The Arroyo Grande High School jazz band serenaded attendees of the Lucia Mar Unified School District’s March 31 indoor groundbreaking ceremony for its energy efficiency and solar power project.
Jim Hogeboom, district superintendent, headlined the kickoff event—which took place at the high school—and said the project has been in the works for quite some time, and therefore, is very well thought out. The district planned the project with Chevron Energy Solutions, an arm of Chevron that does a lot of its work within the public sector to complete energy-saving projects.
The Lucia Mar project has been in the works for two years and will include solar installations at Arroyo Grande High School, Nipomo High School, Judkins Middle School, Paulding Middle School, Dana Elementary School, and the district office. The district will also be replacing all of its lighting with LED lights, along with a variety of other sustainability measures, such as more efficient irrigation, will also be included in the project.
Some of the work is scheduled to begin over spring break, April 14 through 18, when the district will begin installing LED lights in some locations as well as start construction on ground-mounted solar panels at Nipomo High School. Although some of the project work is starting in April, much of the big construction projects are slated for this summer, when students won’t be in school.
Energy savings are going to be used to pay for the infrastructure improvements over the next 18 years. Once the loan is paid off, the district expects to see at least $1 million in savings.
The district school board and Chevron Energy Solutions Vice President Mark Emerson were on hand to participate in the traditional shovel ceremony.
“Shovels signify that a real project is about to begin,” Emerson said during the event. “And the project that’s about to begin is tangible and real.”
This article appears in Apr 3-10, 2014.