Measure U Will "Green" Aging Schools and the Local Economy

From YubaNet.com

Regional
Measure U Will "Green" Aging Schools and the Local Economy
Author: Yes On Measure U!
Published on Oct 23, 2008 - 6:50:19 AM

Truckee, CA - Measure U, the Truckee Schools Safety and Repair Measure on the November 4 ballot, is garnering wide support from community leaders, parents and teachers and has recently received some high profile endorsements including the local Contractors Association Political Action Committee, the Truckee Tahoe Community Foundation, the Excellence in Education Foundation and others. Supporters agree that modernizing schools desperately in need of structural, efficiency and technological upgrades is reason enough to get behind the measure. But "U" proponents are also quick to point out that the bond measure has the ancillary benefit of stimulating the local economy.

Measure C, the 35 million dollar school bond approved by voters in 1999, has actually leveraged more than 62 million in improvements for the district. As is common practice, voter approved funds are used to bring in state matching funds, grant monies, interest and impact fees, which otherwise would be unavailable. Over 30 million of that has gone directly back into the community for local goods and services.

With Measure C, the district has a proven track record of not only greening the local economy but building green, and plans to continue this trend with Measure U. A green school is defined as a building or facility which creates a healthy environment that is conducive to learning while saving energy, resources and money. Other benefits are teacher retention, reduced sick days for students and staff because of excellent indoor air quality and financial savings.

Alder Creek Middle School, built with Measure C funds, received the Sustainable Design Merit Award from the US Green Building Council and verified recognition as a "Collaborative for High Performance School" (CHPS), one of only a handful of schools in the nation to achieve this distinction. ACMS has also been selected by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Cooling Engineers (ASHRAE) as a standard setting facility for this climate zone.

Measure U, which would generate a maximum of 93.5 million for district schools, would help bring Truckee High School, built more than 55 years ago, into the 21 century and provide significant improvements to the school's overall energy efficiency.

Truckee High would get a major facelift if Measure U is approved. Older, inefficient and sprawling buildings with a combined total size of over 50,000 square feet, which are unsafe, difficult to maintain, and expensive to heat and cool, will be replaced with a new 41,000 square foot addition. According to John Britto, Director of Facilities for TTUSD, "There has been a misconception in the community that Measure U will fund an expansion of Truckee High School. In fact, total square footage for the high school will be decreased, while program space will be greatly enhanced and increased…and green building practices planned for school remodels have the potential to result in overall energy savings of up to forty percent."

The scope of projects which have been identified for Measure U funding came as a result of extensive evaluations with significant input and review from teachers, staff and community members and subsequent approval by the Board of Trustees. An oversight committee will be established after the measure passes and independent audits will be performed.

For a list of Measure U projects and other information, visit the web site, http://www.uforschools.org or call Measure U Campaign headquarters at 550-5000.