Aug. 21--U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., Wednesday, applauded use of a geothermal heating and cooling system at Ruben S. Torres Elementary School.

New Mexico's senior senator, chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, was welcomed at the school, 1910 N. Eighth St., by school, city and county representatives and invited guests.

Jon Feind, president of FMS Engineering, and Brain Dunnihoo, Deming Schools' director of facilities and construction, explained the system. It and a like system at new Columbus Elementary School are expected to save the school district about $60,000 annually on utility costs.

"I think it is a very impressive system," Bingaman said. "We really do need this kind of technology built into new schools in the state."

Deming and Luna County, he said, lead the class in using such efficient, dollar-saving systems.

The system includes about 200 wells, or loops, with each system buried in a field near its school. The loops circulate water. A constant 55 degrees Fahrenheit earth temperature heats or cools the circulating water loops, balancing a building's year-round heating and cooling requirements.

The school district last May received a $78,731 check from Columbus Electric Co-op and Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association for the district's commitment to energy efficiency. Torres School received $32,456; Columbus School, $46,275. The money is being used for students' educational materials.

Last Spring's presentation was by Hal Keeler, Columbus Co--op's board president and Tri-State representative, to DPS Superintendent Harvielee Moore, Board Vice-President Anne Keeler and Torres' Co-Principals Vicki Chavez and Patricia Gonzales.

Torres School opened last August, the new Columbus School this July.

Palmer Ridge High School, in the Colorado Springs area, last August was the first school in which Tri-State and a partner used a geothermal system. Torres and Columbus are second and third, respectively.

"It was a treat for me to see it," Bingaman said of the system, adding he's suggested use of geothermal systems in new government projects.

Bingaman is also active in exploring the nation's educational system, taking particular notice of dropout rates.

"We're persuaded," he said, "the best antidote to that is getting kids interested in going to school. We're working in Washington to try to provide resources in the schools."

That includes rewriting the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), "to make it more workable and not as onerous on schools," Bingaman said.

NCLB, enacted in January 2002, requires public schools annually administer state-wide a standardized test. It has been criticized by many educators as lacking funds for proper implementation -- a point challenged by some legislators -- and for setting unrealistic achievement levels.

Kevin Buey can be reached at kbuey@demingheadlight.com.

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