Grant solicitation would improve heating in schools

Troy Schools has been looking for ways to improve its facilities, and a grant opportunity now appears to be a terrific way to achieve this.

In 2009, the engineering firm of Morrison-Maierle, Inc., conducted an energy analysis report that discussed different projects to save the district energy costs.  

In 2010, Morrison-Maierle put together a facilities master plan.  In an effort to act on these plans, Troy Schools is applying for a Quality Schools Grant.

 The Department of Commerce administers the Quality Schools Grant Program, which was created by the State Legislature.  

The Quality Schools Grant Program provides opportunities for schools to apply for money to fund upgrades or improvements to an existing school.  

Funding for these competitive grants comes from a school facility and technology special-revenue account, which includes a combination of revenue from the timber harvest on common school trust lands, mineral royalties transferred from a guarantee account, and rental income received from power site leases.  

Gov. Brian Schweitzer has been a strong supporter of this program to help schools fund major projects.

Troy High School is the most recognizable and one of the oldest structures in Troy.  An energy upgrade project will help the school district to extend the life of this historic building.  

Specifically, this energy upgrade will address the issues of:

• Inability to maintain constant room temperatures in classrooms;

• Inability to control excess heat in rooms close to the boiler and to keep rooms warm which are furthest away from the boiler;

• Energy loss from steam piping which is old and continues to malfunction;

• A school system that uses two boilers and additional electric units to heat buildings which could be efficiently heated by one biomass boiler

• Installing a forward- looking heating system that would create a minimal environmental footprint by using wood for heat.

 A successful grant would allow Troy Schools to replace the two fuel-oil boilers and all the electric units which currently heat the junior high and high school complex of buildings.  

One of the fuel oil boilers would remain as a backup for the bio-mass boiler that will be installed.  The replacement boiler would burn wood pellets for fuel and use hot-water heat instead of the more inefficient steam which is currently used by the fuel-oil boilers.  

Excellent quality wood pellets are currently available at Moyie Springs.  The grant would also install state of the art digital controls in each of the rooms which would allow the district to do a much better job of maintaining a constant temperature in all rooms.

For persons further interested in information or if they would like to write a letter of support for this grant, please contact Superintendent Dan Wendt at 295-4606.