LEXINGTON, N.C.—Lexington City Schools recently announced the beginning of a construction project with Schneider Electric that consists of several components including HVAC and LED lighting improvements to enhance comfort in learning environments and the implementation of STEM learning programs.

The project—which is being is financed through a guaranteed energy savings performance contract—is expected to save the school district more than $5 million in energy costs over the next 19 years.

Due to budget constraints, Lexington City Schools was facing deferred maintenance challenges that caused heating and cooling equipment across the district to fail.

The project will tackle specific issues the district is facing through the implementation of a new chiller at South Lexington that will be properly sized to cool the entire school, as well as five new boilers and a new cooling tower. The project also includes LED lighting upgrades, in addition to a building automation system upgrade, that gives staff the ability to better maintain the temperatures inside their classrooms.

“Providing our students and teachers with facilities they love coming to is at the top of our priority list,” said Dr. Anitra Wells, superintendent, Lexington City Schools, in a statement.

“We’re excited to kick off this partnership with Schneider Electric, which has been instrumental in improving facilities across the state.”

The savings and the broader partnership will also be leveraged to integrate unique STEM learning opportunities into Lexington City Schools through a variety of programs including:

• A behavioral rewards program called Volt Patrol that allows students to monitor power consumption in the school by ensuring lights, computers and more are turned off when they are not in use;
• Sustainable food growth at Southwest Elementary School’s renovated greenhouse. The food grown in the greenhouse will be used in culinary arts classes at the high school;
• A solar picnic table for computer and tablet charging and;
• Job shadowing for high school students with Schneider Electric employees.

“We’re always looking for ways to meet our clients’ needs outside of the traditional infrastructure upgrades, so we have created some really unique experiences we’re bringing to the district to increase STEM awareness,” said Schneider Electric Account Executive Graham Lewis in a statement.

“We’re happy to be welcomed into the Lexington City Schools family and work with students and administrators to help them achieve their goals.”

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GREENSBORO, N.C. — UNC Greensboro recently announced that it is moving forward with the construction of a new and sustainable Nursing and Instructional building.

LS3P Associates Ltd. is the Architect-of-Record and SmithGroupJJR is the Design Architect on the project.

Set to make its debut in spring of 2020, UNCG’s Nursing and Instructional Building project includes the demolition of the McIver Building and construction of a new four-story facility that will house the School of Nursing which is currently located in four buildings.

The facility will also provide teaching and flexible laboratory research space for the School of Health and Human Sciences and the Departments of Biology and Chemistry, in addition to providing more space for the School of Nursing, .

In addition to housing 39 labs, 14 classrooms, nine research suites and a community engagement center, the 180,000-square-foot facility is said to be a shining example of sustainable building and design with UNCG currently pursuing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification or higher for the project.

Charlotte-based Rodgers Builders, Inc. is providing construction management, preconstruction, and virtual construction services for the project. Construction includes three components that include demolition of the existing McIver Building, construction of the new Nursing and Instructional building, and construction of the South Chiller Plant, providing capacity for the new building and enhancing reliability of the campus chilled water system.

Builders and designers are now working to incorporate a number of cost-effective and innovative elements that will support the environment as well as health and wellness.

One element includes bioretention and water management. The new building will have a bioretention system, where contaminants and sedimentation will be removed from stormwater runoff. Designers also employed biophilic methods, designing with materials, colors and light in a way that connects people with nature.

Chris Roberts, principal and studio leader at LS3P Associates Ltd., calls it “bringing the outdoors in.”

The building was strategically laid out to avoid critical root zones in existing trees. It’s five-story atrium runs down the middle of the building, creating a lively, open space with natural light and a main staircase, and pedestrian pathways and vegetated pathways located outside of the energy-efficient building.

“A lab building is an energy hog,” said Roberts. “The fact that this building will have labs and classrooms and still be one of the better energy-performing buildings on campus is a big deal.”

