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Letter: Bond issue impacts farmers based on county
Op-Ed · April 09, 2008
More information on the cost and satisfaction of geothermal systems ...
How much could this bond issue cost people who own farmland?
It depends whether a farm is in Cedar or Johnson County and the taxable value of the land. If you are in Cedar County, the cost per acre on the average is $1.62 annually. Doing some easy math, a hundred acre farm would cost about $162 annually or about $13.50 per month on a 10 year debt. In Johnson County the cost per acre is about $1.11. Doing the same math in Johnson County, the cost per month is a little less than $10. These figures were calculated using average taxable values of agricultural land for Cedar and Johnson County. Obviously, individual farms may vary from these estimates.
How satisfied have other school systems been with geothermal systems?
The Iowa Energy Center conducted a recent survey about the satisfaction of using geothermal energy systems in schools throughout Iowa. Of the 116 schools responding to the survey, 45 buildings were reported as using geothermal systems to heat and cool these buildings.
Of the districts that reported in this survey, over 90 percent of the districts were either very satisfied or satisfied with the operational performance of geothermal. While this is not every school district, there seems to be a very high probability that anyone who considers geothermal would be quite satisfied with such a system. With this level of satisfaction it would seem geothermal is quickly becoming the choice of school districts statewide.
The legislature has been considering a couple of bills that address energy efficiencies of public buildings, SF 2084 and SSB 3284. Energy efficiencies being considered at our Iowa legislature this year address the need for more energy efficiencies of public buildings. Geothermal systems could provide the efficiencies mentioned in these bills.
For more information on geothermal systems, you can access information on our website: www.west-branch.k12.ia.us
Craig Artist
West Branch Schools Superintendent
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