The installation of a new geothermal system at Mile 108 Elementary is close to completion.
School principal Tom Turner says contractors are just a week or two away from completing the project, after some hiccups last year stalled getting the energy-efficient system from being operational before winter.
As of Monday, he says that of 32 in total, Langley-based ALCO Drilling Services had just seven holes left to drill.
Turner adds the drill operators worked on the weekend and are proceeding at a rate of about one 350-foot hole each day.
As soon as the drilling is done, he says it's just a matter of tying in the pipes to the new air exchange equipment and boilers in the school.
That indoor equipment was installed by RL7 Mechanical last fall, and Turner notes that part is already working independently in back-up mode.
"There's lots of fresh air coming in, the system inside is working really well. You can feel the difference inside the school."
While the equipment works now, the geothermal component will lower the school's carbon footprint significantly.
The holes will be cross-connected with about 11,000 feet of polyethylene pipes to carry an antifreeze mixture to absorb ambient heat from the earth, and transfer that warmth into the school.
Doug Gorcak, School District 27 (SD27) facilities and transportation manager, says the drilling got underway a little later than hoped this spring due to cold temperatures.
He notes it just wouldn't be safe to have the water required by the process turning to ice on the fields.
Delays have plagued the project from the onset last year, when the ALCO drill rig and crew got caught in Bella Coola by road closures caused by floods.
Then problems with the rigs and related equipment breakdowns arose late last fall, which Gorcak says left the project further behind schedule, and winter conditions hit and prevented completion before spring.
"Unfortunately, I just wish we had been up and running by now. Because this year was cold and had lots of snow, it pushed it back until May."
Once the system is tied in over the next couple of weeks, he notes there will then be a brief commissioning phase to make sure everything is working properly, before considering the job to be completed.
