New Kent Elementary School is State's Most
Earth-Friendly
by Lisa Pemberton-Butler
Seattle Times South Bureau
KENT - Green isn't just the color of carpet and building trim
at Millennium
Elementary. It's also the school's philosophy.
Partially powered by solar and windmill energy, and warmed
with geothermal heat,
the new school, which opens today, is the most environmentally
friendly in the state,
Kent school officials say.
"This is what all schools will be like in the future,"
predicts project manager Conteh
Kamara. "Already we have had calls from districts who want
to see what we've
done."
In addition to alternative heat and power sources, Millennium
features a five-acre
natural wetland, an underground storm-water collection and reuse
system for
irrigation, and "waterless urinals" expected to save
about 144,000 gallons of water
from going down the drain each year.
Much of the school's curriculum will be linked to the environment, too.
Once a boardwalk trail is built around the school's wetland,
Millennium Principal
Marilyn Godfrey says teachers will be able to incorporate wetland
studies into math,
science, reading and writing.
"It will be nice; they won't just see it on paper - they
can see it going on outside," she
said.
The school, which will house 600 students in kindergarten through
sixth grade, was
built for about $12 million with money raised by the district's
1996 construction bond
measure. It serves students in the surrounding neighborhood, south
of Kent Kangley
Road, west of Highway 18.
Conservation was even part of the school's planning process.
Millennium is believed
to be the first school in the state to receive bids electronically
- saving stacks of paper
and nearly $25,000, since all of the blueprints were created on
a CD-ROM, district
officials say.
Though costs for most of the earth-friendly gadgets were higher
than traditional
equipment, school officials expect the district to save money
in the long run.
The school's geothermal heat pump, for example, cost almost
$200,000 more than a
gas or electric system. But with lower maintenance and energy
costs, the difference is
expected to be paid off in about 20 years, about a third
of the building's expected life
span, school officials say.
"We're going with low-maintenance systems, so down the
road we won't have to
scramble for funding for maintenance," Kamara said.
School officials say additional resources and money will be
saved with Millennium's
underground storm-water collection and reuse system.
Whenever it rains, storm water will run into a giant vault
that's buried about 25 feet
under the school's grass sports field. The vault holds about 64,000
cubic feet of water
- enough to irrigate the field for nearly six weeks.
Next, the water will be pumped to a pond adjacent to the school's
wetland area, where
it's naturally filtrated. Once treated, it can be pumped back
to the field. The system is
expected to save the most money during high irrigation months.
Millennium also serves as a testing ground for a small number
of other "green"
concepts.
A roof-mounted wind turbine and solar panels have been installed
to measure the
effectiveness of solar and wind energy. If the system is cost-effective
and successful,
it will be used more widely in future projects, school officials
say.
Some parents, such as PTSA President Kim Komoto, say they're
excited about the
new school because its theme opens the door for more science education.
Others hope all of the attention to the school's structure
doesn't take away from
what's supposed to be taking place in the classroom.
"Honestly, as a parent, I just want a good education for
my child, and good teachers;
(building) structure is not primary for me," said Venus Azodi.
". . . Recycling the
water is great, but my main priority is education. I'm sure in
10 years, most of the
schools will be doing this."
Still, Principal Godfrey doesn't think parents or students will be disappointed.
"This is a unique opportunity to the children here,"
she says. "They're going to
become very conscious about our natural resources and using them
wisely. ... It's a
good way to start the century, I think."
>Link to the School > Millennium Elementary