GRPS Leads State in LEED Certified Facilities

Posted on 19. Apr, 2010 by Patrick Revere in Elementary Schools, Middle Schools, News, Schools

In its early days, Harrison Park Elementary School had nifty classroom amenities like an iron coal-burning heater and an open fish pond in the floor.

Ideals were a bit different in 1925.

Today, the same building has a new wing and restructured interiors that meld nicely with the old oak trim. But when the plans were laid, the district had more in mind than aesthetics.

Next year, the combined elementary-middle school near Alpine Avenue and Richmond Street will have more than 900 students. Those students, and their teachers, will enjoy upgrades that accounted for about one-sixth of the $160 million bond initiative approved by voters in June 2004.

In addition to greater availability of natural light, new secured entrances, and enclosed playgrounds and courtyards, Harrison Park boasts an array of electronic and Web technologies, energy-saving windows, drop ceilings for better sound, expanded instruction rooms and increased hallway and community spaces.

“It’s so much lighter and brighter,” First-grade Teacher Dianne Hamstra said. “All of the halls have been carpeted, which brings down the noise level considerably. During class breaks and emergency exercises the noise was deafening.”

“Principal Nassar used to have to walk the hallways with a megaphone just to be heard,” Ms. Hamstra said.

The new wing of the school, which is home to one of the district’s three centers for students with emotional impairments, has second floor hallways that more closely resemble airport concourses. More than just straight rows with lockers, the walls ascend from each other to make room for tables and chairs, as well as floor seating.

“The way these pods are set up, and the amount of space between rooms allows for a lot of collaboration and community instruction that can be very beneficial,” Principal Mike Nassar said of the added common spaces.

Grand Rapids Public Schools has eight “green-built” facilities, and is the state leader with four LEED-certifiable schools (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).

It implements green initiatives at 10 buildings. Finally, it put $6 million in bond money toward a revamp of Houseman Field. The sporting complex at Diamond Avenue and Fountain Street has a new field with improved drainage, as well as an upgraded energy-efficient lighting system.

Ken Klomparens, the facilities manager for Grand Rapids Public Schools, points to Burton Elementary and Middle schools, and Cesar E. Chavez Elementary School, as models for environmental design in education.

“Burton has a grey water systems that takes used water from the sinks to flush the toilets, and both Burton and Chavez have sedum roofs that are used as teaching tools,” Mr. Klomparens said. “The students can go out on the roof and see what plants are used and how they catch storm water and create insulation.”

All the buildings were given automatic sensors for lighting and low flow toilets, while some schools are experimenting with waterless toilets.

Each initiative takes some getting used to, Mr. Klomparens said. But everyone in the district, with student and parent feedback, seems open to the changes and work well together to gain consensus regarding which of the initiatives are worthy of embracing for the long term.

For instance, the district long ago did away with watering common playgrounds and fields, and pesticides are never used.

“These are a cost saving measure as well as upgrades in safety and environmentalism,” Mr. Klomparens said.

“The fields are watered by rain,” he said with a smile. “The old fashioned way.”

Austin Pacshal was one of a pair of students asked to speak at March’s “State of Our Schools” address, which was attended by parents, teachers, business and political leadership, as well as the media.

Austin, a seventh-grade student at MLK Leadership Academy, near Wealthy Street and Henry Avenue, thanked voters for approving funding for new schools, and facility upgrades.

“It has cool technology, bright and open classrooms along with an awesome gym and playground,” Austin said of his school. “We also got a rooftop garden that grows plants and vegetables.

“I love my school,” he said. “And I think every student in GRPS should go to a brand new school like I go to.”

The Burton schools, near Burton Street and Buchanan Avenue, will be on display during the second ArtPrize competition in the fall. The building, with its 100-year-old brick that seems to hug the new glass and steel facade interior, is part of a project headed by the West Michigan Green Building Council to bring greater awareness to the area’s vast number of environmentally-sound structures.

Art teacher Mary Lamson-Burk was at Burton Middle School before the 2007-2008 improvements were made available to teachers and students.

“It’s amazing the change in attitude and how students interact with each other when they’re in a nicely lit, clean and orderly building,” Ms. Lamson-Burk said. “It makes a huge difference.”

Mr. Klomparens said he and his staff will continue to maintain the green initiatives already in place, and will work to improve systems with the resources made available to them in the coming years.

The next big project will be the high schools, he said.

“But that is a ways off. The newest high school in the district is Ottawa, which was a middle school that was refurbished in the mid-1970s, so we can certainly justify new high schools; they’re all at capacity, and there’s a major need to update them for modern advancements in curriculum,” Mr. Klomparens said. “But in the current economic climate, we just cannot justify asking residents to pay more taxes.”

By Patrick Revere

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