NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — As the Greylock School project moves into Module 6 — design development — there's a nagging question related to the geothermal system. 

 

There's been concern as to whether the system will work at the site and now a second concern is if it will be funded. 

 

The first question is so far partially answered based on investigative drilling at the closed school over the last week, said Jesse Saylor of TSKP Studio. 

 

"There was the potential that we couldn't drill at all, frankly, from the stories we were hearing, but ... we had a good experience here," he told the School Building Committee on Tuesday. "It is not an ideal experience, but it's pretty good. We can drill quickly, and the cost to drill, we don't expect will be that high."

 

He had spoken with the driller and the rough estimate he was given was "reasonable relative to our estimate." The drilling reached a depth of 440 feet below grade and was stopped at that point because the water pressure was so high. 

 

The bedrock is deep, about 200 feet, so more wells may be needed as the bedrock has a higher conductivity of heat. This will be clearer within a week or so, once all the data is reviewed. 

 

"Just understanding that conductivity will really either confirm our design and assumptions to date, it may just modify them slightly, or it's still possible that it could be a big change," Saylor said.