Medford Township’s Board of Education prides itself on maintaining “excellence in education.” However, without the efforts of board members and contractors to manage and improve energy and technology throughout the district, this “excellence” could not be so well sustained.
At the meeting of the Board of Education on Monday, June 27, Joseph Biluck, director of operations and technology at Medford Township Public Schools, gave his final update and closeout presentation on the district’s Energy Savings Improvement Program. This came just three days before his retirement from the position on Thursday, June 30, after 29 years of service.
“We have been involved in an extensive energy saving program for the past 2.5 to three years, and we’re just at a point where we’re bringing that to closure,” Superintendent Joseph Del Rossi said. “Mr. Bullock, of course, was very instrumental in initiating, facilitating and implementing that program for our district.”
To begin his presentation, Biluck addressed many of the improvement projects that will span the course of this summer. Included in these renovations will be a partial re-roof and the removal of the temporary classroom unit at Cranberry Pines Elementary School, significant technology upgrades that will involve the purchase of more than 1,000 new Chromebooks, wireless and bandwidth upgrades, a gym floor refinishing at Taunton Forge School and the painting of the Memorial Panes canopy structure.
Other measures being taken to increase savings are replacing old control systems, installing LED fixtures in schools that do not possess enough solar capabilities, putting in management systems to control engine block heaters in the fleet of school buses to drive down maintenance costs and the re-sealing of more than 400 doors and door jams throughout the district to minimize the leaking of conditioned and heated air from buildings.
“This is the first time in 17 years where we haven’t had a major capital improvement project in the district, but we are doing some significant work in technology,” Biluck said. “The energy savings improvement program is not a capital improvement program but it’s a financing program. So essentially, we are looking to leverage the same things to support other capital projects within the scope of work.”
To give an example of this, Biluck addressed the district’s HVAC controls. He explained the new controls being implemented at Taunton Forge School cost roughly $300,000-$400,000, but that this money is not coming out of the capital improvement budget nor from taxpayers, but rather stemming from the savings the ESIP produces.
After discussing the work to be done within the district’s immediate future, Biluck took a few moments to discuss all the success he has encountered during his time spent working with Medford Township Public Schools.
“We’ve done a lot of work over the years, and sometimes we get caught up in the day-to-day obligations and we don’t take enough time to look back on what we have accomplished over the last 20 years,” Biluck said. “I just wanted to give you a little insight as to what the board has actually accomplished.”
He explained that in addition to providing high-quality educations and keeping students safe, the board has also helped to create an industry through its efforts. These efforts have included the board’s shift toward using biodiesel fuel in all of its school buses, greatly reducing carbon pollution. He also mentioned the board’s work to pass the school bus advertising law and the school bus retirement extension law, allowing school buses running on biodiesel fuel to run for 15 years, rather than 10.
In the last 20 years, the board has also expanded the use of alternative fuels in school bus fleets across New Jersey, built the largest collective solar electric array in a K-12 district and created New Jersey’s first member managed energy services cooperative. Medford Township is the third such organization in the U.S. to do so, allowing it to provide a wider range of energy-related services at a competitive rate and to make decisions based on market intelligence and local data.
Upon the conclusion of his presentation, board members expressed their sincere appreciation and gratitude for all Biluck has helped them accomplish over the years, referring to his work as “brilliant.” Replacing Biluck as director of operations and technology for the following school year will be John Gallagher.
