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Politics & Government

Will Going 'Green' Put Local Governments in the Black?

Environmentally friendly options may cost more upfront, save money later.

Providing crucial services on the local level always requires both creativity and attention to detail. These qualities have been given a real workout in the past few years as two trends converge: declining revenues and the push for more environmentally friendly practices.

The environmental element of  annual construction and upkeep projects that consume much of local government's time and resources is surfacing more and more. That's why the park district has its own set of Environmental Guidelines for the organization's daily practices and the village prepares a Sustainability Report to assess accomplishments each year.

Trading in conventional systems and practices for green ones often requires upfront investment. It's a hard argument to make when sales and property tax revenues are uncertain and some costs, such as personnel, are fixed or difficult to negotiate.

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Throw in mandates from higher levels of government and residents eyeing every budget line, and you get a very small space in which to innovate. But local governments are trying to put green ideas into actual practice, and residents can start to see some of the changes and benefits now—and, ideally, cost savings later.

Rolling Out Barrels

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Last spring, residents stopped to view rain barrel displays set up by the village at various locations around town, including the library and Village Hall. The display allowed homeowners to see how these 50-gallon water tanks could collect and store rainwater.

If they were interested, residents could, for a limited time, purchase their own rain barrel for $70, install it for the summer and use the rainwater collected to water plants or wash cars.

The village was hoping a few hundred residents might give a barrel a home.  In cooperation with the Conservation Foundation of Naperville, it ended up selling 544 rain barrels, said village Communications Director Doug Kozlowski.

“The barrels sold have the potential to divert nearly 30,000 gallons from the stormwater system," he said. "A rain barrel will save the average homeowner about 1,300 gallons of water during the peak summer months." And, for homeowners who have to plan their gardening around the village's watering restrictions, there's this bonus: water collected in rain barrels is not subject to watering restrictions.

But there are also long-term advantages to keeping all that water from entering the water system. According to the village, conserving water reduces wear and tear on the water and wastewater treatment infrastructure, which in turn can postpone or eliminate the need for making major capital investments.

Paving Paradise

Anyone with kids who plays sports on the north end of the village knows one fact of life: parking at Doerhoefer Park is tight. But adding places for cars usually means paving over valuable ground that absorbs stormwater. The Downers Grove Park District late last year addressed both issues by adding a 57-car parking lot at Doerhoefer using permeable paving bricks.

According to the park district, the permeable paver surface “should reduce the volume of stormwater entering into the storm sewer system, and help filter oil and other pollutants from rainwater prior to entering the sewer system.” Park district commissioners recently decided to continue installing permeable pavers at Doerhoefer when the north parking lot is reconstructed next year.

Hybrids in the Sky

On the far western side of the village, a strange flock of sky dwellers has invaded the Prentiss Creek subdivision. In 2009, the village, responding to neighborhood calls for street lights, installed 25 solar- and wind-powered LED lights in the area east of Woodward Avenue at Oxnard Road. The fixtures get their power from both sun and wind, but can also store more than two days of reserve power, according to the village.

Forty-five percent of the cost of the project was funded by a Community Development Block Grant; the village portion was $155,375, said Kozlowski. Long-term energy savings are projected at 500,000 kilowatts over 30 years and approximately $20,000 in electricity costs per year. The lights also reduce carbon dioxide emissions and are projected to last 100,000 hours, compared to conventional fixtures, which need to be changed after 10,000 hours.

Energy and Efficiency

The boiler at Downers Grove South High School has been operating since 1963, making it original to the building. As they assessed how to replace it, the District 99 Board of Education considered energy conservation practices along with cost.

“The HVAC project is currently out for bid, and 'green' proposals are a critical part of which provider will be awarded the contract,” said District 99 Communications Director Jill Browning. The district wants high efficiency equipment, including new boilers, pipe insulation, variable frequency drive motors and computerized equipment controls. In addition, the vendor will also train staff to operate the new facilities in the most energy-efficient manner, Browning said.

Although sustainable and energy-saving equipment costs more up front, Browning said, “recent government requirements have taken the choice out of some engineering decisions.” Even so, the board wanted assurance that the more costly equipment had a reasonable payback period. All bidders must show that the cost of construction is returnable in a specific number of years through energy savings and operational savings, and guarantee these savings--or pay the difference back to District 99.

“The higher equipment costs are recoverable through energy efficiency and operational savings during their life cycle,” said Browning.

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