaluate the position and possibly eliminate it if there is not sufficient funding.

Mrs. Campbell was one of three people who applied for the position, and Mr. Springsteen said she is definitely the most qualified.

"She is actually very overqualified for this position," he said. "She does really well with kids and teachers. We are very fortunate to have someone like her for that position."

The vacant school board position will be posted and the board plans to interview anyone interested in serving as an interim board member. This appointed board member would serve until the next election, at which time whoever is elected will take the seat immediately and serve until the end of Mrs. Campbell's term in 2011.

Board Adopts Goals

for New Year

The school board held its annual workshop before Monday's meeting to set district goals for the school year. After some discussion, trustees decided to keep the same three goals used last year with two additions.

One states the district's curriculum should be in line with state standards and appropriate teaching methods should be used, and the board added a goal of achieving a 0% dropout rate for students in grades 9 through 12.

Mrs. Arthur said making sure students finish out their high school career is crucial to their future success.

"There are kids who are already lost to that," she said.

The "finances" goal remains the same and states the district will attempt to manage its finances in a fiscally responsible manner with a focus on developing the best education opportunities for students.

The "communication" goal states the district will strengthen lines of communication between the board, staff, students, and community members using technology and professional development opportunities.

The second addition board members decided to make to this set of goals is to plan one or two workshops throughout the year during which they can discuss what they are doing to meet these goals and brainstorm ideas to better achieve them.

The next St. Ignace school board meeting is Monday, October 12.