Friday, November 21, 2003
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Friday, November 21, 2003 |
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School energy plan approved By J. FRANK LYNCH The Fayette County Board of Education finally gave the go-ahead Monday night for implementation of a systemwide energy management plan, though there are doubts the savings will be enough to accurately measure the success or failure of the program. Mike Satterfield, facilities services director for the district, told the board that the proposal was mostly unchanged from previous versions, except instead of “suggesting” that individual schools embrace the guidelines to cut energy costs, the policy would be considered mandatory procedure in all schools. “The feeling was that we had a little too much leeway for the principals to enforce the policy as they see fit,” said Satterfield. Discretion remains, however, when it comes to classroom “appliances” like mini-fridges, microwaves or coffeepots. “We’ll leave those decisions up to the individual schools,” Satterfield said. Board member Lee Wright wanted to know what the “baseline” would be for comparing energy cost savings down the road. Satterfield agreed that was a tough call, since the district has in recent months made significant improvements to cut down on utility waste. “We’ve made tremendous improvements, replacing 10,000 light bulbs with more efficient ones,” he said. Other upgrades have been made to heating and air systems, and about a third of the district’s buildings are on computerized systems that can be controlled remotely, including from home. Board member Janet Smola wanted to know if there was a timeline for determine if the policy was saving money. “I realize that we’re not dedicating personnel to this, and that facility services has agreed to take it on,” she said. Superintendent John DeCotis said the board could reconsider the policy in about a year, which seemed the only fair timeframe even though it comes more than four months into the fiscal year. “Depending on the results, it would be good to consider putting someone in charge if the results showed we need it,” DeCotis said. “Or we may consider going with an outside management firm.” The policy will go into effect immediately and encourages common sense approaches to saving power, like turning off lights when not in use. Also Monday, the board awarded a contract in the amount of $420,872 for science lab casework at Whitewater High School to Georgia School Equipment. Smola voted against the proposal, taking issue with the way the purchase price was negotiated with the lowest bidder. Purchasing agent Fred Phillips reported that the bids all came in well over the $400,000 budgeted as part of Whitewater’s construction funding. But instead of rebidding the entire job, school system science coordinator Sharon Boyer worked with Georgia School Equipment to eliminate unnecessary components. Smola argued that all of the bidders should have had the opportunity to resubmit proposals. The board voted to approve the purchase anyway at the urging of DeCotis, who said time was a concern. The Whitewater High facility will open next summer.
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