News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sisters High School construction students worked on the foundation for a new biomass boiler.
If all goes according to plan, Sisters High School's new pellet-burning biomass boiler will be up and operating in February - about a year after the school district took the first steps toward moving to biomass for heating the building.
Sisters High School construction students played an important role in preparing the site for the boiler.
"The students helped out a lot," said Jason MacKenzie of ENERGYneering Solutions Inc. (ESI), the Sisters firm that spearheaded the boiler project.
They dug trenches, installed rebar and built forms for the concrete slab that will house the silos for the boiler.
MacKenzie said that the original plans called for students to finish the concrete on the slab, but weather interfered with scheduling.
The students said they learned from the project -
particularly teamwork and the ability to accept constructive criticism.
"We learned what a real job site feels like," said Sam Quinn.
The biomass boiler will not replace the two existing area-heating diesel-fueled boilers and propane water heaters at the school.
The new biomass system will preheat the supply water to the existing diesel and propane systems so that, under normal conditions, the existing systems would remain off, or provide makeup heat such as during an extreme cold snap.
There was no initial cash outlay from the district to complete the project. The district will pay ESI a heating bill as an "energy services provider" - basically the same way a homeowner would pay a utility bill.
It is expected that the biomass boiler will provide significant savings to the district by reducing the need for diesel fuel.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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