Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
A giant boiler will be scrapped at Colton High School after 76 years due to an energy efficiency grant received by the district.
In April, the state superintendent’s office awarded $326,546 to the district to replace the old boiler with two smaller ones and a computer-control system which allows the heating of only certain rooms at a time.
For example, during a basketball game on a weekend, Colton administrators will now have the ability to heat just the gym and locker rooms.
The annual savings to the school are slated at $12,686 in the first year and $13,070 by the third.
“The grant is a sizable chunk of money to save the district significant costs in heating,” said Colton Supt. Nate Smith.
The original steel hulk of a boiler is located in a boiler room next to the bus barn on the school grounds. It was built first to heat with coal, then modified for oil, followed by another modification for natural gas.
“It looks like two V.W. vans stacked on each other,” said Smith.
The boiler does not have valves which allow for the zoning of heat.
The project to take out the old boiler and replace it with the new ones will begin June 11 with most of the work expected to be done during the summer break. Completion date is set for Oct. 10.
Engineers from the Mckinstry Company aided the district in the grant application process and will manage the project.
Colton was among 42 districts in the state to implement infrastructure and building improvements designed to generated energy savings.
Garth Meyer is a former Whitman County Gazette reporter.
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