Letters to the editor

02/22/2007 - Dear Editor,

Why heat with Biomass? For starters please realize wood chips are a kind of biomass. Biomass is a fancy word for organic material from plants and animals used to produce energy. Some examples of biomass fuels are wood, crops, manure, and some garbage. Biomass is a renewable energy source that does not rely on fossil fuels, and therefore does not contribute to global warming.

  Unfortunately, several inaccurate statements have been made and citizens deserve to know the facts. In 2006, Gilpin County citizens paid close to ½ million dollars to provide heat and electricity for the county buildings. In the long run, we could save more money if we are willing to pay a significant amount of money up front to heat the new Road and Bridge building using renewable energy strategies including wood chips. 

  The new Road and Bridge building will be in mid-county on county-owned property off Highway 119, just behind the present Road and Bridge facility. It will be 21,625 square feet and will include a backup natural gas heating system. The area of the building used to house the biomass portion of the facility will be 1,380 square feet. We estimate a need for 400 green tons of chips per year, which requires thinning approximately 40 acres per year.

  The total cost of the building, excluding the land, is $4,888.060. It will be a concrete building with panels cast off site. The cost of the biomass heating system including the additional space  ($910,661) is included in the total cost of the building. We paid for the land with cash in 2006 and will pay for the building with cash when it is completed this year. Our grandchildren will not still be paying for this building 20 years from now. In fact the opposite is true. Furthermore, we believe, in the long run, your grandchildren will pay less for utilities than they would have if we did not incorporate renewable energy strategies, including biomass, into this building.

  So what will our return on our investment be-the payback? The estimate on the payback is 17 years if we pay $20 per ton, 20 years if we pay $30 per ton and  26 years if we pay 50$ per ton for the wood chips delivered to the site and dumped into the storage bin. The payback is based on the assumptions natural gas prices will increase 5% every year, electricity will increase 3% every year, $4500 annual allowance for maintenance will be needed per year and a 10 hour per week part time employee is needed.  The estimate on the "life" of the building is 40 years.

  The rationale for heating the new Road and Bridge facility with biomass (wood chips) is not unlike the decision a private homeowner might make to heat his/her house with wood because utility costs are rising to an unaffordable level. Assuming the cost of utilities will continue to rise, the homeowner decides to make an up-front purchase of a wood-burning stove and determines whether an affordable supply of wood is readily available. The homeowner pays much more the first year to buy the stove, wood and/or chain saw, and build a wood shed. However, over the next ten years, he/she plans on saving enough money to cover the up-front costs and after ten years he/she pays less every year to heat his/her house.

  This is not a crazy idea dreamed up in the last two weeks without professional consultation, research, or thoughtfulness on the part of Commissioner Whitman and myself. Several years of research and consultation have gone into reaching the conclusion that biomass along with several conservation measures is the most efficient way to move forward to heat the new Road and Bridge building. Because of the expense of retrofitting, the best time to incorporate renewable energy strategies is during construction. 

  As a county commissioner, I have for the last four years signed the vouchers to pay for utilities and have seen costs continue to climb. I believe it is time to employ renewable energy alternatives with a reasonable expectation of payback.

  In order to learn about alternatives, I toured the Nederland biomass facility and the Walden School facility. (It is wise to learn what not to do.) I also toured the Boulder County facility (to learn what to do) and along with several staff I visited the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden. Eric Douglas, representing the county, toured the Chadron College Campus in Nebraska which is heated with biomass and reported his findings in a public meeting at the Courthouse.

  We have consulted with Linda Smith at the Governor's Office of Energy Management and Conservation and have attended several meetings with county commissioners from across the State, who are also interested in saving the taxpayer's money by reducing utility costs. Gilpin County arranged for free consultation from McNeil Technologies who are experts on biomass used in Colorado and other states. We benefited from a Colorado State University Study on the supply of wood available in Gilpin and Clear Creek Counties. We used a competitive process to locate a design build company that met our criteria including "green building" construction experience.

  In addition to the economics of alternative energy we considered the potential environmental impacts. Emissions from properly designed biomass facilities are similar to those from natural gas facilities and create far less air pollution than wild fires, controlled burns, and pile burning. Biomass is a natural part of the carbon cycle and does not contribute to greenhouse gases in the same way that fossil fuels do. 

  Promoting forest health by thinning the forests in Gilpin County at the same time we use the product to save energy costs is an added bonus. Thinning our forests is an excellent fire mitigation strategy resulting in a healthier forest as well as an adequate supply of wood chips. We met with our State Forester, Allen Owen, and our Forest Service Rangers, Dan Lavato and Christine Walsh, to get their input and to ensure their willingness to cooperate with the county to obtain clean wood chips from our local forests for the new building. Clean wood chips don't have to be washed, just chipping directly into roll-offs, hauling to the new building, and storing them in the wood chip bins works well for Boulder and will for us.

