MEXICO — The Region 9 board took its first solid steps Wednesday night to change the heating of the River Road vocational school from oil to wood pellets.
Members voted unanimously to go out for a request for proposals to replace the building’s two small boilers with one that would provide heat using wood pellets.
Board Chairman Norman Clanton said the Facilities Committee has visited similar systems at Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School and the Oxford County Courthouse, and has discussed the heating method with several people knowledgeable about wood pellet-burning furnaces.
He declined to provide any estimates on the cost, but said the sooner such a furnace is installed, the sooner the vocational school can begin saving money.
“The savings would be substantial,” he said.
A third, larger boiler, will remain in the school for use as back-up, if necessary.
Once estimates come in, and a plan is put into place, residents of the vocational region would decide whether to purchase a furnace and finance it through a referendum vote. He said the board is looking at a possible three-year payback timeline.
Region 9 Director Brenda Gammon said if voters approve the purchase, it’s likely that a new, more efficient heating system could be in place for school year 2013-14.
In other matters, adult education director Nancy Allen said two summer vocational programs have just begun that would provide certification for those meeting all the requirements.
She said Maine Department of Labor grants have enabled the offering of a certified nursing assistant class for which 11 adult students are enrolled. A 100-hour welding class is also being taught for 10 students.
Allen said 30 residents applied for one of the 10 openings in the welding program.
“There’s a huge need out there for these classes,” she said.
Also on Wednesday, current adult education literacy teacher and summer school teacher, Kim Hamel, was hired as the adult education program’s full-time teacher. Allen said more than 20 people applied for the position.
Randy Gallant was hired as the full-time custodian, and Carleton Dickey was hired as the part-time, night custodian.
The board moved its August meeting from the first Wednesday to Aug. 2.
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