Some of the facilities improvements urgently needed across RSU 40 schools could be funded through investments in energy efficiency and accomplished through alignment with an energy service company, RSU 40 Facilities Director Brian Race told the district’s board of directors at their meeting Thursday, Feb. 15.
Race recommended the board issue a request for qualifications seeking responses from energy service companies with which the district could align itself in order to accomplish some efficiency-related renovations. The motion passed unanimously.
At the RSU 40 Facilities and Transportation Committee meeting earlier that afternoon, the committee heard a presentation from representatives of Energy Efficient Investments, Inc., an energy service company based in Merrimack, N.H. Aligning with a company like Energy Efficient Investments to accomplish some renovations tied to energy efficiency, such as heating and ventilation projects, is a common route for school districts that have recently seen a bond proposal defeated by constituents, company representatives said.
In November 2023, RSU 40 voters resoundingly rejected a proposed $81 million capital improvement bond that would have funded renovations and facilities improvements at all seven RSU 40 schools. Since the vote, board members have been seeking an alternative means of funding projects they say are essential to keep the district’s schools safe and viable for students and staff in the long term.
On Feb. 15, Race told the facilities committee the district’s for Maine’s revolving renovation fund, from which RSU 40 requested $10 million for projects at four different schools, did not result in any funding.
Despite this disappointment, the facilities committee quickly pivoted to considering a potential energy service company partnership.
Alignment with an energy service company could help the district accomplish renovations that involve replacing existing infrastructure with energy-efficient equipment, such as replacing the schools’ oil boilers with heat pumps.
Some renovations are also eligible for rebates from state agencies including Efficiency Maine, an independent quasi-state agency that provides incentives and frameworks for energy efficient development and programs in the state.
“In April, there is a deadline for submissions for some pretty big refunds that are available,” Race told the board, referencing rebates from Efficiency Maine for heat pump projects in schools. “It’s probably time to codify our relationship with an energy savings company to shepherd us through this next phase.”
Energy Efficient Investments representatives also presented different funding options to the executive board, including bonds and leases. Lease-to-own models can be used to replace existing infrastructure with new equipment, said one representative. This mode of funding, he added, can be authorized by the board without sending the question to a town referendum. The company representatives also suggested leases taken out within budget limits would not impact taxpayers as much as bonds.
To ensure the district can take advantage of the heat pump rebate, the facilities committee determined the best course of action would be to issue an request for qualifications for potential energy service company partners and subsequently begin the process of applying for the heat pump program with the assistance of the chosen partner.
“The first thing we need to do is align ourselves with an energy service company,” Race said.
“If we don’t move right now, we are losing money, and we are going to be taken to task for that,” said board member Matthew Speno, of Union, during the facilities committee meeting. “They (the RSU 40 Board) are really going to have to trust us,” Speno said.
“At the end of the day, submitting an application does not lock us in,” Race said.
Energy Efficient Investments will likely be one of the respondents to RSU 40’s request for qualifications, but what company the district will choose will depend on the outcome of an interview series, said board member Sandra O’Farrell, of Waldoboro.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the RSU 40 Facilities Committee will be held at 4 p.m. on March 21 in the RSU 40 Central Office at 1070 Heald Highway in Union. The RSU 40 Board of Directors next meets at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 7, also at the Central Office.
