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Contractors will soon break ground on a new elementary school near Hamlin that could one day be entirely powered by renewable energy - a model 21st-century institution.
In an interview with The Wayne Independent on Friday, shortly after Western Wayne school directors approved a slew of contracts related to the project, district superintendent Andy Falonk said that if all goes according to plan elementary students will be heading to class there beginning September 2011.
“The state has been extremely proactive at making this a model site for elementary schools,” said Falonk, of its sustainable design including water-conservation technologies, a roof-top garden, a full geo-thermal heating and cooling system, along with the built-in capacity to eventually upgrade to solar and wind power.
The roof-top garden, mixing indigenous species, will be student accessible.
“The goal is to be entirely renewable,” he said, adding that the district will save enormously on its utility costs and also over time serving as a pay back toward the cost of the building’s construction.
Conceived by Clarks Summit architectural firm Burkavage Design Associates, the school has attained Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver certification, a benchmark for the construction and operation of U.S. high-performance green buildings. It will be built on a 36-acre property one-mile north of Hamlin, off Route 191.
Additionally, the silver certification will qualify the district for a greater project reimbursement from the state, more than what would be typically allocated for a traditionally-constructed school building.
“Which is good for the taxpayer, and good for the district,” said Falonk.
The district is also expected to receive a $1 million grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection for its geo-thermal system, a network of underground, fluid-filled pipes that can cool and heat a building without the need for fossil-based fuels.
The two-story, 104,000-square foot, 33 classroom school has come in at a price tag of $18.3 million, according to bids submitted by 14 contractors, financed by a $20-million loan school directors approved earlier this year.
It will replace two, pre-World War II constructed schools, Hamlin Elementary and Lake Ariel Elementary, thus consolidating 649 early intervention, pre-K through 5th grade students at one location.
“From an educational standpoint, the buildings are outdated; they are expensive to maintain; and they do not allow students to be in one central location,” he said, also noting that consolidating will reduce costs by eliminating some duplication of services. “It allows all students to be picked up and dropped off at a set time.”
At the two, southern Wayne County elementary schools - the district also operates R.D. Wilson Elementary in Canaan Township which will remain as is - students are picked up and dropped off at different times because busses route and service both locations.
Four years after talks began, the new elementary school is almost a reality - opening a chapter, closing two others. With an average building lifespan of 50 years, said Falonk, this one is here to stay.
Contractors will soon break ground on a new elementary school near Hamlin that could one day be entirely powered by renewable energy - a model 21st-century institution.
In an interview with The Wayne Independent on Friday, shortly after Western Wayne school directors approved a slew of contracts related to the project, district superintendent Andy Falonk said that if all goes according to plan elementary students will be heading to class there beginning September 2011.
“The state has been extremely proactive at making this a model site for elementary schools,” said Falonk, of its sustainable design including water-conservation technologies, a roof-top garden, a full geo-thermal heating and cooling system, along with the built-in capacity to eventually upgrade to solar and wind power.
The roof-top garden, mixing indigenous species, will be student accessible.
“The goal is to be entirely renewable,” he said, adding that the district will save enormously on its utility costs and also over time serving as a pay back toward the cost of the building’s construction.
Conceived by Clarks Summit architectural firm Burkavage Design Associates, the school has attained Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver certification, a benchmark for the construction and operation of U.S. high-performance green buildings. It will be built on a 36-acre property one-mile north of Hamlin, off Route 191.
Additionally, the silver certification will qualify the district for a greater project reimbursement from the state, more than what would be typically allocated for a traditionally-constructed school building.
“Which is good for the taxpayer, and good for the district,” said Falonk.
The district is also expected to receive a $1 million grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection for its geo-thermal system, a network of underground, fluid-filled pipes that can cool and heat a building without the need for fossil-based fuels.
The two-story, 104,000-square foot, 33 classroom school has come in at a price tag of $18.3 million, according to bids submitted by 14 contractors, financed by a $20-million loan school directors approved earlier this year.
It will replace two, pre-World War II constructed schools, Hamlin Elementary and Lake Ariel Elementary, thus consolidating 649 early intervention, pre-K through 5th grade students at one location.
“From an educational standpoint, the buildings are outdated; they are expensive to maintain; and they do not allow students to be in one central location,” he said, also noting that consolidating will reduce costs by eliminating some duplication of services. “It allows all students to be picked up and dropped off at a set time.”
At the two, southern Wayne County elementary schools - the district also operates R.D. Wilson Elementary in Canaan Township which will remain as is - students are picked up and dropped off at different times because busses route and service both locations.
Four years after talks began, the new elementary school is almost a reality - opening a chapter, closing two others. With an average building lifespan of 50 years, said Falonk, this one is here to stay.
