Oxford County picks Auburn firm
for pellet boiler contract

By Tony Reaves, Staff Writer Sun Journal Aug. 4, 2011

PARIS — Commissioners have chosen an Auburn company to install a pellet boiler system in the Oxford County courthouse.

County Administrator Scott Cole said commissioners authorized execution of a contract with Nason Mechanical Systems.

The county has secured nearly $235,000 in U.S. Department of Energy funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to pay for the work. Cole said the total contract value is $274,786.

The plan includes removing an oil-fired steam boiler and replacing it with wood pellet boilers that use hot water. The building's heating system would be converted from steam to hot water. A hot water boiler already in the courthouse would be moved.

Plans call for other work, including installing a chimney liner, providing cellulose insulation in the attic and installing baseboard heat in the Registry of Deeds Office.

Commissioners plan to get the work done before the winter. The boiler installation was planned for last year, but the project hit a setback when David Kyl, an engineer the commission hired for the project, moved out of state.

The commission hired Richard Grondin, a consultant at Integrated Energy Systems in Falmouth, to write a project plan. Commissioners initially considered building a storage unit or silo outside the courthouse for pellets, but decided to use existing basement space instead.