Additional eco-friendly features of the new Nursing and Instructional building include:

• Peak energy output from the Photovoltaic panels on the roof that is expected to be only 1 to 2 percent over a year
• Energy-efficiency: LED lights that will be installed throughout the building
• Heat recovery: Exhaust air will preheat unconditioned air entering the building
• Material reuse: Catalpa trees from the McIver Building site were salvaged, milled and treated and will be built into the outdoor classroom
• Vegetated roof: Portions of a roof patio will include natural planted areas to reduce solar heat gain and pre-treat water runoff
• Low-slope high albedo roof design: to reflect more sunlight and absorb less heat than traditional dark-colored roofs
• Roof pavers: made of recycled materials

“We love to try to incorporate these things but are rarely able to,” said Roberts. “It’s exciting to see so many interventions within one project. I applaud UNCG for such a strong focus on sustainability, and they really embraced these ideas throughout the design.”

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Senate Bill 16 stalled after the Senate and House could not agree on a finalized amount for the Tuition Revenue Bonds and amendments to the original bill were not approved. The Senate called for $2.4 million in bonds while the House bill issued $2.7 billion. The Senate voted down the House amount and amendments, and the House did not appoint the necessary conference committee to seek compromise between the two bills. Because of the two legislative bodies were unable to come to a conclusion, both bills died in the regular session.

The decision now lies with Texas Governor Rick Perry on whether to revive the proposal and sign the bond bill into the 30-day special session for further consideration.

Among the many projects that would be funded by bond revenues include a new engineering building at the University of Texas at Austin, the University at Texas Brownsville campus, a biocontainment research facility and music building at Texas A&M University, a $95 million expansion at the University of Houston-Victoria and a pharmacy and biomedical sciences building at the University of Houston.

“It’s a real tragedy,” said Representative Rene Oliveira, D-Brownsville, in a statement. “That $100 million that was there for UT-Brownsville would have given us the campus that we need. That $100 million would have been an accelerant, which would have ignited campus growth almost immediately.”

Senator Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, the original author of the bill, said she has a revised bill ready for the governor the moment he issues the proposal into special session.

“We’re working very hard to achieve consensus,” Zaffirini said.

Bond revenue has not been available to Texas colleges or universities since 2006. Since then, the higher education system has seen significant growth and renovations are long overdue, according to Zaffirini and bill proponents.

“The universities have grown so much and we’re now facing a capacity issue,” Zaffirini said. “Our funding formula awards growth but we cannot grow without construction.”

Both the House and Senate have filed comprehensive tuition revenue bonds for the governor’s consideration. Texas now eagerly waits on whether the long-awaited bill will move forward.

“This is the perfect time,” Zaffiririn said.

As of press time, Perry did not add the bill to the special session call. However, he is allowed to add any legislation to the call during the 30-day special session.
 

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Senate Bill 2, sponsored by Senate Education Committee Chairman Senator Dan Patrick, R-Houston, will boost the Texas charter school cap from its current 215 to 305 schools by fall 2019. Patrick had initially campaigned to eliminate the charter school cap entirely but later opted for a gradual increase of about 15 charters per year. The Senate approved the bill in a 28-3 vote, and was approved by the House with a 105-41 vote.

While proponents laud the bill’s strengthening support and increased flexibility, some organizations are concerned with the lax language of the bill.

"SB 2 is a critical and needed update to the Texas charter law and will allow effective charters to grow and serve more students,” said David Dunn, executive director of the Texas Charter Schools Association, in a statement.

The cap had been in place for years due to the amount of charter schools in the state that had performed below expectations or have incurred financial difficulties. But the new bill allows the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to take on a renewed authority in order for the department to regulate low-performing charters and streamline granting new charters.

"We believe this is the most significant strengthening of the charter law since 1995," Dunn said. "The lifting of the cap and streamlined renewal and replication will continue to allow public charters to grow to meet the demand, and to improve the education of students in Texas.”

