Olympia North Elementary School may be built using cost-effective green standards

Sunday, September 9, 2007 10:44 PM CDT

STANFORD — When the Olympia School District builds its new Olympia North Elementary School building near Danvers, it may do so with new standards that will make it more cost effective by using new environmentally sound techniques.

In August, Sam Johnson and Barbara Meek of BLDD Architects reviewed specifications and recommendations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the construction of a High Performance School (HPS).

“We believe that by constructing the new Olympia North Elementary building by HPS standards, the cost of HPS compliance would be recovered in five to six years due to the environmental quality of the building,” Johnson said.

High Performance Schools are facilities that improve the learning environment while saving energy, resources and money, he explained. He told the board to consider the lifetime value of high performance schools and ways to effectively manage priorities, time and budget during the process.

He added that the design can have a positive effect on health and comfort. For example, strategies such as daylighting have been shown to enhance student learning. With proper lighting, air temperature, humidity and noise levels, distractions are kept to a minimum.

He also explained that the design is cost-effective because increased efficiency will save money on utility bills. He said that overall, benefits can include higher test scores, increased attendance, reduced operating costs, increased teacher satisfaction, reduced liability exposure and reduced environmental impacts.

The board will study the options before proceeding with plans for the new building. A cost estimate for the high performance design was not available.

Construction on that facility is expected to begin later this fall.

Bonds issued — In order to generate enough funds to pay for several upcoming construction/renovation projects, the Olympia school board approved a bond payment schedule last month that went into effect Sept. 1.

The district approved the purchase of a $3.5 million assurity bond to protect the $12.7 million construction and renovation projects voters approved last spring. Among the major items is a new elementary school near Danvers. Upgrades to several elementary schools and the middle and high schools are also planned.

Kevin Heid, vice president of First Midstate, Inc. in Bloomington, said that by issuing the bond the district would be allowed to pay off existing bonds without changing any of the current tax rates.

Checks in the mail —Tazewell County treasurer Duane Gray said the county has mailed property tax checks to more than 100 taxing bodies that had been waiting on the payments for several months.

The checks were mailed on Aug. 30. Delays — including the state budget impasse — were responsible for the late payments. Generally, the tax checks are scheduled to be mailed in July.