Schools look to improve lighting in high school, junior high

By CHRIS PETERSON

Hungry Horse News

Columbia Falls High School and Junior High School could get brighter and more efficient lighting systems if a contract with a Bozeman Firm proves fruitful.

The School District 6 board last week entered a contract with Johnson Controls to do a lighting energy audit at both schools. The company did similar work at Libby schools, boosting the output of its lights while installing a system that paid for itself in energy savings over time.

The company’s contract also guarantees a similar result for Columbia Falls, or the district won’t have to pay a fee.

Johnson Controls will have a full report and a cost estimate within 90 days, the company said.

The district has about $85,000 in funds in its building reserve to pay for the project and could also get a small loan from the state Board of Investments if the costs are higher than that.

In other news:

- The board approved an agreement with Kaleidoscope Coding to use some classrooms to teach elementary students computer coding. The initial agreement would have given the outfit the use of the rooms for free, but the board required to company to pay a small fee, because it was a for-profit operation.