Under the proposed law, the TEA will also be required to provide an annual performance report of the authorized charter schools and close schools that have a three consecutive years of low performance.

Organizations such as the Association of Texas Professional Educators, Texas Classroom Teachers Association, Texas State Teachers Association and the Texas American Federation of Teachers have spoken out against the bill.

Among their concerns include the provision that would allow school boards to convert traditional campuses into charter schools. This change would eliminate state protections such as teacher contracts, legal rights, certification requirements, class-size caps and minimum salaries, according to the Texas Classroom Teachers Association.
Statewide, Texas currently hosts more than 445 charter schools with more than 135,000 students. Waiting lists for open enrollment charter schools jumped from about 56,000 in 2011 to more than 101,000 in 2013, according to the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

“There is no one answer to transforming schools, but lifting the cap to add high quality public charters will give Texas parents, including the nearly 100,000 currently on a charter school waiting list, more choices to find the best education for their child,” Patrick said in a statement.

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The Lone Star state prides itself on a small government philosophy including a legislature that only holds court once every two years, and only for 140 days per year when in session. The state has also achieved a reputation for limited regulations, a business friendly environment, and very low overall tax rates.

Though Texas has a relatively high sales tax, its lack of a personal income tax leads most experts to label it as one of the states with the smallest average tax burden. CNN Money listed Texas as number 43 in terms of overall tax burden in 2009, and the Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel used census data in a 2010 article to determine Texas was ranked 44th in overall tax burden.

Despite this clear affinity for low taxes, a republican senator in the Texas legislature recently submitted an argument calling for the state to institute statewide property taxes to stabilize education funding. Senator Robert Duncan was essentially reiterating an argument he made in the previous year’s session, with very little positive feedback at the time, but he has received a little more interest in his second attempt. Although it seems unlikely anyone will be predicting massive tax increases in Texas anytime soon, the fact that a discussion is occurring on the topic represents a certain level of change already.

The Amarillo Globe-News quoted Duncan as saying, “The biggest problem we have with the current system is the volatility because we have 1,063 districts taxing at different rates.”

It seem pretty unlikely that the type of change Duncan wants could occur anytime soon, as it would require an amendment to the state constitution. This means two-thirds of the legislature would have to support the move, before sending the proposal to state voters.

Despite the hurdles facing Duncan’s proposal, it seems likely that something in Texas will change. The state is currently facing several major lawsuits related to school funding, one of which will come to trial on October 22. The lawsuit is led by eight of the state’s largest school districts, along with 76 of the smaller education systems. Regardless of the outcome of the lawsuits in the courtroom, they will probably lead to some level of change.

While Duncan’s proposal got almost nowhere in his first attempt, republican Senator Florence Shapiro, co-chair of the Joint Committee on Public School Finance System, agreed to schedule a discussion on the topic for the committee’s session next year (committees meet more often than the full legislature, meaning there won’t be a two year delay).

Though Duncan’s solution seems to be a long shot in Texas, it’s worth noting that the committee discussed other possible options for improving the stability of education funding. Former republican representative Talmadge Heflin’s suggestion of a statewide sales tax increase appeared to be more palatable to some legislators. Heflin proposed the idea in 2003, when the state faced a $10 billion shortfall. He proposed a total of 11 percent sales tax, with a large portion marked for education funding. Texas sales tax is currently at 6.25 percent on the state level, with local jurisdictions adding up to two percent, for a total maximum of 8.25 percent. “We realize that is a big step to take, but if you boil it down to school finance, it would simplify school funding,” Heflin told the Globe-News.

Though nothing has happened yet, and it will probably be another year before this debate even gets out of committee, it seems the earth has already moved beneath our feet. Republican legislators in Texas are having a debate, not about whether they should increase taxes on a state level for education funding, but about how they should do it.

