Other Ohio cities commit full time to green energy
Miami Valley officials are pitching a few alternative energy and conservation projects for federal funding through President Obama's stimulus plan, but the plans lack ambition by comparison with other metros statewide.
Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and others have full-time employees — in some cases a staffed office — to coordinate green energy projects, conservation and alternative transportation ideas. In Dayton, home of the Wright brothers and 20th century landmark technologies, nobody in the public sector has been assigned that task full time. Responsibilities are scattered.
In some ways, Dayton is starting from a greener position than Ohio's other metro areas. The Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority's century-old electric trolley system covers 120 miles and reaches into Oakwood, Kettering and Trotwood.
During the 2008 summer of record-setting fuel prices, it was the most cost-effective transit system going. Other cities could spend hundreds of millions — through the president's stimulus plan — to duplicate that mode of transit.
Running new trolley lines here would cost $1 million a mile, said John Thomas, RTA's chief maintenance officer, a reasonable option if oil prices soar again.
A green roof demonstration project is underway at City Hall and a model example of green architecture — one townhouse unit — went up at 123 N. Patterson Blvd. in September. A green home is up in West Carrollton. Montgomery County has a demonstration project at Madison Lakes Park that includes a wind turbine and solar array.
A big project underway is the $3.5 million solar farm and geothermal heating system for the Tech Town development downtown.
The solar farm would sit on 3½ acres near the Keowee Street bridge and could power the system that would use groundwater — which stays at a constant temperature — to heat and cool various buildings, said Norm Essman, who is coordinating CityWide Development Corp.'s Tech Town efforts.
A well that will kick off the system should be drilled within weeks. One new Tech Town office building should be up this year.
A $5 million state grant will help fund a $11.2 million Tech Town office building designed to meet high environmental standards. Essman said it will be built with recycled materials and use rainwater to irrigate landscaping. It will have a reflective roof to keep the building cool.
There are other proposed green projects, including $3.2 million to retrofit public buildings for energy efficiency, $8 million for automated water meter reading, and $3.7 million to make a street maintenance building meet green standards.
There's an alternative energy idea at Dayton International Airport to reduce reliance on traditional sources of energy. Cost: $5 million.
The idea is to use geothermal and solar equipment to power the airport, Director Iftikhar Ahmad said. "We could do at least 75 percent of the utility cost with this," he said.
Cleveland got its head start in 2005 with grant funding from a consortium of seven environmental nonprofits in a time of budget constraints, said Andrew Watterson, program director for the city's Office of Sustainability, which employs four full-timers and an intern. The office is saving the city $500,000 annually in utility costs, Watterson said.
The office recently worked with Green Energy Ohio on a wind monitoring tower in Lake Erie to assess potential wind power, Watterson said. His latest goal: cut energy consumption by 10 percent. The city now spends $60 million a year for electric power, natural gas and fuel.
In Columbus, converting an old, vacant Lazarus store downtown to a green-certified office building is the city's latest success. A 30-unit green housing development is sold out.
Larry Falkin is Cincinnati's director of the Office of Environmental Quality, a five-person office. The city adopted a formal climate protection plan in 2008 and is trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2 percent annually, he said. Solar power panels are on three city facilities and there are green roofs on two buildings, he said.
The centerpiece of Akron's green efforts, which includes a full-time city staffer who's been on the job 18 months, is a just completed transit center where Greyhound and city buses mix.
There are 432 solar panels on the roof — the largest array in Ohio — and 45 geothermal wells. It should slash electric expenses by a third and cut heating costs. The city is also shooting for $70 million to make its public city and county buildings green certified.
While Dayton doesn't have an office devoted to the purpose, the city taps an internal task force dubbed the "Cool Energy Team" to examine issues like fuel consumption, said Timothy Downs, deputy director of economic development.
Dayton has examined creating a full-time job to champion green issues, but hasn't made the move yet, he noted.
The city adopted a Sustainable Practices policy, purchased hybrid vehicles, is cutting lighting costs, and distributed an employee guide to energy conservation.
Dayton ought to get some green credit for improving traffic flow downtown, Downs said. He acknowledged that other cities like Akron seem to have bolder plans.
"We are just not there," he said.
Joe Tuss, deputy Montgomery County administrator, said the county deserves credit for budgeting a full-time energy efficiency manager and striving for an energy efficient county campus downtown.
But aren't bigger projects, for now, in the works elsewhere in Ohio?
"In some respects that's fair," Tuss said. "But we are moving effectively in other areas."
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