Highland Library Books Environmental Ideas
By JESSE B. GILL
HIGHLAND – Though the new Highland Sam Racadio Library and Environmental Learning Center may not be much to look at now, as construction crews work tirelessly to finish it, it will be a one of the first of its kind once it is finished.
Construction began on the 30,000-square-foot facility in May of 2006. Jessica Sotorus, Environmental Learning Center manager, said the building should open its doors this spring. The current Highland Community Library occupies a building only a third the size of the new center.
According to Sotorus, the Environmental Learning Center will feature several new and interesting features that will provide kids and adults with hands-on opportunities to learn about taking care of their environment.
“We will have a 15,000-square-foot rooftop demonstration garden to teach the public about water conservation, drought-tolerant plants, composting and plants that are good for landscaping,” Sotorus said.
The facility also will feature an interior courtyard that will be used for programs, interior presentation grottos that will provide educational information, an interactive trash truck to teach children the importance of recycling, and even a turtle pond will be included in the rooftop garden.
“Their Disney-style treatment of the presentation grottos is very interesting,” said Greg Zerovnik, program coordinator.
“Our goal is to provide an environmental message along with traditional programs,” said San Bernardino County Librarian Ed Kieczykowski.
Much like the Highland Library and other local libraries have the friends of the library organizations to help raise funds for their needs, the Environmental Learning Center has the Highland Environmental Education Coalition, which Sotorus started in 2003.
“We’re a nonprofit organization that helps raise money for the Environmental Learning Center,” Sotorus said.
Along with money for the center itself, the Environmental Education Coalition raises funds for all the materials that the center will feature
The building was designed as a gold-rated LEED (or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) building, meaning it has been designed and built to be a high-performance green building. Some of the features that have been incorporated into the center’s design and construction will earn it a gold-rated LEED certification.
“The highest rating is platinum,” Zerovnik said. “Gold isn’t the highest, but it’s pretty darn good.”
Much of the building’s power will be provided through solar panels that Sotorus says are state-of-the-art.
“Our energy costs are going to be next to nothing,” Sotorus said. “We even have lights that dim depending on the time of day.”
According to Sotorus, the project has been funded largely from money from a bond act that the Highland Community Library applied for that provided approximately $5.4 million.
“Solid Waste Management Division gave about $300,000,” Sotorus said. “And the EPA (or Environmental Protection Agency) gave about $1.2 million, and the rest was paid for by the city of Highland.”
Kieczykowski said the building is the first of its kind in the county library system.
“We have some nice new buildings in the system that don’t have some of the special features that this one does,” he said. “Is it better? Not necessarily. Is it unique? Absolutely.”
The Sam Racadio Library and Environmental Learning Center is next to the Jerry Lewis Community Center at 7793 Central Ave. in Highland.
E-mail Staff Writer Jesse B. Gill at jgill@redlandsdailyfacts.com
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