Solar panels have been installed at some schools and new LED lighting is already illuminating others. And now the Jersey City school district’s $122 million energy-saving plan is kicking into high gear.
The construction phase of the district’s Energy Saving Improvement Program (ESIP) is underway, starting with Dickinson High School and School 3. Work at Ferris High School will start next week.
The school board joined a state program in September that will allow the district to add solar energy to 33 schools and save millions of dollars over the next 20 years. A $62 million bond was issued to defray the cost of the project, which is entering the fourth phase of a six-phase plan.
The school district will host a kickoff ceremony June 12 for the start of construction at Ferris High School, selected for 37 energy-saving measures, including roof renovation, solar panels, boiler and chiller replacements and a new HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system.
Superintendent Norma Fernandez said the program will allow the schools to not only reduce energy consumption “but also enhance the overall sustainability of our facilities.”
“By conserving energy, the school district can significantly reduce utility costs, thereby generating savings that can be reinvested in improving facilities and infrastructure,” Fernandez said. “By prioritizing energy savings, the Jersey City Board of Education will create a more sustainable environment for students and staff, while also setting an example for the community on the importance of conservation and resource efficiency.”
Fernandez added that the ESIP funding has allowed the district to construct new bathrooms for Snyder and Ferris high schools, and schools 16, 23 and 25. Students have frequently complained about the bathrooms in schools either being dirty or in disrepair with unlockable or missing stall doors and non-functioning toilets.
Acting Business Administrator Dennis Frohnapfel said the project is on schedule and expects the construction to wrap up by next April. Solar panels have already been installed at schools 5,8, 14, 22, 23, 28 and 30, he added.
“These projects are moving along well within its schedule,” Frohnapfel said. “The lighting replacement has completed the conversion of the Lincoln and Ferris high schools to energy-saving LEDs. The Dickinson High School and Conwell Elementary and Middle schools are expected to be complete in the coming weeks, with nearly 40 schools to follow over the course of the next year.”
At least two-thirds of the school district’s 44 buildings are over 100 years old.
Under the plan, the Jersey City school district, one of the largest in the state, would realize $66 million in energy savings over the next 20 years. The plan consists of adding HVAC to eight schools with poor ventilation, solar renewable energy for 33 schools, boiler replacements and conversions, upgraded roofs for 21 schools and LED lighting for all schools.
Jersey City’s ESIP plan is the largest investment ina school’s energy savings in the state. The Newark public schools committed $95 million to the state’s Energy Savings Improvement Program (ESIP) in 2021.
The state’s Schools Development Authority (SDA) is responsible for building new schools and performing major repairs in the 31 SDA (formerly “Abbott”) districts like Jersey City.
President DeJon Morris said the district is entering a new era for itsr students.
“To be able to start this construction means a lot to me because it means we are moving forward,” Morris said.
