LEED highlights

Ed Poprick's update on the elementary building projects, and in particular, the work that's being done to achieve LEED certification, are often a highlight of a board meeting.

It's become clear how much can be accomplished in the realm of environmental responsibility, with minimal additional cost, when all the key players - architects, contractors and school personnel - are part of the planning from the earliest stages of the project.

It also highlights the value of our Citizen Advisory Committees, and the expertise contained within.

Some of what we saw this month: a butterfly garden (educational opportunity), a terraced rain garden (to help absorb storm run-off), a "Mt. Nittany Viewing Station" with seats and a donated information placard, and preferred parking spaces for fuel-efficient cars and car-poolers.

Other educational opportunities have been created by deliberately exposing and color-coding some of the usually 'behind the wall' aspects of building construction, such as water pipes. Each day, students will pass the hallway 'dashboard' that monitors all building functions.

Horizontal, reflective 'light shelves' are a clever way to bounce natural daylight further into the classroom, resulting in better lighting while conserving electricity.

From an earlier "spotlight": the duct work has been kept sealed throughout construction in order to keep out the dust and debris that would otherwise circulate through the building for years to come.

I was intrigued by the height indicators that have been built into the brickwork of the exterior. (How tall is the building? 30 feet, 100 feet? Young kids have no idea.) I still recall an argument with my little sister after an early visit to the Empire State Building. How large was the base - as big as our house? Smaller?  Most of us are too old to remember that spatial perspective takes time to develop.