What's green in the BVSD Bond Program?
New report details the district’s green building efforts
Sunlight floods the corridors and classrooms of many of the new facilities constructed through BVSD's Bond Program. This abundant sunshine is the result of a variety of innovative techniques used to bring more daylight into buildings. Daylighting is the practice of using natural light to illuminate building spaces rather than relying solely on electric lighting during the day. The technique reduces the need for electric lighting and produces natural, pleasant light. It is just one of the techniques employed by architects in the Bond Program to create spaces which are comfortable for users and more efficient to operate.
A new report produced by BVSD details the green building techniques used in projects in the first phase of the BVSD Bond Program. To document green building efforts, the district asked project architects to provide a summary of sustainable features for each project and compiled the results in the report which can be found 
online.
One of the initial steps the district took to “green” the Bond Program was to update BVSD’s technical specifications to include more sustainable elements. Technical specifications are the guidelines the district uses for construction. In addition, the architecture firms selected for the Bond work were chosen in part because of their expertise and experience with the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.
The results of these efforts are facilities that are energy efficient, use resources wisely, and are comfortable to occupy. Many projects include more efficient mechanical and electrical systems and better insulation. Strategies such as window glazing and reflective roofs were used to reduce heat gain and cooling demands in warmer months. Lights have occupancy sensors and, in some cases, dimming ballasts that adjust electric lighting levels as the natural lighting in a room changes. To create high quality indoor environments for students and staff, many new spaces offer user climate and lighting controls, operable windows, abundant daylighting and views. Most interior finishes such as carpet and paint are low VOC emitting to reduce unpleasant odors.
“We are proud of what we have been able to achieve for Boulder Valley students through the Bond Program,” said Don Orr, Executive Director of Bond Planning, Engineering and Construction. “Through the generous support of Boulder Valley taxpayers, we have been able to create healthy, productive learning spaces that also are beneficial to the district’s bottom line.”
Bond staff help move “Chair Mountain”
Metal clanged and sparks flew late last month as the Bond team dismantled a mass of chairs and desks at the district surplus building known as “Chair Mountain.” This huge battered furniture pile consists of the broken and busted chairs and desks that have come out of BVSD schools as a result of Phase I of the district’s $296.8 million capital improvement bond program. In an effort to divert waste from landfills the district has committed to dismantling this furniture and working with a couple of different organizations to recycle the materials.
Past practice would have seen these items hit the landfill; definitely not what BVSD wants to do now. The school district has significantly reduced its use of landfills through a partnership with Resource 2000, who has taken some of BVSD’s surplus and is selling it at its site on 63rd Street. Disassembling the furniture is the next step in the process is to recycle what is left.
Over the summer, warehouse staff took on the task of taking apart the mass of old chairs and desks that ran the entire length of the surplus building and called upon Ed Center staff to pitch in. To help with the endeavor, the Bond team set aside an evening to help move the mountain. Using an arsenal of drills, pry bars, grinders and good old muscle, the team filled pallets with plastic bucket seats and packed a large dumpster with metal chair legs. All in all, the district diverted approximately 250 chairs and 400 chair/desk combos from landfills—that’s 4 dumpsters filled with metal legs and 20 pallets of wood desk tops and plastic seats!
A large dose of credit and appreciation goes to the warehouse staff who organized the effort and put in the lion’s share of the effort!
Seats available on the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee
The Bond Program is seeking a middle level teacher and a middle level principal to fill two vacancies on the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee.
The Board of Education created the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee (CBOC) to provide independent review and monitoring of the Bond Program. A complete description of the committee can be found here.
The oversight provided by the committee is vital to the success of the Bond Program. The members of CBOC reflect the diverse population of our school district. The committee is comprised of members that include school faculty and administrators, representatives from each community in the district and a student representative.
The committee meets approximately every other month except in the summer. Meetings are held the first Thursday of the month at 5 p.m. and last for approximately two hours. Between meetings, committee members are given budget and project status reports to review in preparation for the meetings. The teacher representative will serve a two-year term and the principal representative will serve a three-year term. If you are interested, please contact Susan Cousins at 720-561-5793.
Manhattan Middle School wins Golden Hard Hat award
The Bond Program learned recently that the Manhattan Middle School Bond project was awarded the Golden Hard Hat award given by the McGraw Hill Construction. The project was submitted by Adolfson and Peterson, the general contractor. The awards recognize the best projects completed by Colorado companies in a calendar year. OZ Architecture was the project designer.