The installation of a geothermal heating and cooling system under the football field at Oak Park and River Forest High School is expected to be completed this summer, in advance of the start of football practice.
“The status of the project is actually going very well considering the cold winter that we had,” said Jeff Bergmann, OPRF’s director of construction.
Geothermal heating and cooling systems utilize the earth’s stable temperature to efficiently heat and cool buildings. The system will provide 100% of the heating, cooling, and ventilation for the high school’s new physical education facilities, known as Imagine OPRF Project 2. The new facilities are currently being built in the southeast wing of the building.
An analysis comparing the geothermal system to a more traditional boiler-and-chiller system found that geothermal will save the district roughly $385,000 per year while reducing CO2 emissions by an amount equivalent to driving an average passenger car 504,984 miles.
“There are big savings in the utility costs,” Bergmann said.
The $12.5 million geothermal project began in November 2024, with the removal of the turf. Since then, the instillation of 240 geothermal wells, each descending 500 feet into the earth, has been underway.
There are only 25 wells left to drill, according to Bergmann, so that portion of the project will be completed by the first week of May, with expectations that the system will be fully installed in July.
The system is being installed by Veregy, a self-described provider of energy-efficient solutions. Once the wells are complete, the contractors will start working on horizonal piping that will connect the wells.
Once the project is completed, the 240 geothermal wells will all contain fluid. Electric pumps will circulate that fluid in and out of the school. In the summer, heat from the school will be transferred into the ground. During the winter, heat will be extracted from the ground and transferred into school.
Project 2, which is part of a long-term capital projects plan, includes a new pool, multi-use gyms, locker rooms, PE classrooms and a weight room. The expected completion date of Project 2 is summer 2026.
“The geothermal field that we’re installing now is only designed to heat and cool Project 2,” Bergmann said.
Of the $12.5 million cost of the project, approximately $10.5 million is being spent on the actual installation, while the remaining $2 million will go toward replacing the drainage and the turf on the field. However, this cost does not include what are expected to be significant federal rebates.
The geothermal system aligns with District 200’s ambitious Sustainability Policy, which includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 45% of 2012 levels by 2030 and 100% by 2050. Geothermal is more efficient than gas or electric heat and emits no greenhouse gases.
“Hopefully we’ll be able to do another project like this in the future for a different part of the building,” Bergmann said.
The final part of the system’s installation will entail putting the turf back on the field, which Bergmann said will take three or four weeks.
“That’s anticipated to be a big project,” Bergmann said.
Since the football team begins practice at the beginning of August, Bergmann said it’s important that construction of the geothermal system is complete by the July deadline.
“We should be in great shape at the end of July for when the kids come back and football practices start,” he said.
