While the overall physical condition of both schools are structurally sound and the schools have been well maintained, there are significant safety, security and HVAC needs that must be addressed outside of the normal budget. This is referenced under Pillar 3 of the Board of Education’s Vision 2025 Strategic Plan.

This has resulted in a long-term facilities plan for safety, security and HVAC, which is expected to be implemented over several years. The planned work related to the successful November 2022 referendum is front-loaded into the plan in years 2023 and 2024. Additional facility work will be planned with our Facilities Committee and Board of Education. Following is a draft schedule of the planned work.

2023

• • Installation of the geothermal wells that will provide highly energy efficient heating and cooling for our new HVAC system.
  • Installation of the BluePoint Security system, a high-level, integrated notification system for a gun threat or active shooter situation.
  • Replacement and increase in the number and quality of interior and exterior surveillance cameras that are integrated with the BluePoint system.
  • Replacement of the current phone system.
  • Replacement of cafeteria tables

2024

• • Replacement of the HVAC systems in both schools for significantly improving energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and maintaining an optimal educational environment. This is expected to also realize significant long-term utility cost savings.
  • Replacement of the current fire alarm system.
  • Replacement of the current burglar alarm system.
  • Installation of a modernized intercom and internal communication system.
  • Installation of additional physical security measures at all entrances and exits.

2025

• • Completion of masonry repair and tuckpointing.
  • Replacement of parking lots and drives.
  • General building and grounds improvements.

At Concord, 9 of the 11 zones are heated and cooled by HVAC systems that were installed in either 1996 or 1997 and have already exceeded their life expectancy. The remaining two were installed in 2000 and 2004. At Cass, 15 of the 19 zones are heated and cooled by HVAC systems that were installed in 2002 or prior, with the vast majority at or nearing the end of their life expectancy.

ASHRAE is the industry organization that sets standards and guidelines for most equipment and here is the HVAC Equipment Life Expectancy Chart. Approximately 80 percent of the district’s HVAC infrastructure needs to be replaced. After much planning and research, it was determined that the most cost-effective approach was to replace all of the existing equipment with a highly energy efficient system.

The simple answer is that geothermal heating and cooling was the most cost-effective, long-term solution. There was unanimous support among our Facilities Committee who worked closely with the school district’s architect and engineer to develop solutions and recommendations, as well as the Board of Education. The committee identified educational environment, indoor air quality, energy efficiency, maintenance and long-term life-cycle costs as the key items to balance in its recommendations. The geothermal system scored the highest in each of the identified key areas, including having by far the lowest life cycle cost.

Once the new GeoExchange system is complete, there will be 40 wells at Cass and 32 at Concord. Each is a vertical, 500 foot bore with 1,000 feet of piping, down and up. This means that there will be about 7.6 miles of continuous underground piping at Cass and approximately 6.1 miles of piping at Concord! There is no physical evidence of the geothermal wells on the surface and the ground can be used for any purpose, including activities, sports, playgrounds, and even parking lots. This closed geothermal loop will connect to our new HVAC system that is being installed in the summer of 2024 to provide the highest level of heating and cooling efficiency in our two schools for decades to come.

The energy savings are substantial with conservative initial estimates of 35 percent, resulting in an estimated annual savings from the operating budget of approximately $70,000 to $100,000 per year. Based on current energy costs, the long-term savings in a rising energy cost environment could be in the millions over the course of the coming decades.

In addition to long-term energy savings, life-cycle costs are probably more important. This takes into account the initial cost of the replacement system, expected maintenance costs, 20-year equipment replacement costs and residual value at the end of a 40-year cycle. Here is the life-cycle cost comparison of the three options studied.

The geothermal system is about 13 percent more expensive up front than the least expensive of the three options considered. However, the geothermal system was 39 percent less expensive in terms of total life-cycle costs, and 21 percent less expensive in total. Also, here is the replacement cost estimate summary, which shows additional detail about the options, costs, energy savings and comparisons.

The school district has gone through the competitive bidding process and digging for the geothermal wells will begin at Cass Junior High School in November 2023. Our contractor, TCI Geothermal, will complete about two wells per day, working 10 hour days, generally Monday through Thursday. This phase of the project should be completed at the junior high in about six weeks, at which time the equipment will move to Concord Elementary. At Concord, the wells will be south of the southwest corner of the building, between the playground and the fence along the west edge of our property. The fence at Concord will not go up until closer to the start of that project, but both fences will likely remain in place until the new sod is established in the spring.

The geothermal wells at Concord should be completed in early 2024. Phase two of this project will be completed in the summer of 2024. Reed Construction Corporation is the contractor for the complete replacement of the existing HVAC system that will take place during phase two. It is expected that this project will result in a slight delay to the start of the 2024-25 school year.

Voters approved a referendum for $12.8 million, of which just under $11 million is dedicated to the safety, security, and geothermal HVAC projects. Prior to using any local costs from the bond issuance financed by our taxpayers, the district is using as much federal and state grant funding as possible, currently estimated at around $500,000. The low approved bids for the primary HVAC related projects so far are as follows:

Phase 1 - Geothermal Well Project
TCI Geothermal
$1,586,000

Phase 2 - HVAC Building Systems
Reed Construction
$7,800,800 (base bid and alternates 1 and 2) 

Related Asbestos Abatement - Concord
Valor Technologies, Inc.
$61,045 (pending approval)

Related Asbestos Abatement - Cass
Husar Abatement LLC
$88,880 (pending approval)

Grand Total To Date*
$9,536,725
*additional costs for approved safety and security improvements will be added.