NEW LONDON –– The New London-Spicer School District could become a testing center for renewable energy technology, with students providing the man-power and ingenuity and getting an education in the process.
At their meeting this week, the NLS School Board agreed to pursue a proposal that would make the school a “hands-on proving grounds” for energy-related concepts and technologies, said Superintendent Paul Carlson.
While still in the planning stages and dependent on grants and legislative funding, the possibility of becoming and energy education center is exciting, Carlson said. “It’s pretty neat to be thinking about this.”
Carlson said NLS intends to build on its past track record with a successful wind turbine and passive solar greenhouse project to add alternative types of renewable energy sources, such as plasma arc biomass gasification, syngas for running school buses, a rooftop solar array on the roof of Prairie Woods Elementary and fuel cells that can store solar and wind energy to help off-set expensive peak energy usage.
Being a testing site would allow the district to select, install the different renewable energy technologies and equipment that will allow students to study the different systems and create a model that could be applied to real-life scenarios.
Students will have the opportunity to work with “real life” energy power systems,” Carlson said
“This will provide educational opportunities for our students,” he said. “Sometimes it will not new technology but it would be new technology for our students.”
The district is working with Arvind Auluck-Wilson, from Energy Technology Innovations of Milan, the Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Authority and a local accounting firm to develop a feasible plan.
As the first stage of the process, the board agreed to seek grants to fund the project.
The board will ask the NLS Educational Foundation to be the fiscal agent for the program to qualify for grants.
The board heard an update on the informational meetings that are being held in the community about the proposed $21.6 million school building project. “We’re taking our information out to the people,” said Carlson, who has made presentations and a variety of community organizations.
Rick and Nancy Wehesler are heading up the vote yes campaign, which is called “New London-Spicer Strong,” Carlson said.
Voters will go to the polls Nov. 3.
In other action at their meeting:
• The board approved the preliminary payable 2016 levy of $4,102,037, which is a 7.33 percent increase. Carlson said the increase in the local levy is because a change in the state formula means a reduction in state aid. The final certification will take place at the Dec. 14 meeting.
• The board accepted the resignation of Nathan Braaten, who had taught high school English and language arts at NLS for 15 years. The resignation came in the midst of the district’s investigation of a complaint made against Braaten.
