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When driving up the hill to Soroco High School, the entrance
atrium and gymnasium dominates the view, giving the school
a clean, modern look. But the South Routt School District
facilities have serious concerns. It is one of two school
districts in the state that uses coal-fired burners to heat
its schools.
The coal boilers are more than 50-years-old, the manufacturer
has since gone out of business, and replacement parts require
custom fabrication. According to their Colorado Department
of Education grant application, “The current, old coal
boilers are located within the school facilities and are causing
poor air quality due to coal dust, soot and ash dispersion
in the classroom environments.” School employees periodically
have to manually remove and dispose of the coal ash.
The boilers are not the district’s only concern. In
July 2005, a sinkhole caused serious damage to the floors
of the library and locker room. The existing administration
building, vocational-agriculture shop building and student
testing center was completed at the end of their last bond
issue cycle, so insulation was eliminated and roof drainage
and gutters were minimum.
The school district was awarded a grant from the state contingent
on the district passing a bond in the November election. The
district will attempt a $1.57 million bond in November. If
the bond passes, the district will install ground source heating,
which will provide heat during cold weather and cool air during
the summer.
Without the bond, the school district will have to continue
burning their inefficient, unreliable coal boilers.
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