Commissioner Jess Santamaria and the Palm Beach County Economic Development Office joined Glades-area business and community leaders on Sept. 16 for the dedication of the first new building constructed on the Palm Beach State College Belle Glade Campus in 30 years.
The Economic Development Office awarded Palm Beach State College (PBSC) a grant that paid for solar panels to be added to the school’s newly constructed “green” building, which was constructed entirely to the Gold LEED standards of the U.S. Green Building Council. Covering nearly 34,000 square feet, the two-story Technical Education Center is expected to provide a much-needed boost in training opportunities in the Lake Region, which has been challenged by high unemployment.
The solar panels were specially designed for the building’s breezeway in full view of the students and public, thus not only supplying additional power to the building and eliminating greenhouse gases, but also serving as an educational component. In addition, the installation contractor was participating in the “boots on roofs” program enabling students trained at the PBSC Lake Worth Campus’ Green Institute to do the actual installation work.
“This new Technical Education Center, with its state-of-the-art sustainability features, will be a valued asset to the entire Glades community for generations to come,” said Commissioner Santamaria.
The grant to PBSC was one of many of Palm Beach County energy efficiency projects supported by a $6.5million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program. Funded for the first time in 2009, this successful program will disappear without continued funding in FY 2012. Palm Beach County has joined with hundreds of cities and counties across America to launch the “Energy Block Grants Work!” campaign. The Energy Block Grants Work! campaign is aimed at encouraging President Obama and Congress to fully fund the EECBG program in FY 2012.
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