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Ithaca school board asks staff to test feasibility of geothermal for two schools, authorizes exploration RFP
Summary
The Ithaca City School District board sought direction on heating and cooling options for Ithaca High School and Boynton Middle School and agreed to authorize an RFP and site exploration to test ground-source (geothermal) options ahead of a potential December capital referendum.
The Ithaca City School District Board of Education on Monday asked staff to pursue exploratory drilling and to issue a request for proposals to test ground‑source (geothermal) heating and cooling at Ithaca High School and Boynton Middle School.
The discussion centered on three priorities the board asked staff to weigh: lowest upfront construction cost, lowest 30‑year life‑cycle cost and lowest carbon‑dioxide emissions. Chris (staff member) presented comparative tables showing options ranked by first cost and by 30‑year life‑cycle cost and emphasized that the district would use first cost numbers when sizing a capital project for voters. He told the board the maximum first‑cost estimate to include cooling at both schools in the planned project is $6,200,000.
Why it matters: the board is planning a capital project referendum later this year to address aging boilers and add cooling. Board members…
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