Schools
UPDATE: Racine Unified Approves Spending $850k On Lighting Projects
The RUSD board approved replacing 20,000 individual lights at five schools.
UPDATE: The School Board approved this plan on Monday, Feb. 20, 2012, according to a story in the Racine Journal Times.
The project will cost $850,000 and will be paid for through an increase in the tax levy, which is allowed for in the 2009-2011 state biennial budget. However, $69,000 of that will be paid for out of the district's current buildings and grounds budget. Dan O'Brien, a project manager with Facilities Management submitted a report to RUSD, stated that the District will qualify for Focus on Energy and Energy Policy Act incentives to help offset the cost of the project.
ORIGINAL STORY: The future just got a little brighter at five Racine Unified schools.
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School board officials on Oct. 31 approved spending $786,000 for new energy efficient lighting that is projected to save the district some $45,000 a year. The resolution was included in the 2011-2012 budget.
Jerstad, Gilmore, Walden, Mitchell and McKinley Schools all are slated for the upgrades. This follows energy-efficient renovations at Case, Park and Horlick high schools last year and at Starbuck Middle School about three years ago.
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“This money is used to do projects that give a certain amount of payback,” said Unified Chief Financial Officer Dave Hazen. “Lighting projects are the quickest payback projects that you can do.”
The plan calls for replacing 20,000 individual lamps that would reduce electrical bills by an estimated $45,000 annually. It also would reduce future lighting costs by utilizing up to $95,000 of Focus on Energy and $60,000 of Epact incentive grants.
“These lights use less energy and we don’t have to replace them as often,” Hazen said.
The work will now be put out to a competitive bid process and ultimately approved by the school board. The work could start as soon as next summer, Hazen said, so as to not disrupt students.
With the addition of the five schools, nine of the district’s 34 campuses will have received energy efficient upgrades in the last three years.