Connellsville Area High School deemed green building
CONNELLSVILLE — Efforts to transform the Connellsville Area High School into a green building have paid off.
Jeff Straub, director of Crabtree Rohrbaugh & Associates of Mechanicsburg, reported Monday that the school district will receive an additional $1 million in reimbursement from the state because the newly renovated high school is between 20 and 25 percent more efficient than the national average.
Straub said the U.S. Green Building Council looked at the building holistically to determine its efficiency, which included reviewing material selection and indoor air quality. He said the state increases a district’s reimbursement by 10 percent if it is a green building.
In addition, the council also wants the district to plan for the future.
“What we had to submit tonight, was they wanted to see a plan of how you would expand the high school in 30 or 40 years,” Straub said. “They wouldn’t want you to build a building and not think for the future.”
The board will likely approve the future expansion plan on Wednesday.
The board will also likely take action Wednesday to rename the former Junior High West to West Crawford Elementary School, effective the 2013-14 school year.
Dr. Daniel Lujetic, district superintendent, asked for Zachariah Connell parents to submit suggestions for a new name. He said there was a strong consensus to avoid naming the school Zachariah Connell.
“We thought it would be a neutral name and a fresh start,” he said.
Zachariah Connell closed its doors Friday, and students will start the new school year at the former Junior High West.
Turning to other matters, the board is also likely to conduct the following business at Wednesday’s meeting:
n Approve the qualified service agreement between the Fayette County Drug and Alcohol Commission Inc. and the district’s student assistance program.
n Award the general school supplies and building and grounds supplies through the Intermediate Unit 1 Cooperative Purchasing Agreement for the 2013-14 school year in the amount of $179,568.
n Approve to advertise for fall sports supplies and equipment.
n Approve $8,013 in change orders for the high school renovation project.
n Approve the 2013-14 College in the High School cooperative agreement between the school district and Mt. Aloysius for Advanced Placement (AP) chemistry, AP calculus, trigonometry/pre-calculus and AP physics.
n Approve the Memorandum of Understanding between the district and the Connellsville Area Education Association.