Page 6 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • June 26, 2013 Midland Park The Midland Park Board of Education has agreed to pursue an energy savings improvement program in hopes of identifying opportunities for energy cost and consumption savings which would pay for facilities’ upgrades. Trustee Robert Schiffer said that a qualified energy service company would be engaged for the planning, development and implementation of an energy savings plan which would potentially result in $1.5 million-worth of capital improvements at no cost to the taxpayers. The company would perform site inspections of the three school buildings over the summer and identify improvements to be carried out next school year. The cost of the energy projects would be paid back over a 15-year period from the accrued savings. Boilers, lighting and ventilation systems, upgraded plumbing fixtures for water conservation, and building envelope upgrades such as windows might be some of the eligible improve- Board eyes energy program to pay for upgrades ments. “There are no taxpayer funds involved,” Schiffer said. As a guarantee that the taxpayers won’t be on the hook for the project costs, Schiffer said, an insurance policy is taken out in case the actual savings do not match the projected amounts. “That’s why they do the audit first,” he said. “It’s a home run,” said trustee Tim Thomas. Sealed proposals from energy service companies were due last week, and the board will award the contract following review of the bids. The district previously commissioned an independent energy audit report through the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities’ Local Government Energy Audit Program as the first step in the process. (continued on page 19) Work on the Midland Park schools’ roof replacement project approved by the voters in April will begin as soon as school is out. The board of education last week awarded the contract for work on four sections of the Midland Park High School roof to Safeway Contracting, Inc., the low bidder, at a total price of $688,000. Trustee Robert Schiffer said this would complete 80 percent of the needed work at the school, which has 100,000 sq. ft. of flat roof surface. E.R. Barrett Inc. was awarded the bid for the last sec- Roof bids for two schools awarded tions still to be replaced at Godwin School at a bid price of $248,835. Schiffer said the board opted to put off work at Highland School for a future date because the parapets have to be reconstructed first. The jobs were bid out with several alternates so as to allow as much work as possible to be done with the available funds. The capital expense question on the April 16 election ballot had requested $995,075 for the three roofs.