Happy Valentine’s Day
School energy plan promises $300K annual savings
Flight risk? With the increased of drones, the Federal Aviation Administration has started efforts to reguate the aerial devices. Now, they are under scrutiny in the city of Rye as officials consider their own local legislation. Pictured is a drone photograph of Long Island Sound. For story, see page 11. Photo/Andrew Dapolite
By SARAH VARNEY Education Reporter
SUNY Purchase takes anti-racism initiatives By ANGELA JORDAN Staff Writer Several changes have been made at Purchase College this academic year in response to student demonstrations last year that coincided with the national Black Lives Matter movement. Last fall, the college reintroduced its previously defunct Global Black Studies minor, and on Jan. 22, Purchase officially opened the new Multicultural Center located on the ground floor of the Fort Awesome dormitory. The center will serve as a
place for student organizations and other members of the college to host events such as film screenings, lectures and forums relating to racial diversity and culture. One of the attendees who spoke at the opening of the center was Joel Aure, the college’s chief diversity officer. “The Multicultural Center is great step for Purchase College,” Aure said. “I think it will be a very inclusive environment, but it will also be a place for students to have difficult but necessary conversations about diversity and inclusion.”
The primary force behind the opening of the center is Geovanna Borden, the college’s new coordinator of diversity programming and initiatives and an alumna who graduated from the school last May. Borden, one of the leading voices during the demonstrations and forums last year, had the position created specifically for her by the college after she graduated. During those forums and discussions last year, students of color were given the opportunity to speak about the racial climate on the campus, and cited dozens of individual disturbing
incidents, ranging from slurs to discrimination in the classroom. The most notable examples were two separate instances of graffiti in the underclassmen dorms on the campus, one of a swastika and the other of nooses, which caused uproar among the student body and attracted some media attention. Raymond Turchioe, a former Purchase student, was arrested in connection to the swastika last March, but no arrest was ever made in connection with the noose drawings. anti-racism continued on page 5
At the Feb. 3 meeting of the Harrison Board of Education, members heard a proposal by Johnson Controls that promises annual savings of $376,210 over the life of a $7.5 million energy project. In total, over the life of the 17-year contract, the district would save approximately $9.8 million, and any savings that don’t materialize would be covered by the service provider. Robert Salierno, assistant superintendent for business, said financing for the Performance Energy Contract would be innovative. Essentially, the money that the district currently spends for maintenance and operations annually—approximately $350,000—is placed in escrow each year. Debt service costs for the project’s financing are paid by the district. Each year of the contract, the district receives “progress payments” based on that year’s energy savings. Those payments can be used to offset debt service costs if desired. The project would fall under the New York State Energy Research and Development Agency’s Performance Energy Contract Program under the auspices of the Department of Energy and its $3 billion Clean Energy Fund. The New York state entity grants money to nonprofit and commercial facilities based on annual savings. All projects are required to save at least 250,000 kilowatt-hours annually. Harrison’s yearly kwh savings are projected to be 4.4 million kwh. Under the Johnson Controls proposal, the district would receive
an estimated $387,000 rebate from NYSERDA after the completion of the project in 2017. Under the terms of the Performance Energy Contract, the “Energy Service Operator,” Johnson Controls, is liable for any annual savings that do not materialize. “The beauty is that it won’t affect the budget and there are no upfront costs,” Salierno said. In addition, it doesn’t result in any tax increase or have any impact on tax cap restraints. The proposed contract calls for a slew of improvements including replacing the three boilers at Harrison High School. Under the plan, Johnson Controls would install three new condensing boilers fueled with natural gas. In addition, the company would install two “cogeneration” models that generate both heat and electricity. Excess power could potentially be used to heat the swimming pool at the middle school, Salierno said. The high school boilers have been a longtime source of discontent within the district. Installed in 1973, the furnaces are well beyond their life span, said Lenny Purcell, director of facilities and operations for the district. Superintendent of Schools Louis Wool added that keeping rooms at the high school a consistent temperature is a constant problem. “One room will be hot and in another room it will be cold,” Wool explained. New energy control software, coupled with three new boilers will solve that problem, said energy continued on page 9
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