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Board approves $5.246 million CIP request to rebuild Hamilton Avenue HVAC using existing geothermal field
Summary
After consultant presentations and debate about field protection, the Greenwich Board of Education voted 6–1 (one member absent) to add $5,246,000 for reconstruction and reuse of the Hamilton Avenue geothermal HVAC system to the FY26 capital plan.
The Greenwich Board of Education voted to add $5,246,000 to the FY26 capital plan to reconstruct and reuse the Hamilton Avenue geothermal HVAC system at Greenwich High School. The board approved the item after consultants from AECOM and district staff reviewed costs, eligibility for tax incentives and operational tradeoffs. "I'm in favor of moving forward with the geothermal system," board member Sophie Coben said before the vote.
District staff and AECOM said the geothermal field as originally installed is functional and the consultant team confirmed the field was designed for the building’s load. AECOM and district facilities staff reported that the project does not qualify for the federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and that any potential Eversource incentives would be small in comparison. Consultants said the upfront cost of a rebuilt geothermal system is slightly higher than a conventional replacement but yields lower maintenance costs and lifecycle savings over time; the report cited a present-value savings figure in the low hundreds of thousands of dollars over a 25-year horizon.
Board members pressed consultants on how to protect the buried well field from damage during community events. AECOM and district staff said the wells’ layout is known, pressure tests and flushing have been performed, and that avoiding point loads and staking over known well locations will reduce risk; they cautioned that very soft ground and point-loaded heavy equipment (deep-spiked stakes or concentrated loads that sink) could damage piping. Facilities staff committed to further field mapping to help event planners and community groups avoid well locations.
The revised recommendation to reuse the existing field and modernize the plant was presented as consistent with an RTM action passed in April (referenced in the presentation) and with long-term operating savings. The board voted: Yes — Miss Behat, Sophie Coben, Dr. Mercante Anthony, Miss Stowe, Laura Costin, Karen (chair); No — Wendy; Absent — Cody. The tally recorded in the meeting was six yes, one no, one absent. The motion passed and staff said they would forward CIP materials to the Board of Estimate and Taxation for their review.
Ending: District staff said construction could be completed primarily in a summer window so the building is ready before the next school year and that temporary systems can maintain heating or cooling while work proceeds. The board asked staff to produce a field‑protection plan and requested additional geotechnical/load information to support community events on the field before construction.
