--Bay City News
New school buildings will be 'green'
The Palo Alto Unified School District Board of Education unanimously approved conservation-minded "green building" standards for all future construction projects.
Walt Hays, a Palo Alto resident who chairs the Sustainable Energy for the Schools Committee, was so confident that the-standards proposal would receive final approval that he handed out a news release announcing its adoption at the start of the meeting.
The standards are promulgated by the Collaborative for High Performing Schools, a state energy-efficiency advocacy group comprised of government, utility and nonprofit organizations. According to the group's Web site, the energy-efficiency standards govern all building elements from the materials, to the windows, to the surrounding landscaping.
Deputy Superintendent Robert Golton said the standards are so widely-used in California now that most contractors who specialize in school renovations and buildings are already familiar with how to implement them.
According to the staff report presented to the board, the new standards could reduce the utility costs of new construction projects by 30 to 40 percent and decrease the costs of running renovated buildings by 20 to 30 percent.
"This is a very progressive program, and it's overdue for Palo Alto's schools," said board Vice President Gail Price. She said the energy-use audits required under the new rules could help the district save even more in its energy costs.
Some of the new standards have already been incorporated in the new Terman Middle School wing that recently opened.
Golton said any additional costs required for contracts under the new standards would be a "good swap" because they would require increased capital spending and ultimately reduce operating spending.
The district faces a growing operating deficit because its biggest expenses, namely employment costs, are increasing while property tax revenues continue to shrink. Its current-year general fund budget totals about $105 million.
As a part of the new building program, the district received a $50,000 grant from the city of Palo Alto to provide classroom training and materials to teach students about water and energy conservation.
"The whole idea isn't just to save money, it's also to educate the students," Hays said.
Golton said, "I confess that my interest might not be as altruistic as theirs. My interest is in saving money."
In other business, the school board considered a new policy that would establish a floor and a ceiling for its Basic Aid Reserve fund.
Superintendent Mary Frances Callan recommended that the district be required to put money into the fund when income is expected to exceed its spending by 3 percent or more and be allowed to dip into the reserve for one-time expenses in deficit years.
The district has three reserve funds that currently contain $10.5 million. According to Callan's report, the policy would build up the district's total reserves to $12 million.
Board members asked to tweak the language to clarify the intent and purpose of the policy and plan to consider its final approval at their next meeting.
-- Karen Coleman
City could require dentists to reduce mercury
Palo Alto is considering requiring dentists in the city to purchase a device that would reduce the amount of mercury ultimately spread into the San Francisco Bay.
The devices, which would be attached the end of the suction tubes dentists used, would cost between $500 to $1,000 per office, city officials said.
The city hopes it would reduce mercury going to its water treatment plant by as much as 50 percent over time.
"Dentist are the largest single contributor (of mercury) to the plant," said Stephanie Hughes, the city's source control manager for the plant.
Mercury levels for fish in the bay has been growing over time, and poses a danger to the habitat. People, especially pregnant women, are warned to limit their consumption of fish from the bay, because of the mercury contamination.
The City Council will hold a public hearing on the issue during its council meeting on Monday, March 1. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. and is held inside the City Council chambers (250 Hamilton Ave.).
--Bill D'Agostino
Stanford offers space courses
In an effort to train working engineers in new space technology, Stanford University is collaborating with a consortium of universities, industry and government in a new technology center that has opened at NASA Ames Research Center at Moffett Field.
The center will offer courses in the latest technology. One of the first will be "Spacecraft Design" taught by Stanford consulting professor Bob Twiggs.
"Since its inception 45 years ago, NASA has pushed the boundaries of exploration and science, a philosophy Stanford shares in its academic pursuits," said Jim Plummer, dean of Stanford's School of Engineering. "We are looking forward to playing a role in NASA's storied tradition by providing world-class engineering programs to the Space Technology Center."
Also collaborating in the effort are San Jose State, Santa Clara and Utah State universities and the Aerospace Corp. of Los Angeles.
--Don Kazak
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