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April 2009
Lights installed
September 2008
School is completed, just waiting for
the lights at Starwood and Grange.
From the Guelph Mercury, May 23
2007
East-end school gets OK
Board tries to balance spending and environmental
features in building
ROB O'FLANAGAN
GUELPH (May 23, 2007)
Building environmentally sensitive new schools is a costly
proposition, the Upper Grand District School Board is finding out.
At least one leading-edge green technology has been left off plans
for the new Grangehill Public School for now because its $175,000 cost
is too much.
The board approved the construction and final project budget for the
new east-end school during its meeting last night.
The school will be constructed in time for a September 2008
opening, with construction costs totalling $6,079,000, and with
a final project budget of $7.45 million. The final budget is
considerably higher than the $6.7 million originally targeted for a
school that will bring much needed classroom space to the rapidly
expanding east end. Tambro Construction Ltd., the low bidder, received
the contract.
The school's design incorporates a number of technologies aimed at
increasing energy efficiency, including high-efficiency heating,
ventilation and air conditioning units, T5 lighting in the gymnasium, a
separate hydronic heating system and waterless urinals.
The cost of such improvements is estimated at $150,000 to $175,000.
But a proposal to add a rain water harvesting system -- the water being
used for non-drinking purposes, such as flushing toilets and urinals --
proved too costly, at $175,000 alone. A cheaper system might be
available and staff will investigate that possibility.
"I think this is a good start," board chair Bob Borden said in an
interview, referring to the environmental enhancements. "You can tell by
the interest around the board table that there are a number of trustees
who consider this a personal issue and they will continue to push staff
on it."
Borden said it was a good decision not to incorporate the rain water
gathering and storage system at this time. "I think we've got to put the
money where the kids are, first of all," he said. "If the technology
isn't such that we are getting more bang for the buck, then I think it
was a good decision to withdraw from it for now and continue to do the
investigation."
Paul Scinocca, the board's capital projects manager, said the
enhanced systems are fairly common, but budgetary restraints have
prevented the board from using them in the past. Efforts are being made
to improve efficiencies and go green, within limits. More must be done,
Scinocca said, but money is the issue.
"It's a trade-off. You have an increased capital cost up front, and
the reason you are pursuing that is, first of all, environmental
concerns, and second of all, you are expecting it to give you a payback
period.
"If you use less energy, you're operating costs should be lower, and
the hope is that your costs are less in the long run."
roflanagan@guelphmercury.com
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