Parkland Considers Natural Gas Line To High School

In a move aimed at saving on fuel costs, officials in the Parkland School District are moving ahead with plans to possibly build a natural gas line to the high school.

The school board on Tuesday night gave officials the go-ahead to draw up a draft agreement with UGI Corp., which would allow for less dependence on fuel oil.

If plans proceed, natural gas would become the high school's primary fuel source, though the system would switch over to fuel oil when temperatures dip to 11 degrees or 12 degrees, said Dale Reitz, the district's director of school services.

The annual fuel savings could be $325,000 to $347,000, said Richard Kiernan, a major account representative at UGI. He told the board that the district would likely recoup the cost of building the natural gas line within a year. 

Reitz said the high school was designed as a dual fuel facility. He said the district had considered using both fuel oil and natural gas there when it was being built in the mid-1990s, but those plans did not materialize.

A new opportunity surfaced recently when GEO Specialty Chemicals Inc., off North Cedar Crest Boulevard, began using natural gas instead of fuel oil to power its plant. GEO Specialty invested more than $1.5 million, in collaboration with UGI, to build more than two miles of 8-inch pipeline to bring the natural gas to its site.

The district would need to build 5,500 feet of line to continue service from that line to the high school, according to information presented to the board.

Directors Roberta Marcus and Lisa Adams asked about the safety of the natural gas lines, given the tragedy in Allentown earlier this year when a natural gas explosion killed five people. The blast is still under investigation, but an aging cast iron gas pipe is believed to have been at the root.

"Our priority and concern is always safety," Marcus said.

Kiernan said he understands concerns but that UGI is taking the necessary steps to keep customers safe. He directed the board to ugiresponse.com for information on how UGI is responding to the Allentown blast.

Adams also asked about the pressure as the natural gas would enter the building and what safety features would be in place should the pressure exceed what's expected. Sayegh said the system would be designed for automatic shutdown.

Assistant Superintendent Richard Sniscak told the board that safety is the number one goal and that the district has a responsibility to be a good community member and neighbor.

Money in the district's construction bond fund would be used to build the natural gas line, while the fuel savings would be realized in the general fund, said Superintendent Louise Donohue.

Reitz said the high school used about 185,000 gallons of fuel oil last year. With a dual system, the high school would only use about 10,000 gallons of fuel oil a year. 

With the board giving consensus at the board meeting to proceed, district officials will draft an agreement with UGI. The board would examine and vote on the proposal at a later date