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Gordon tour of ICC schools focuses on efficiency, grant
  
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By Paul Crossman
Assemblyman Tim Gordon, I-Bethlehem, toured several of the buildings in the Ichabod Crane Central School District on Friday to get a firsthand look at the use of educational technology in the high school, and explore the district’s efforts at energy conservation.
“These are very tough times,” Gordon told the Register-Star. “It’s reassuring to see how this school district has saved the taxpayers money while at the same time providing students with the kind of education that will equip them for the economy of the 21st century.”
Gordon helped secure a $50,000 grant-in-aid for the school, which was used on 13 new Apple computers for the art department, backup hardware for many of the schools’ files, and LCD projector screens for classrooms throughout the district.
Ichabod Superintendent James Dexter said that he was extremely pleased to receive the $50,000 grant, as it enabled the school to get the Apple computers and editing programs which many students need when applying to various art and graphic design schools.
“For years and years we were a one platform district,” he said, “but now we finally have a Mac lab.”
The assemblyman got to see what the grant money had provided and more as he toured different parts of the school, going from the new Mac lab to the basement to see Ichabod High School’s newer and more energy efficient water heating system.
“I think he got a good sense of our energy conservation programs,” said Dexter. “We were very pleased he came out.”
According to Steven Marotta, the director of facilities at Ichabod, the old, larger boilers were replaced with smaller, more efficient models, which bypass the 1,000 gallon hot-water holding tank completely. This is much more energy efficient, as keeping that large of an amount of water hot for long periods of time takes significant amounts of power.
“The heat and store method isn’t very efficient,” Marotta told the assemblyman. “The school can now bypass the whole process.”
He went on to say that with the new boiler system, the school was working to heat spaces only when they needed to be heated, and that if the opportunity ever arose to switch over to natural gas they were prepared to do so.
Aside from the computer lab and the boiler room, Gordon got to see other efforts that the school has made to be energy efficient, such as replacing all the overhead lights in the auditorium and the gym from 65 watt halogen bulbs to LED bulbs which use only 6.5 watts each, and putting appliances like vending machines on motion sensors so that they only come on when necessary.
“A lot of these re-lamping scenarios are instantaneous savings,” said Dexter. “They fit into the time and budget.”
These changes and upgrades to the school, combined with practicing everyday activities like turning classroom lights off, even if the room is only vacant for 10 or 15 minutes, have helped the school district earn the prestigious ENERGY STAR label on all five school buildings for three consecutive years.
ENERGY STAR awards are presented to the most energy efficient schools in the country by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Ichabod has reduced its total electricity by 19.9 percent and its total fuel oil use by 17 percent, according to the school’s Web site, http://ichabodcrane.org/icDistrictNews.html.
“It’s very extensive,” said Dexter. “Every year we try to think of new ways to save energy. We’ve rethought every system in the district.”
And the rethinking seems to be working, since the district began taking conservation measures in 2005, they’ve saved the taxpayers more than $600,000.
“As a kid I envied Ichabod Crane because they only had school three or four days a year,” joked Gordon. “Now as an adult, I envy you for all the energy efficiencies you’ve added.”
Though the superintendent admits there is still much to do in the way of energy conservation in the district, he is pleased with everything that has been done thus far, and says that the next step is looking into solar panels to help save money and reduce the school’s reliance on National Grid.
Dexter also invited Gordon to use Ichabod as an example to other districts who might be interested in conserving energy and saving money, and offered to give similar tours to administrators of those schools.
Gordon replied that he definitely intended to do so.
“This is too important not to happen,” he said. “Every dollar counts.”
To reach reporter Paul Crossman call 518-828-1616, ext. 2266, or e-mail pcrossman@registerstar.com.
“These are very tough times,” Gordon told the Register-Star. “It’s reassuring to see how this school district has saved the taxpayers money while at the same time providing students with the kind of education that will equip them for the economy of the 21st century.”
Gordon helped secure a $50,000 grant-in-aid for the school, which was used on 13 new Apple computers for the art department, backup hardware for many of the schools’ files, and LCD projector screens for classrooms throughout the district.
Ichabod Superintendent James Dexter said that he was extremely pleased to receive the $50,000 grant, as it enabled the school to get the Apple computers and editing programs which many students need when applying to various art and graphic design schools.
“For years and years we were a one platform district,” he said, “but now we finally have a Mac lab.”
The assemblyman got to see what the grant money had provided and more as he toured different parts of the school, going from the new Mac lab to the basement to see Ichabod High School’s newer and more energy efficient water heating system.
“I think he got a good sense of our energy conservation programs,” said Dexter. “We were very pleased he came out.”
According to Steven Marotta, the director of facilities at Ichabod, the old, larger boilers were replaced with smaller, more efficient models, which bypass the 1,000 gallon hot-water holding tank completely. This is much more energy efficient, as keeping that large of an amount of water hot for long periods of time takes significant amounts of power.
“The heat and store method isn’t very efficient,” Marotta told the assemblyman. “The school can now bypass the whole process.”
He went on to say that with the new boiler system, the school was working to heat spaces only when they needed to be heated, and that if the opportunity ever arose to switch over to natural gas they were prepared to do so.
Aside from the computer lab and the boiler room, Gordon got to see other efforts that the school has made to be energy efficient, such as replacing all the overhead lights in the auditorium and the gym from 65 watt halogen bulbs to LED bulbs which use only 6.5 watts each, and putting appliances like vending machines on motion sensors so that they only come on when necessary.
“A lot of these re-lamping scenarios are instantaneous savings,” said Dexter. “They fit into the time and budget.”
These changes and upgrades to the school, combined with practicing everyday activities like turning classroom lights off, even if the room is only vacant for 10 or 15 minutes, have helped the school district earn the prestigious ENERGY STAR label on all five school buildings for three consecutive years.
ENERGY STAR awards are presented to the most energy efficient schools in the country by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Ichabod has reduced its total electricity by 19.9 percent and its total fuel oil use by 17 percent, according to the school’s Web site, http://ichabodcrane.org/icDistrictNews.html.
“It’s very extensive,” said Dexter. “Every year we try to think of new ways to save energy. We’ve rethought every system in the district.”
And the rethinking seems to be working, since the district began taking conservation measures in 2005, they’ve saved the taxpayers more than $600,000.
“As a kid I envied Ichabod Crane because they only had school three or four days a year,” joked Gordon. “Now as an adult, I envy you for all the energy efficiencies you’ve added.”
Though the superintendent admits there is still much to do in the way of energy conservation in the district, he is pleased with everything that has been done thus far, and says that the next step is looking into solar panels to help save money and reduce the school’s reliance on National Grid.
Dexter also invited Gordon to use Ichabod as an example to other districts who might be interested in conserving energy and saving money, and offered to give similar tours to administrators of those schools.
Gordon replied that he definitely intended to do so.
“This is too important not to happen,” he said. “Every dollar counts.”
To reach reporter Paul Crossman call 518-828-1616, ext. 2266, or e-mail pcrossman@registerstar.com.
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OV Observer wrote on Nov 14, 2009 9:00 AM: