Woodbridge Decision Could Help Orange

Woodbridge is working on a deal to convert town buildings – including Amity Regional High – to natural gas.

If all goes according to plan, several places of worship, Amity High School and Woodbridge government buildings will be running on natural gas rather than oil by the fall. Woodbridge’s move could be Orange’s gain.

A partnership with Connecticut Gas Company could save $171,000 in a year to the Amity Regional School District. Orange taxpayers fund the bulk of Amity Regional School District.

Dr. William Silberberg, a longtime Woodbridge resident who researched the natural gas industry, told First Selectman Edward Sheehy about the potential savings a year ago. Sheehy was receptive to the plan.

“The idea is that people have to think outside the box…in these difficult economic times,” Silberberg told Patch.

John Dobos, director of marketing and public affairs, said at Wednesday’s Board of Selectman meeting that natural gas prices are less volatile and substantially cheaper than oil. He did concede that “past performance does not guarantee future results.”

While Woodbridge selectmen unanimously agreed to determine conversion costs and then move ahead to the contract negotiation phase, it’s not yet a done deal. Dobos said that in order for SCG to go ahead on the deal, places of worship along the road would have to sign up for natural gas in order to make the company’s investment worthwhile.

That’s what makes it work: the big buildings and the town buildings. We have to have agreement that everybody is in on this,” Dobos said. “As the [New York] Giants say, we’re all in.”