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The previous stadium was built in 1976 and included 7,000 seats. As the fans continued to pile into the stadium, the district added 7,000 temporary bleachers each year at a cost of $250,000 per year. The need to expand was necessary in order to hold the school’s current fan base, including 8,000 (sold-out) season ticket holders. To solve the problem and improve the facility, the district hired McKinney, Texas-based Pogue Construction as the general contractor and Houston-based PBK Architects, who specialize in athletic facilities. The team worked closely with the school throughout the project.

“When we started planning the stadium, we wanted to make sure we offered the best facility possible for the fans of Eagle football,” said Steve Williams, Allen Independent School District (Allen ISD) athletic director. “They have had to put up with the lack of seats and crowding at the old stadium for a long time.”

The stadium sits on approximately 72 acres and includes more than just a turf field. The new stadium includes a state-of-the-art press box that features three floors: The main level is primarily a film deck with areas for scouts and athletics staff; the second floor serves the needs for stadium operations and media support; and the third floor is designated for coaches, hospitality and a judges’ area for band competition.

Although football games will be the focal point at the new stadium, other athletic team facilities will also be located in the stadium, including a practice area for the men’s and women’s golf teams, featuring nets below the home stands and a simulation area to practice. Also at the stadium is a 5,800-square-foot wrestling practice area and locker room on the home side, as well as a large weight room that will be used by a number of student athletes.

When football is not in season, the stadium is designed to accommodate soccer games with dedicated line markings, and the field can also be utilized for marching band competitions. The district also plans on conducting the 2013 AHS graduation ceremony at the stadium, as well as possibly hosting a concert or event in the spring.

“We respect the fact the facility first serves Allen ISD students,” said Karen Cromwell, tourism manager for the Allen Convention and Visitors Bureau in a statement. “But we are also excited to have Allen ISD and Allen Eagle Stadium as partners in attracting events to the City of Allen, many of which will have a positive impact on Allen students.”

The stadium will also receive some airtime when the NFL Network hosts the college all-star game “Texas vs. the Nation,” in late January at the new stadium.

Fans will experience many new memories at the stadium, including less wait time at the entrance, concessions, as well as the restroom. The former stadium was unable to accommodate the thousands of fans, which made for unpleasant lines and sometimes even missing highlights of the game. The convenience of the new stadium already has fans cheering, as the design includes six entrances; a few steps up from the previous one gated entrance.

“Instead of one main entrance, fans will be able to enter through six gates and a plaza around the stadium will allow crowds to move more freely. Having parking on the same property will also be more convenient and much safer for large crowds,” Williams said.

The new stadium is sure to be a welcoming “nest” for Allen Eagle fans and athletes, alike. The team will play the reigning state champions, the Southlake Carroll High School Dragons and is expected to draw an extremely large crowd.

“We were looking to open with a game that would fill the new stadium,” according to AHS head football coach Tom Westerberg. “I think we found one with the number one ranked team in Texas. Like Allen they bring a big crowd and it should be fun. The last time we met, we played in front of 42,000 fans in Cowboy Stadium.”

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“VLK is excited to have been awarded this very significant project,” said Steve Aloway, principal of VLK Architects, which has worked with the district since 2006. “We are extremely pleased to continue our relationship with Cy-Fair ISD and help the district in meeting its growth needs in this prominent development within the district.”

The project will feature several green building features, including local and regional materials; a solar array; energy-efficient mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems; recycled products; and recycled waste from the construction site.

Students will also be able to witness the effects of the energy-efficient design. Mechanical and medium-density fibreboard rooms will have windows that allow students to see the systems at work. There will also be an interactive energy dashboard in the lobby and mechanical rooms that will display climate conditions and energy usage in the building.

Just like the interior of the building, the exterior will be focused on energy-efficiency and student learning. A rainwater harvesting system from the roof will help educate students about irrigation and water sources. The school will also have a balcony overlooking a lake where students can learn about the ecosystem.

“This project, when completed, will be exceptional as it ties the district’s educational curriculum into the building shell, which is designed to be a cohesive fit into the Bridgeland community,” Aloway said. “This is the first Cy-Fair ISD school located in Bridgeland, so it will set the standard for future schools within the development.”

