A Baltimore County lawmaker is endorsing a more stringent version of Gov. Martin O?Malley?s proposal requiring all new public schools to have eco-friendly bells and whistles such as waterless urinals, rain-catching roofs and geothermal heating.
A Senate committee Wednesday heard testimony in support of both proposals, which backers said will eventually save state and local governments money on energy bills. Under O?Malley?s proposal, all new and significantly renovated state buildings must meet federal “green” guidelines by 2009 and all publicly funded new schools must meet them by 2010.
State Sen. Jim Brochin, a Towson Democrat, is sponsoring similar legislation specific to new Baltimore County schools. His proposal removes a waiver process and the grace period included in O?Malley?s bill.
If the General Assembly approves the mandate, the state will reimburse 50 percent of the added costs to local governments for the first five years.
“You?re really going to see decreased energy use and we?re going to preserve much of our natural resources,” said Albert Winchester, chairman of the Maryland Green Buildings Council. “It really is the cost-effective, fiscally prudent way to proceed.”
School officials from St. Mary?s and Montgomery counties ? where “green” schools are open or in the planning stage ? said the guidelines add about 2 percent to construction costs. The officials said they expect to recoup the difference in five to 10 years.
“I think we need to embrace the wave of the future,” Brochin said. “These pay for themselves. This is a fiscally intelligent thing to do.”
Evidence of savings are only anecdotal, for now, said Joseph Lavorgna, facilities management director for Montgomery County schools. Lavorgna said the system began building “green” in 2003 after seeing utility costs double to more than $40 million.
A spokesman for Baltimore County Executive Jim Smith said he declined to take a position on the legislation.
