HomeMy WebLinkAbout4. GCSD Purchase Heat Commitment 9 14 13`- GALENA CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
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September 14, 2013
GALENA, ALASKA 99741
PHONE (907) 656-1205
FAX (907) 656-2238
Re: Purchase Heat Commitment from Galena City School District
Dear City of Galena and Louden Tribal Council:
SUPERINTENDENT
Chris Reitan
Galena City School District is an enthusiastic supporter and collaborator with the City of
Galena's and Louden Tribal Council's Round VII Alaska Energy Authority Grant Application
for the Galena Base Wood Heat Project. The City of Galena and Louden Tribal Council have
led our community's efforts to develop a responsible, sustainable use of our local woody
resources for heat projects.
Galena City School District's Galena Interior Learning Academy (GILA) is a strong candidate for
a woody biomass heat system; it is the primary tenant on the former Galena Base campus. The
infrastructure is currently in place on the Galena Base campus to support a woody biomass
project that would provide heat to the infrastructure serving the 210 students attending Galena's
high school boarding school campus. The sustainability of Alaska's second largest and second
longest operating high school boarding school is dependent on the community partnering
together and taking the necessary steps to move our fuel consumption for heat on the Galena
Base campus from diesel to a renewable, sustainable, and predictable fuel source -woody
biomass,
Galena City School District commits to purchasing heat (derived from 2,500 to 3,000 tons of
woody biomass annually) from the City of Galena on the Galena interior Learning Campus that
is derived primarily from a woody biomass infrastructure. Furthermore, Galena City School
District commits 10% of the Superintendent's ($9, I85) and Maintenance Director's ($6,461) time,
salary, and fringe benefits to the development and operation of a woody biomass heat project for
the Galena Interior Learning Academy.
In closing, Galena City School District is in full support of the City of Galena's and Louden
Tribal Council's Round VII Alaska Energy Authority Grant Application for the Galena Base
Wood Heat Project as evidenced of our commitment to purchase the heat derived from a woody
biomass heat system on the Galena Base and the commitment of personnel, time, and resources
to ensure the success of the project. Galena City School District is fully aware that energy is one
of the critical issues impacting rural Alaska. We look forward to continuing in this collaborative
effort with the City of Galena and Louden Tribal Council. We will continue to grow our
partnership with the City of Galena and Louden Tribal Council; this partnership is positioned to
improve the quality of life in our region and serve as a model for other communities actively
engaged in alternative energy uses.
Sincerely,
Chris Reitan, GCSD Superintendent