A plan to use a wood-burner to heat Kane Area High School could be going up in smoke.

Bids received earlier this month are much higher than expected and could scorch a project that is supported financially by both the state and federal governments.

The low bids for four separate contracts linked with the project total nearly $1.6 million. The estimate was about $1.2 million.

“Everybody was shocked,” Kane School Superintendent Sandy Chlopecki said in reference to the high bids. “It was a surprise to the architects.”

The U.S. Forest Service already has pledged $355,000 for the project. The state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has approved a grant of $250,000 for the project.

With $605,000 in grants, the school district’s cost would be about $645,000 under the estimate. Because the bids came in higher than expected, the district’s contribution now would be about $1 million. This outlay may not make the project cost-effective.

The district last year spent $106,000 for gas to heat the high school. The proposed wood-burning unit would cut the annual heating cost to $40,000, according to an estimate prepared by Steve Perry, business manager for the school district.

Perry has estimated that it would take the district 14 ½ years to recoup its allocation for the project under the estimate of $1.2 million. Because of the higher bids, the district’s cost-recovery period would be more than 20 years, it is estimated.

John Rook, the facilities manager for the school district, played the key role in drafting the innovative plan to use wood chips as fuel to heat the high school.

“I’m very disappointed,” Rook said after seeing the bids come in over the estimate.

The low bids for the four contracts for the proposed “biomass boiler” project came from three companies. Rabe Environmental Systems of Erie submitted a low bid of $751,997 for the boiler installation and related work. There were seven bids for this contract.

Rabe also had a low bid of $53,678 for the plumbing contract. There were eight bids for this work.

Tech Services of Ridgway submitted a low bid of $64,300 for the electrical part of the project. Six companies submitted bids for this contract.

Rien Construction of Brookfield, Ohio submitted a low bid of $709,240 for general construction of the building to house the boiler. Nine bids were submitted for this contract. The bids for this contract came in much higher than expected.

Although she’s disappointed that the low bids exceed the estimate, Chlopecki is not giving up hope for the wood-burner project.

“We’re going to analyze the proposals and see what we can do,” she said. With the help of HHSDR Architects of Sharon, Chlopecki said she plans to “investigate” to find out why the bids exceeded the estimate. She said she hopes it will be possible to seek new bids to obtain lower quotes for the project.

The state and federal grants have been approved for Kane, but could be withdrawn if the school district doesn’t follow through with the wood-burner project.

Chlopecki indicated that the school district couldn’t put the project on the back burner.

“We can’t put it off for another year,” she said. Chlopecki said she “anticipates” that new bids will be sought for the project.

Perry said the life of the four gas-fired boilers at the high school would be extended if they were kept only as backups for the wood-burner. If the boilers remain as the primary source of heat, they will need to be replaced in the near future, Perry said.

The cost of replacing the gas-fired boilers is estimated at between $300,000 and $400,000, he said.

Wood-burners for large buildings are being used successfully in other areas of the country.

A wood-burner recently was put into service for the Elk County Medical Center in St. Marys.