Phoenixville Area School District receives grant for energy conservation

PASD school board directors secured an energy conservation grant from the state's PEDA for our schools.

Conserving costly energy by the application of clean alternative resources additionally demonstrates positive fiscal responsibililty by the directors for saving tax dollars for Phoenixville area tax payers.

Kudos, PASD!

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District receives grant for energy conservation

Sunday, September 5, 2010

By DENNIS J. WRIGHT
Journal Register News Service

PHOENIXVILLE — The Phoenixville Area School District received a $554,5000 grant from the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority that will be used for conserving energy in three schools, directly saving taxpayer money.

Some of the dignitaries on hand for the ceremony in front of the Phoenixville Area High School were State Senator Andy Dinniman, school superintendent Alan Fegley, assistant superintendent Regina Palubinsky, board members Paul Slaninka and Debbie Dawson, high school principal Craig Parkinson, business manager Len Kresefski amongst others.

Fegley welcomed everyone to the ceremony and announced that the high school, along with Schuylkill Elementary and Barkley Elementary, are the focus of the program.

The project was selected as one of only six school projects, and one of 40 grant recipients overall, in a field of more than 200 projects considered.

“The power of this grant is that it not only supports the district in operationalizing the significant clean energy opportunities Senator Dinniman has enumerated,” Fegley said. “It also allows the district to address the educational issues so as to permanently impact and transform our culture from one of energy use to that of wise energy consumption.”

Dinniman said the $554,500 grant will pay for solar panels, more efficient HVAC and lighting systems and energy awareness programs, and that it represents a Commonwealth investment with both environmental and fiscal benefits.

“Projects such as these offer many advantages, and one in particular is energy independence,” Dinniman said. “The more we are able to get clean energy from right here in Commonwealth — be it from solar panels on top of Phoenixville Area High School, from wind farms in the Poconos, or from the responsible drilling of Marcellus Shale natural gas — the better.

“Make no mistake about it — the Commonwealth’s economy and our way of life here in Chester and Montgomery counties depends on us having reliable, safe, and clean sources of energy.

“The renewable energy these solar panels will create and the energy this advanced HVAC and lighting equipment will conserve bring us and Pennsylvania that much closer to being energy independent.”

Dinniman said that 240 applications were submitted, and only six school districts were given the funds.

“On behalf of the Commonwealth, it is my privilege to make this announcement on a local level,” he said. “Today, we have taken an idea, and as we feel the warmth in the school come winter time, we will know what we’ve done has come home.”

Dawson said that she was glad to see the district receive the money.

“We paid $9,000 for the grant application and look what we get back in return,” Dawson said. “I’m very happy about that.”

The project was part of $20.5 million in state and federal investments that were announced by Governor Ed Rendell on Wednesday.



http://timesherald.com/articles/2010/09/04/news/doc4c831fb8d2258074351016.txt