Augusta School Board Considering Natural Gas For Cony High School

The Augusta Board of Education will be holding a board meeting this Wednesday. They will consider joining with the city of Augusta in a lease-puchase proposal, to spend up to $732,000 for upgrades in the school's energy efficiency. Upgrades would include a new gas boiler that would run on propane until natural gas becomes available. That would heat Cony High School and the technical center buildings.It's estimated that converting the two school buildings to natural gas, from oil heat, could save $193,000 in just the first year.

Other energy efficiency upgrades are to include new windows and doors at the technical center.

The lease-purchase deal would join a larger city project, that would convert Augusta City Center, Buker Community Center and the Augusta Civic Center to natural gas next fall, with a cost of around $2 million.

The meeting is this Wednesday night at 7 at Augusta City Center.