Some of the original equipment that heats and cools Duneland School buildings will get replaced as part of an energy savings program that’s guaranteed to save more than $20 million in energy costs over the next 15 years.

The Duneland School Board on Monday heard an update on the proposed guaranteed energy saving program as part of a required public hearing on the bond issue.

Duneland plans to issue $9.6 million in tax credit bonds that are being made available through the federal stimulus package in order to finance energy improvements in six schools. Duneland will pay back the bonds over 15 years, by making an annual payment of $726,410 as part of the existing tax levy in the school system’s Capital Projects Fund.

The advantage for the Duneland Schools is that the bonds will have an interest rate of just 1.6 percent, considerably lower than other capital bonds that have rates of up to 4.6 percent, said financial consultant Curt Pletcher of Umbaugh & Associates. At the same time, the energy improvements are guaranteed by contract to save Duneland $20.7 million in energy costs over the bond duration, he said.

Pletcher noted that the tax credit bonds were originally intended to be at zero interest, but that hasn’t occurred due to the limited number of bond buyers now in the market as well as a lower than anticipated yield.

The energy improvements will be done at Westchester Intermediate School and all five elementary schools.

Duneland Director of Special Services Mark McKibben said the bulk of the school system’s heating and cooling systems are at least 25 years old, with many original components installed when the schools were first built. In addition to the installation of new energy efficient systems, the work will also include a move to digital controls that will improve efficiency.

The project will involve different improvements at each school. At Jackson Elementary, for example, a new gas-fire water heater will be installed and a new cooling system will be installed in the gym and computer labs. At WIS, the original boilers will be replaced and at Brummitt, new windows will be installed to replace the original ones.

The lead contractor for the project is Havel Brothers, a Fort Wayne based firm that’s a subsidiary of the EMCOR Group. Duneland School Board member Ron Stone sought assurances that local workers will get part of the work. McKibben said that although Duneland had to select a company specializing in guaranteed savings programs, the project supervisor lives in Porter County and that it’s likely local tradespeople will be hired.

Also Monday, the school board adopted the proposed 2010 budget that totals $65 million for all funds. That amount is almost $1.2 million lower than the budget that was advertised for this year, which Duneland Assistant Superintendent Dave Pruis noted has not yet been finalized.

Pruis also noted that the majority of Indiana counties now have their 2009 tax bills out and that Porter County is just one of three still awaiting certified net assessed values needed before the ‘09 budgets are finalized.

Although the state funding for the Duneland Schools is unknown over the next two years, Duneland Superintendent Dirk Baer said the official student enrollment count, taken on Sept. 18, shows that Duneland has grown by 110 students this year.

Also Monday, the school board gave its approval to the change in the school schedule on the early release days, including today’s.

The intermediate schools will begin 10 minutes earlier on the early release days, while the elementary schools will be dismissed 10 minutes later. The change was prompted by a conflict in the transportation schedules.

Duneland Director of Transportation Jim Bonfield said a number of options were reviewed, but that the 10-minute shift represented “the best compromise we could come up with.” In the past, some students had to wait a very long time on the bus; but with the revised schedule, elementary and intermediate students will be home by the time the buses begin transporting high school students.

The school board handled a single personnel matter: a child care leave for Chesterton Middle School art teacher Brooke Sutter.