I n a push to save money over the long term, the Freehold Regional High School District Board of Education has taken the first step to make energy-efficient upgrades to the district’s six schools.
The board approved a three-phase contract with Fraytak, Veisz, Hopkins & Duthie to render professional consulting, architectural and engineering services in connection with the district’s self-perform Energy Savings Improvement Program (ESIP).
Under the guidelines of New Jersey’s ESIP initiative, public agencies may prove certain projects that affect infrastructure will reduce energy costs and then issue debt for the projects, Business Administrator Sean Boyce said last year.
Monetary savings generated from the improvements are supposed to cover the cost of the projects, he said. State incentives related to the enhancements may also add funds to the district’s coffers.
Fraytak will initially conduct an investment grade audit at a fee not to exceed $13,400 per school, Boyce told Greater Media Newspapers. That means the cost for the audit of the six facilities could reach $80,400.
The amount of work that may be required to bring the district’s schools up to par is currently unclear, Boyce said.
More than 50 energy-related goals that could provide incentives for the district exist at the state level, Boyce noted. Many of those objectives will not apply to the district, but the preliminary inspection will shine light on a number of goals the FRHSD may pursue.
After the audit is completed, the contracted professionals will create an energy savings plan that will “drive the scope of the work,” he said.
“By the end of the school year, we would like to have a pretty solid handle on a draft energy savings plan,” Boyce added.
The third phase of the contract will entail the construction process, he said. Larger projects will lower the cost of professional fees, Boyce said.
The district’s decision to take on the ESIP improvements came nearly a year after the board approved a similar contract with Tozour Energy Systems. A representative of the company said at the time that the initiative could save taxpayers $1.2 million per year and produce $2 million in state incentives.
Upgrades to heating, ventilation, boilers, air conditioning, lighting and other controls were slated to be the center of Tozour’s plan.
That agreement fell through after FRHSD officials found that the proposal, along with those of the unsuccessful bidders, contained “a material defect,” according to a previously published article.
One of the firms that failed to obtain the contract threatened litigation, which further stirred officials to tackle the infrastructure improvements on a “self-perform” basis.
— Jack Murtha