Lind School District receives energy efficiency grant

The Lind School District has been selected to receive a $500,000 preliminary Energy Efficiency Grant for improvements at the schools. The Lind School District applied for the grant through the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and the Washington State Legislature makes the grant funds possible.

Superintendent Rob Roettger explained the school district applied for the grant in coordination with the recent bond approved by voters in the Lind district for upgrades at the school. The grant helps improve energy efficiency, reduce operating costs, improve the learning environment for students and help stimulate Washington construction industry jobs, the award letter states.

OSPI received 50 applications for the $9 million available in energy grant funds. As one of the 29 projects selected for improvements at K-12 schools, the Lind School District plans to move forward with projects at the local district this summer.

As a preliminary grant, Roettger explained the school district is reimbursed as the money spent. The district plans to use a portion of the funds to pay for the contract with McKinstry, but the primary amount of the funds is used for the HVAC and lighting upgrades. A smaller portion of the funds is budgeted for technological upgrades for the infrastructure and network, upgrades to the kitchens in both schools and improvements to doors within the district.

Roettger said projects at the Lind school buildings are expected to begin this summer. The school district recently sold the bonds from the general obligation bond placed on the ballot last February and Roettger said the bonds sold at a better rate than expected.

The school district placed a 15-year bond for collection of no more than $4 million on the ballot, which passed with strong support from Lind voters. Roettger traveled to Seattle last week to attend the bond sale with D.A. Davidson & Co., who was selected to serve as the underwriter for the bonds by the Lind School District.

Initially sold as a 15-year bond with a $1.61 per thousand for a total of $4 million in collection and $1.83 million in interest, the bond rate came in significantly lower. The bond rate allowed the school district to cut two years off the bond and significantly lowered the rate for taxpayers and in interest.

The bond now runs for 13 years with a tax collection of $1.52 per thousand. The rate lowers the amount of interest to $790,000, a difference of over $1 million.

With the lower rate and reduced number of years, Roettger said the district is anxious to move forward to begin construction projects. Throughout the past year, the school district discovered the roofs on the Lind Elementary School and Lind-Ritzville Middle School are failing. The project completion over the summer would allow students to return in fall to a safer and improved school.

The majority of the funds from the bond sale are going to be used for replacement of the roofs at the schools and ag shop, with a smaller portion being used for the upgrades to the HVAC units at both schools.