BOCES Follow-Up

On Tuesday January 19th, the Board of Ed voted unanimously to reject the BOCES proposition.  We believe that while the work needs to be done and we have an obligation to the consortium to participate, there are better, less costly and more efficient alternatives.  This is not a symbolic protest vote, it is a genuine vote against the current proposal.  But, we seek to offer alternatives to that proposal.

Our Director of Facilities has already met with his BOCES counterpart, and we are prepared to make several significant and specific suggestions on how to change the proposal to make it more effective and less costly.  We are also prepared to meet with other members to establish a facilities advisory board to help BOCES plan this project and their facilities projects going forward.

Below is an email exchange with BOCES following the vote.

John,

I wanted to follow up with you as I know that our district clerk spoke with you about our vote last night. 

We are eager to work with you and the other component districts to develop long term solutions to the facilities problems.  We feel very strongly that by pooling our intellectual resources we will find the best way to ensure that our fiscal resources are used in the most beneficial and sustainable manner.

Our no vote in no way implies that we are attempting to eschew our obligations and we recognize that as part owner of these facilities we need to help support them.

Additionally, we sincerely appreciate and value the programs and services that PNW BOCES provides to our students and teachers.

We would very much like to meet with you, other district board members and their facilities directors in a collective brainstorming environment and see if we can move these projects forward in way that works for everyone. 

I look forward to working with you.

Alyson

Alyson Gardner Kiesel

President, Chappaqua Central School District Board of Education

We received the following email in reply:

Alyson,

Thank you so much for going the extra mile to reach out to us. Your district clerk, Theresa Markley did a wonderful job relaying the message from the Board about the vote and your ideas for moving forward. I spoke with Dr. Langlois, our Superintendent, about the ideas from you and your fellow Board members this morning. We both agree that meeting to find a way to address our capital needs is a good idea.  I will speak with Jim tomorrow so we can start planning to get together.

I want to thank you and your fellow Board members for your willingness to be a part of the solution for our capital needs.

John

Does Bill Clinton Read His School District Website?

In the news today, former President Bill Clinton in a joint press conference with President Obama talked about retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency.  It is part of President Obams'a "Better Building Initiative". This article states,

Noting rural communities like his new hometown of Chappaqua, N.Y., Clinton added: "Every little county has got one bonded contractor. That bonded contractor can guarantee to every public school, every state, county and local building, every little office building ... what the savings are going to be."

All the former President has to do is go about a mile down the road from his house to Horace Greeley High School to see this in action.  The district recently signed an Energy Performance Contract with Johnson Controls that guarantees that the cost savings from the upgrades to district facilities will pay for the cost of the improvements themselves.  Or, over the term of the agreement, there is no net cost to the taxpayer for significant improvements to the district's infrastructure.

Maybe President Clinton reads the Chappaqua Central School District website.  If he does, he would have seen this article posted to the CCSD site on the energy performance contract.  Right here in his adopted hometown we are going green and according to his analysis helping to create jobs!  Too bad he doesn't give Joe Gramando, John Chow and the district credit for being an early adapter and proactively green.




Energy Performance Contract - Phase 1 Project Timeline

To support the administration and faculty in their efforts to create a rich and dynamic learning environment that will prepare students to be productive members of an increasingly global community of limited natural resources, the District entered into a long-term Energy Performance Contract with Johnson Controls in July 2011. 

Basically, an energy performance contract is a financing tool that utilizes cost savings from increased building efficiency and reduced energy consumption to pay for the cost of installing new energy conservation measures - without any up front capital expenses.  

The contract agreement is for Johnson Controls to guarantee that the savings (plus building aid the District receives from the state) will meet or exceed the annual payments to cover all project costs, and that Johnson Controls pay the difference if at any time energy savings do not materialize.

Phase I of the energy performance contract brings improvements to all 6 school building, the Education Center and the Chappaqua Public Library.