  Because we are not experts on alternative energy, it seemed prudent to identify and engage alternative energy experts from the National Renewable Energy Lab. We are fortunate the Lab is in Golden and Linda Smith, a Gilpin resident, was willing to put together a team of experts without any cost to the County to provide the consultation we needed. The team included experts in wind, solar, biomass and recycled oil. This team concluded the Road and Bridge building could be heated most efficiently with a combination of biomass, solar walls, and recycled oil. They also recommended that we incorporate several energy conservation strategies including skylights, radiant floor heating, snow melt aprons, a heat recovery unit and programmable controls for radiant heaters. The Board of County Commissioners adopted these recommendations.

  We cannot assume that natural gas prices will remain the same or even climb at a modest rate. Furthermore, we cannot assume fossil fuels will always be available. We cannot ignore the contribution to global warming we would make if we were to use fossil fuels. We cannot ignore the health status of the forest. It is time for us to think long term and to use the county's revenues as wisely as possible at the same time we are protecting the environment. Heating the new Road and Bridge building with renewable, alternative sources of energy does just that.

  For more information or to comment, call Jeanne Nicholson 303-582-5560 nicholsonjeanne@aol.com. You also can comment during the public comment period of the Board of County Commissioner meetings. We meet almost every Tuesday morning at the Courthouse in Central City. Finally, the Biomass Symposium Saturday, March 10 at the Community Center will be an excellent way to learn more from a panel of experts and to ask questions or comment. For more information about the Biomass Symposium or to reserve your space, contact the CSU Extension Agent's Office for Gilpin County at 303-582-9106.

Jeanne Nicholson

Mid-Gilpin County

Dear Editor,

The ALAN GREEN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION is inviting organizations to request grants for any worthy purpose. Requests must be in writing and in detail citing needs, reasons and the amount requested. Requests from organizations should include the official name or names of responsible officers. Requests for 2007 should be in our hands no later than April 1, 2007. Grants will be awarded on April 18.

  THE FOUNDATION is a Gilpin County organization managed by Gilpin County people. It is classified by the IRS as a tax-exempt organization and we derive our basic capital from donations. These, in turn, are invested and the returns from these investments are used to pay our operating expenses and make limited grants to meet needs not met by other sources.

  Also, the Foundation will be offering four scholarships of one thousand ($1,000) each to students who need financial assistance to continue their education. Two scholarships will be given to high school graduating seniors of  RE-1 and RE-2 schools. The deadline for the application for these scholarships is March 31, and the award is made at graduation. Two scholarships will be given to college students who wish to continue their college education. The deadline for that application is June 30, and the award will be made July 18. To qualify, the student must be a resident of Gilpin County. Applications may be obtained from your school counselor or by calling 303 582-5364.

  The Board of Directors are responsible for determining the greatest need. All requests are given serious consideration.

  All applications for funds should be sent to THE ALAN GREEN MEMORIAL FOUNDATION, Box 575, Black Hawk, CO 80422-0575.

Board of Directors,
Alan Green Memorial Foundation

Verl R. Jones, President

Dear Editor,

It is my hope that the Gilpin community will respond enthusiastically to the finance discussions currently underway at Gilpin RE-1 School. The one-hour meetings offer a rare opportunity to access the superintendent.  

  The district has declined to hold such open participatory meetings in past years so students and parents especially may want to attend to ask about budgetary issues or express budgetary concerns (such as potential students’ programs eliminations).

  Two of the four scheduled meetings have already occurred (February 20 and 21^st). There are two more scheduled for next week. Slots are extremely limited – only eight people per meeting (including school personnel). To get dates and times, and to reserve a seat, one must call the school (303-582-3444).

Thank you,

Lynn Volkens
Aspen Springs

Dear Editor,

Do I sense a hostile take-over of the Mt. Ear, or just a better product, in time squeezing them out through hard work? With Barbara onboard you could change your name to the "Mutineer" and take over the two county region. 

Dave Gibson
Nederland, CO

Dear Editor,

I would like to take this opportunity to voice my appreciation to the Gilpin County Community Center and its staff. On Friday, February 9th, we took two Nederland youth groups (from Calvary Chapel and Nederland Community Presbyterian Church) to the Gilpin County Community Center for some fun. The staff was very accommodating and friendly and went out of their way to welcome us. They checked us all in, made sure adequate lifeguard staff was on duty, and allowed us to set up in the teen room with all of our snacks, etc. Special thanks to Rich and Cindy, Delores and Constance, and the lifeguards on duty. We are so fortunate to have such a beautiful and accommodating facility in our community!

Sincerely,

Marj Henderson
Nederland