VENTURA : Grant Will Fund Solar Heating Repair

Buena High School has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the county to repair a solar-powered heating system used to warm the school’s swimming pool, thus saving an estimated $10,000 a year in energy costs.

The solar heating system, installed in 1980, has been broken for more than three years and the school has had no money to fix it, said Jorge Gutierrez, maintenance director of the Ventura Unified School District.

The Ventura County Board of Supervisors recently awarded a community foundation grant to the school to repair the system as part of an effort to promote non-polluting energy projects, Gutierrez said.

“It’s a good partnership between the county and the school district because we will be able to save money and offset pollution emissions,” he said.

The gas-operated boilers used to heat the school’s outdoor swimming pool are expected to be replaced by the solar-powered heating system this summer, Gutierrez said.

Solar panels placed on the roof of the gymnasium will heat a series of pipes through which water for the pool will pass, he said.

Supervisor Susan Lacey will present school officials with the $20,000 grant at the school board’s meeting tonight at City Hall.