Schools will turn down the heat as energy costs rise - Faced with $65,000 shortfall, district continues search for cost-savings

Warwick - With energy costs skyrocketing, the Warwick Valley Central School District is looking to conserve energy wherever possible. Just as homeowners are concerned about higher energy costs, so, too, are area school districts. At the current rate of rising costs, Superintendent Dr. Joseph L. Natale estimates a shortfall of $65,000 over the budgeted amount for fuel. “Naturally,” says Natale, “we have reviewed energy-saving measures that have already been taken and are considering others to ease the burden of the extra cost.” The Warwick Advertiser spoke with the district’s business administrator, Thomas Gustainis, last month, about the energy-saving measures being taken by the district already. They included: an energy audit showing where the district could save energy, $3 million worth of energy-saving equipment paid with the savings from implementing them, installing high energy performance lighting, acquisition of microtherm controls on all boilers that control the turning on and off of the boilers, using waste vegetable oil from local restaurants to supplement the diesel fuel in buses, installation of acrylic film on windows throughout the district and consolidating bus stops. This week, the administration announced it would be lowering its thermostats across the board as well. Even though there is not a set number — the buildings and where they are located determine the setting - Natale said it will be a few degrees cooler in all buildings. “Each building functions differently,” Natale said, noting the wind is a factor more at some buildings than others. “But the temperature will be a few degrees cooler. In the evenings, it will be even cooler than that.” Also being considered is the possibility of consolidating or possibly canceling long-distance athletic and field trips. Natale said no final decision has been made on that and no trips have been cancelled yet. He said the county is working the schedule out because it would affect most districts in the county. “They are looking to keep JV and varsity events at the same site or possibly combining teams on the same bus,” Natale said. Not surprisingly, the transportation department has been hit especially hard with the rise in gas prices. The transportation department runs 79 buses that travel 1.2 million miles per year. They transport more than 5,000 students to 41 different schools, including the district’s four elementary schools, the middle school and the high school, and several private and parochial school. Bus drivers have been directed to eliminate unnecessary idling. Warm-up periods for school buses have been significantly reduced from past practices. “If the prices continue to drop, it will help offset the deficit,” Natale said.