Essex North Shore Technical and Agricultural School marked two big steps forward Thursday with the ribbon-cutting on the school’s new animal science building and the launch of a project to change Gallant Hall to geothermal power.
The new two-story building next to Angell at Essex contains lab space for animal dissections and areas for kennels and dog training for students in animal science fields such as equine sciences, veterinary science, or the school’s companion animals program.
The expanded space will enable increased enrollment of 100 students over four years, Essex Tech Superintendent Heidi Riccio said.
“(This project) is the fulfillment of the hopes and dreams of the young people who we have the privilege to serve,” said Russell Johnston, acting commissioner of elementary and secondary education.
“And when I think about the dreams that come into this building, they are the dreams of students from rural, urban and suburban communities,” said Johnston. “And there aren’t too many schools in this part of the state that serve students from such a combination of communities.”
The construction, which broke ground last fall, was funded by a combination of federal sources such as the Capital Skills Grant and a state bond anticipation note, as well as excess stabilization funding.
“This is exactly how we should be spending our money — to make facilities like this,” said state Sen. Joan Lovely, who received her associate degree in large animal science from the school. “I will always be a supporter of this school, its students, and the educators and administration who are turning out these amazing educated students. The world is your oyster, whatever you want it to be, it starts right here.”
School administration and local officials such as Lovely and state Rep. Sally Kerans stuck shovels into the ground to start excavation work on the first of 10 wells, which will travel 400 feet deep into the Earth where the temperature is a consistent 50 degrees.
The system will use a heat pump to take 50-degree water from the Earth and pump it into the building to meet its heating and cooling demands with the energy stored in the ground.
“We’re very excited to be able to offer this,” Riccio said. “Because the finished geothermal project will have a very similar cost than if we were to do the more traditional boiler, hot water, and steam system.”
Forty percent of the geothermal project’s cost will be funded by the federal government via the Inflation Reduction Act, with additional funding coming from Mass Save, a private donation, and a workforce development grant from U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton’s office.
Another value of the geothermal project is the educational opportunity it will provide for students to work alongside partner Edison Electric Institute and experience the installation and construction work firsthand.
“It brings a lot of opportunity to the district here, not just by bringing clean energy in, but by bringing this opportunity for the students to be able to see it,” Ryan Monks, director of facilities, said. “We have our students across all shops that are going to be involved. We’re going to be integrating classroom time into the boiler room. They’re going to be able to see this project from the beginning to end.”
Michael McHugh can be contacted at [email protected] or at 781-799-5202
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