VIENNA - Members of the Dooly County Board of Education are not convinced yet that a proposal submitted by the Energy Systems Group (ESG) is the best route for the school system to take.

Steven Stovall and other representatives of ESG addressed the board Thursday night about controlling the school system's energy usage in an effort to save the county money. If the board decided to accept the proposal from ESG, the company guarantees $30,000 in annual savings on total energy costs. If that doesn’t happen, Stovall said the company would write the board a check for the difference.

ESG would utilize equipment that would allow the school system to control the temperatures in the building and maintain them all at same level.

The controls would be set at a certain temperature during hours of occupancy (72 to 74 degrees roughly). During periods schools are not occupied, the temperature could go as low as 55 degrees in the winter and as high as 85 degrees in the summer.

"Comfort will never be compromised," said Stovall. "There will be no more worry about cutting off lights or cutting down thermostats. We will be using technology to keep these things under control and save money in the process.”

The board had several concerns involving the system. One of the most crucial of those questions was where the system stood if after a period of time they decided this was not the right decision and wanted to pull out.

"It is our responsibility to save the taxpayers all the dollars that we can," said board chairman Eddie Almond. "But we need to look carefully at all the financial aspects of this."

Almond and fellow board member Melvilla West asked what would happen to the equipment the company had brought in if the board chose to no longer work with ESG. If the company takes the equipment out, they said, that could mean that the board would have to purchase more, thus creating a significant financial strain for the system.

The board attorney advised that the contract proposal could be negotiated further. The board opted to consider the issue more before going forward with such an endeavor.

Board members accepted quotes for the system's workers’ compensation. Michael Shurley of Akin Insurance and Brent Griffin of Griffin Insurance addressed board members. After their presentations, the board decided to hold a called meeting at 11 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 23 to get further information before making a final decision.

During public participation, Sylvester Granville talked to the board concerning his wife’s retirement from the system after more than 38 years of service. He was upset that she cannot collect unemployment. Chairman Almond asked that Granville contact Superintendent Grady Miles to try to get the situation handled.

The board also reviewed and approved monthly reports and heard departmental and the superintendent’s reports. They approved a fundraiser for Dooly County Middle School.

The next meeting of the Dooly County Board of Education is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 18 at 6 p.m.