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| The Greening of Lake Government Buildings |
| By thetimesonline.com |
| Published: 06/23/2009 |
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The Greening of Lake Government Buildings By Bill Dolan CROWN POINT | Lake County officials are preparing to spend $11.8 million to build a greener county-government infrastructure. Lake County Council President Larry Blanchard, R-Crown Point, said they will replace more than 600 windows, light fixtures, boilers, water heaters and other energy-guzzling devices. He said taxpayers likely won't notice the changes until the smaller utility bills start coming to show the savings. The council will hold a special meeting 4 p.m. June 20 to vote on ordinances to detail how the county will raise and spend the money. Ameresco, a Framingham, Mass., energy service company, is guaranteeing the county will eventually save about $334,000 in reduced annual utility bills and another $1.2 million in reduced operation and maintenance costs, and reduced future capital costs the county avoids by making improvements now. Ameresco has been working since 2006 on repairing roofs, windows and inadequate electrical systems; removing asbestos; and making county buildings more accessible, in addition to $60,000 spent on new offices for the county council that opened this spring. The first phase was budgeted to cost $17.2 million. Blanchard released the first details of the second phase of renovations to county government's aging buildings this month. Blanchard said the work makes county buildings greener by reducing carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere. "We will be going green in more ways than one. We will be saving the atmosphere and the dollars and cents we have been throwing out the window," he said. He said he hopes to work out a finance package that will keep the project from increasing property taxes. Blanchard also said they are pursuing federal stimulus grants that reward green projects.Read more. If link has expired, check the website of the article's original news source. |
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