Wilson District's 'Green' School to Open on Time
Posted on: Tuesday, 2 August 2005, 18:00 CDT
Aug. 02--Despite some delays, students will start classes on time at the Wilson School District's new Green Valley Elementary School, district officials say.
The two-story brick building at Green Valley and Faust roads in Lower Heidelberg Township originally was scheduled to be finished July 1, but contractor delays pushed back the completion date. Lobar Inc., a Dillsburg, York County-based company, is the main contractor for the $13.5 million project.
Green Valley may be missing landscaping when school starts on Aug. 30, but the interior will be ready, said Larry R. Bortz, district director of plant management.
"When the students walk through the doors, it will be 97 percent complete," he said.
The aptly named Green Valley is the district's first "green" school.
"We wanted to be as environmentally friendly as we could," Bortz said. "I think we need to use water more wisely than what we do today.
"I think it's certainly a good start for reserving our resources. Not using fuel oil or natural gas, I think, is a good move."
The district eliminated natural gas and fuel oil at the new school.
Instead, the district will keep diesel fuel on site to run an emergency generator and use propane to heat water.
The building will be heated and cooled with a geothermal system that uses water and the surrounding ground instead of relying on fuel oil.
"All of the heating and cooling comes from Mother Earth," Bortz said.
A 60,000-gallon underground storage tank will hold rainwater. The water will be used in toilets and for other non-drinking purposes.
Also, a new automated-lighting system will adjust as the outside light changes; lights will dim on a sunny day and brighten on cloudy days.
The district has already seen the savings of the green features.
Bortz said Green Valley's monthly electric bill is $3,000, half of the bill of similarly sized Spring Ridge Elementary.
Students who attend Whitfield Elementary in West Lawn will attend Green Valley while their school is renovated during the 2005-06 school year.
The district is discussing which students will later attend Green Valley, Superintendent Dr. Lawrence J. Mussoline said.
Discussions in the past suggested that the school would accommodate nearly all of the elementary students from kindergarten through sixth grade who live in Lower Heidelberg Township.
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Source: Reading Eagle
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