APRIL 5, 2024

The Millbrook Minute

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Friday afternoon!

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SUSTAINABILITY

Today's Blazer Bulletin highlights the ways in which our proposed capital project aims to further MCSD's focus on promoting sustainable practices that emphasize efficient resource use and long-term viability.

MCSD's Strategic Plan is the foundation of our capital project planning initiative, with

components of our mission, vision, values and pillars permeating every aspect of our

proposed project design.

Tune in next week to learn about how the capital project focuses on our final pillar:

DISCOURSE

Supporting Millbrook’s Vision for Sustainability

Warm air escapes through single-pane windows. Hot water leaks from corroded heating pipes. And air escapes through holes in the roof, letting warm air out and cold air inside. These situations are occurring in Millbrook schools where much of the infrastructure has surpassed its expected lifespan.

The energy lost through breaches in the exterior of the buildings, combined with the inefficiency of 30-year-old fluorescent lights and oil burners and HVAC systems, conflicts with Millbrook’s commitment to sustainability, both in terms of its carbon footprint and the long term viability of its school buildings.

That’s why Proposition Two of the proposed capital project calls for HVAC system renovations in Elm, Alden and Millbrook Middle School; single-pane window replacements; Middle School roof replacement; updated HVAC controls; electrical system upgrades; moisture mitigation; boiler replacements; and a solar energy collection system.

Of the $55.3 million of work comprising Proposition Two, $7.6 million would be covered by an Energy Performance Contract. The cost of the contract items would be recouped by energy savings over the course of the next 16 years, according to Elliott Garcia, assistant superintendent for business and personnel.

Sustainability is one of the four pillars of the district’s strategic plan. To ensure the long-term viability of the district and greater community, all stakeholders must understand the need to implement and maintain sustainable practices that maximize efficiencies of resource consumption and allocation.

“Proposition Two goes beyond reducing our carbon footprint to continuing our programs and sustaining our buildings in the most cost-effective way long into the future,” Garcia said. “We will not only be making the heating system more efficient, but we will also be keeping the heat in the building rather than letting it escape as it does now.”

As an example of excess energy use, Garcia said the Alden School uses as much energy per square foot as a local hospital, which operates 24 hours a day and uses extensive medical machinery.

An added benefit of the Energy Performance Contract is that it comes with a curriculum on energy that will turn the schools “into living laboratories where students can see how much energy they are conserving,” Garcia said.

One of the corroded pipes causing damage

An example of an improved entryway

CLICK HERE for more information on our Capital Project!

Don't Forget:

Summer Scholars Registration is now open! This program is designed to continue the acquisition of literacy and numeracy usage in order to prevent a slide in skills that can typically be attributed to a break from learning and practice. Open to children entering grades K-9, this program is not mandatory and is free of charge to families.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

* Please submit a separate form for

each child registered.