• Wind Turbine, Photovoltaics Could Generate 100 Percent of Campus’ Electricity

By Beige Luciano-Adams, Contributing Writer

In a promising addition to LAUSD’s historic, $27-billion construction and modernization program, a new high school development in San Pedro may become one of the country’s “greenest.” South Region High School #15 (SR HS 15) will be built to accommodate wind turbine and photovoltaic systems that could generate nearly 100 percent of its own electricity.

The 115,000 square-foot complex will be built under the ongoing Project Labor Agreement between the District and the Building Trades Council, in place since 1998.

In a massive overhaul of its facilities – and one of the largest public works programs in the U.S. – the District has already completed 81 new schools, with 50 more either under construction or in development, all with union labor. Most new schools, including SR HS 15, are scheduled to open by Sept. 2012.

“This is another great project being built with a good labor relations policy under the PLA,” says Richard Slawson Executive Secretary of the LA/OC Building Trades Council.

Roderick Hamilton, regional development manager for new construction in LAUSD’s facilities services division, notes the “great relationship” between the District and the Trades, which has resulted in a large body of work over the last several years.

“I think if you look at the $12 billion we’re spending on the current (new) building program (the remainder is allocated to modernization and upgrades of existing facilities), of that probably more than half of it – close to two-thirds of it, have gone into hard construction, all union jobs,” he says.

Hamilton notes the District’s work with “some really great contractors, great employers,” all of which are union signatories. “Overall, I think this program is an example of how the skilled work of the Building Trades Council has contributed to largest school building program in the U.S.”

New school constructions typically provide work for most crafts – some of which might extend over several years. Some IBEW Local 11 electricians, for example, have worked on similar projects for one to three years in the past.

“These new schools have provided many IBEW Local 11 members with long term projects,” said Diana Limon, who works with labor compliance for the local. Limon expects South Region HS #15 to be comparable in scope and manpower to Valley Region HS #5, an ongoing project, where “several union contractors are doing the largest portions of the work with an estimated manpower average of 18 electricians and possibly 65 electricians at its peak.” Limon says the local is anticipating “at least this many jobs” on the new project.

The School

One of the things that makes SR HS #5 very special, says Hamilton, is its location. The building site is a 28-acre piece of land on the former Ft. McArthur military base (a 561-acre site that served as an active military base from 1910 to 1975) that the District acquired from the federal government 30 years ago. While the land has been used for educational purposes in the time since, Hamilton says it’s the comprehensive site plan that “makes everything work synergistically.”

“With the construction of HS 15 and the upgrading of the Point Firm outdoor and educational center and various other site improvements that we are undertaking, this will be a very special site that will serve many purposes. It has a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean – a stunning piece of property – and we think the design of the school is very compatible with the topography and the neighboring community.”

But the functionality, environment and “multifaceted” nature of the institution also set it apart, says Hamilton – pointing to the outdoor education center, the specialized continuing education center, and the many historical buildings (including WWI-era military barracks) that are being relocated and restored as part of the overall complex.

Meant to relieve overcrowding at San Pedro High School, as well as at other existing area schools, SR HS #15 will make room for 810 students in 30 classrooms. The project brings the District closer to its goals of returning all middle and high-school students to a traditional, two-semester calendar, and eliminating involuntary busing.

Construction is set to begin in early 2010. In the meantime, developers have been busy abating and demolishing 25 existing structures, relocating two existing educational facilities and several historic buildings.

Funding for sustainable systems still unsure

While representatives say the District would like to see the sustainable energy features up and running by the time they open the school’s doors to students in Fall 2012, funding for these systems is still uncertain.

The design allows for about 33,900 square feet of photovoltaic panels on the rooftops, says Hamilton, which will produce about 725 thousand kilowatt hours of electricity annually, according to current technological standards. There is also a provision for 36 vertical-access wind turbines, which the District calculates will produce about 342 thousand kilowatt hours of energy per year. All together, the combination would account for about 97 percent of the institution’s estimated annual consumption of 1.1 million kilowatt hours.

At the moment, however, there are no funds available to pay for the systems. The District has been operating with about $20 billion in combined funds from bonds and matching government capital, but an additional $7.8 billion from Measure Y (a property tax approved by voters in Nov. 2008, and largely set aside for modernization and improvement initiatives), is tied up with the real estate market – and won’t take effect until real estate values recover.

“We have those elements designed in,” says Hamilton of the solar and wind energy systems, “but they are not part of the current construction contract.”

In addition to Measure Y, Hamilton also notes that funding could come in the form of an underwriting from federal or state government, or from the public utilities.

“You have to remember that there’s also a lot of technological development around both photovoltaics and wind turbines that could be more efficacious,” says Hamilton, who indicates that the facilities will be ready when funding and technology converge at the right moment.

For the trades, both construction and installation of these systems provide an attractive opportunity to integrate with the new “green economy.”

“All of the craft unions are very interested in training for green construction,” says Slawson, “and the environmental systems that will (eventually) be installed in this new school will be a model for schools around the country.”