By the fall, eight buildings at the Strafford County Complex — including the jail, courthouse and elderly housing — will be heated by natural gas and result in savings to taxpayers.
Many of the underground pipes have been installed. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Thursday to celebrate the 8,300-foot extension from the county complex to an existing gas line used by a nearby asphalt plant owned by Brox Industries.
While Brox had hoped to connect to the county’s line, Plant Manager David Cluff said it was happy to see the roles reversed. Brox installed the Rochester Neck pipeline a few years ago to convert to natural gas, saving the company 30 percent in heating expenses.
The county project, which has been in the works for 20 years, is a realization of using local resources to heat the many facilities at the complex, according to George Maglaras, chairman of the Board of County Commissioners.
“For me, it’s a personal victory,” Maglaras said, adding he’s long wanted to have the system converted from electrical heat to natural gas.
Maglaras recalled how the county courthouse used electric heat after officials were convinced they would see a savings receiving energy from the nuclear power plant in Seabrook. After it didn’t pan out, he said other buildings were converted to propane in the past two decades.
Maglaras said using natural gas will save taxpayers about $100,000 to $150,000 in heating costs and reduce the carbon footprint of the complex, which includes the Strafford County Courthouse, Riverside Rest Home, Strafford County House of Corrections, Hyder Hospice Center and Covered Bridge Elderly Housing.
“We’re very excited about this project,” Maglaras said.
