The Calhan School District RJ‐1 is nearing completion on the design and planning portion of their Indoor Air Quality Improvement Project. The project consists of installing a vertical loop ground source heat pump system to replace inefficient and failing HVAC rooftop units and old propane fired boilers for the PK‐12 school campus. The project also includes upgrading the existing lighting in the school to T‐8 florescent bulbs, which are more efficient and will provide improved light quality. By replacing this aging infrastructure the school will be able to mitigate their current indoor air quality issues and also lower our utility costs.

The project is being funded by a variety of sources including: $1,589,684 from the Colorado Department of Education through their BEST (Building Excellent Schools Today) program; $400,000 from the Department of Local Affairs; $305,000 from the Governors Energy Office; $300,000 from a tax exempt lease purchase, and $349,176 from the District’s capital reserve fund. The total budgeted cost of the project is $2,943,860.

Project Facts:

• Construction at the school will take place over the summer of 2010 and will be completed prior to the start of the 2010/11 school year.

• The vertical loop for the heat pump system will be installed below ground in the practice field directly south of the school.

• Project highlights include:

o CO2 levels in classrooms to be reduced

o Classroom tempertaures to become more consistent and comfortable

o Quality of classroom lighting to be improved

o Energy consumtion will be reduced meaning utility costs for the District will be reduced

o The items noted above contribute to a more productive learning environment for our students!