By the Numbers
4 — Back-up boilers Northwestern will install
$142,200 — The approximate cost of the backup boilers
$150,000 — The amount Northwestern got back recently after making a deposit to renovate its old elementary school several years ago
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Northwestern Local School District will spend more than $142,000 to install backup boilers due to issues with the geothermal heating system at their new school buildings, its superintendent said.
It’s the second building-related issue the district has faced since opening its new schools. A couple of years ago, a portion of the elementary school’s flooring had to be replaced due to a contractor’s error.
Superintendent Jesse Steiner said the school district completed the new schools project with money to spare because of sound budgeting.
The district will pay for the backup boilers with money it already has, he said. And at this point, with the approaching winter, it’s a priority project.
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“Right now when it gets below 10 degrees, our heating system wants to shut down,” Steiner said. “The ground is too cold and it won’t heat the water up to keep the heating system going.”
It’s a system the architect stands by, Steiner said, and in a few years it may be functional in all temperatures. But in the mean time it causes issues that could result in damage to the building, he said.
“My maintenance supervisor has to babysit it to make sure it doesn’t overload,” Steiner said of the boiler when temperatures dip. “When it overloads it just shuts down and that means there would be no heat, nothing, and that would be bad because pipes can freeze.”
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School leaders have decided they aren’t willing to wait to find out if the geothermal system can make the adjustments. They plan to install four backup boilers — two in each the elementary and high schools — by Nov. 15. They should be in working order by Dec. 15, if the installation goes according to plan.
The backup boilers will only be turned on when needed, Steiner said.
“We can get by without doing it, but there is no sense risking it because it could really hurt our equipment and we have the money to do it,” Steiner said.
The money will come from a deposit made years ago to remodel the old elementary school. Steiner said the district borrowed the money to do that work and paid it back over several years without having to ask taxpayers for a levy.
The school district recently received that $150,000 deposit back when it finished the payments. That’s enough to cover the boiler expenses.
“It was perfect timing,” Steiner said. “It is nice when it works that way, it doesn’t always but we got pretty lucky.”
Grandparent Gary Buck, who waiting outside the elementary school recently to pick up a student, said he believed the new buildings were important for students at Northwestern.
“These buildings are nice,” Buck said. “The other buildings were getting kind of old.”
Along with the new boilers, the school district plans to upgrade its landscaping around the school, Steiner said. The school has budgeted that project, which will include adding trees, plants, and pavement for a path to connect the elementary and high schools.
Also, he said the district will continue to budget money for the upkeep of the new buildings.
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