Building an industry Laura Colban, owner of Skanden Energy, cuts the ribbon signifying the installation of two more pellet boilers in MSAD #58 schools. Also present are MSAD #58 superintendent Quenten Clark (center) and David Heidrick, a representative from Senator Susan Collins’office. (David Hart photo) KINGFIELD — A ribbon cutting ceremony was held Monday, March 29 that marked the commissioning of two new pellet boilers for the Kingfield and Strong elementary schools. MSAD #58 now has the most wood pellet boilers heating its schools than all others throughout the state.

Adding Strong and Kingfield buildings to the Mt. Abram school, which is already heating with pellets, will save the district nearly $100,000 annually. It will lessen the district’s reliance on fossil fuel, help create jobs in Maine, and keep taxpayers dollars in the state and not oversees, according to proponents of the program. Lastly it’s better for the environment lessening harmful emissions that cause global warming.

The school’s bus maintenance garage is also heated with wood pellets and the Phillips Elementary School should be receiving a grant sometime soon to switch to a wood pellet boiler from heating oil.

Needless to say the crowd was upbeat at the ceremony illustrating MSAD #58 as a leader in the state, revolutionizing the way public and commercial buildings operate.

Superintendent Quenten Clark noted that he had a vision to switch to wood years ago and that he stuck with that vision which, he says, now makes MSAD #58 a leader in the state.