The State College Area School District has been pursuing building excellence for over 15 years. The first push for more sustainable design and construction came when the Board passed a resolution in 2008 committing the District to a minimum LEED Silver standard. Ever since, the District has incorporated sustainable design, energy, and procurement in its capital projects.
In 2018, the State High building project was designed to be highly energy efficient and use solar. It is a certified LEED Gold building. Compared to a non-LEED building, annually it should be saving over $300,000 a year in energy costs and $25,000 in water and sewer costs. It also has a small solar array. Crabtree Rohrbaugh won an Excellence in Design Award for the project in 2021.
The Spring Creek, Radio Park, and Corl Street (pictured at right) elementary schools all use solar. These buildings earned LEED Platinum ratings. In March 2018, the District saw an opportunity through the Solar Energy Fund to offset costs for three elementary school solar projects. Before my election to the Board in 2021, I advocated for them. The Board concurred and it worked out well. They received $93,500 for Spring Creek Elementary School to produce more than 74,000 kWh annually, over 25 percent of the building’s energy use, saving the district thousands of dollars each year. The Radio Park project won a 2023 AIA Central Pennsylvania Design Award.
Currently, the District’s Physical Plant Building is nearing completion. It is also designed to meet LEED Gold standards (but will not undergo certification). It has enhanced efficiency, solar, and EV charging.
Next up: the Mt. Nittany Elementary School renovation and expansion and the Park Forest Middle School project.
Peter Walks for Democracy 