The school will undergo more than a year of design and construction before its scheduled opening in fall 2013.
Challenges in the beginning phases of the design have included designing the new prototype school on an established prototype schedule and budget, while incorporating TxCHPS and instructional components into the design of the facility, according to Aloway.

“We have had various site issues to work through with the developer of Bridgeland, where the school is located, who is benefiting the project by bringing various site amenities to the project, including neighborhood sidewalks, landscaping and reforestation of some site areas,” Aloway said.

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Kicked off with the development of the first riveted steel furnace in 1895, the Dallas-based HVAC manufacturer and distributor continues its innovation goals with the recent announcement of their new solar-powered, renewable energy rooftop unit.

The SunSource commercial energy system rooftop unit requires no changes to a building’s electrical system and the panels do not have to be laid out on any particular grid, according to company officials.

“In typical systems that have been available, if one panel fails the entire grid fails — that’s not true with this new technology,” said Donna Peoples, the company’s regional K-12 account manager. “The greatest thing about it is that it’s so simple to install, many of the school districts can install their own in three to three-and-a-half hours.”

The unit offers cost-savings on utilities, as well as a “tremendous amount of money on their demand charges, which many times aren’t taken in to consideration,” Peoples said.

Schools can also use the solar rooftop system as a teaching tool in environmental science using a monitor that can be mounted in the classroom or at the district office.

“They can see exactly how many trees have been saved, how many cars have been eliminated from the road depending on their live data,” she said.

While all schools are on tight budgets and want to be friendly to the environment, Peoples said a cost-efficient way to go solar is to purchase rooftop units from the manufacturer solar-ready to meet all UL or ETL approval.

“It’s not something that can be retrofitted, so my suggestion for school districts that have an interest in solar is that when they replace the rooftop unit, order it solar-ready,” she said. “Because the cost is so nominal, if it’s standard voltage of 208/230 volts, it’s less than a $200 add to have it solar ready, and if five years down the road they want to add a solar panel or two or three, they can add it. It’s not something they have to do all at one time.”

Many utilities are also currently providing rebates on solar panel systems.

“One of my co-harts in Texas did a calculation with the cost of the panel and with what the rebate is through the utility — and then some have applied for grants which would further reduce the cost —but with what’s available today, a school district is only looking at actual 35 percent of the cost of the solar system in the state of Texas,” she said.

When looking at cost, Peoples also recommended taking longevity into account.

“Some manufacturers are manufacturing what I call throw-away units that have to be replaced in eight to 10 years, that’s the life expectancy,” she said. “The lowest expected life with Lennox is 17 years.”

Americo Garza, Energy Manager of Weslaco Independent School District in Weslaco, Texas said the district has had three Lennox HVAC rooftop units installed throughout the campus and has had no complaints.

“In our district, Weslaco, we take pride in trying to get top quality products and indoor air is certainly a priority,” he said. “So Lennox is performing, the units are doing really well.”

The district has 12 elementary schools, four middle schools and two high schools.

While the district has not been able to monitor the direct cost-savings from the units due to the way the metering is set up, administrators saw an immediate difference in air quality when installing the new units.

“When we were replacing the units that had already given out on us, we installed the new units and we could feel the air was much fresher, much dryer and more crisp, so it certainly helps,” Garza said.

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The project was designed by Texas-based BOKA Powell LLC, a full-service architectural design, planning and interior design firm, with Austin Commercial serving as the contractor.

The facility, which is designed to fit in with the university’s Spanish Renaissance architectural style, will provide housing for 516 students and feature private bedrooms, shared living areas, ceiling fans, microwave ovens, refrigerators, and Ethernet connections in each room.

As part of its mission to accommodate its increasing enrollment, the university is also building a two-story, 22,000-square-foot dining hall, three exterior courtyards and new parking lots.

The design of the dining hall aims to suit every student’s lifestyle, according to officials from the design firm.  

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