Post by novillero on Jan 12, 2009 6:34:28 GMT -5
Towns struggling to finance projects that use less energyBy Alesha Williams Boyd • STAFF WRITER • January 12, 2009
It's not easy going green.
When Brick officials shelled out more than $120,000 for a half-dozen propane-powered 1995 GMC Sonomas in the 1990s, they thought they would save money and help the environment. But it took too much time for workers to fuel the trucks with the cleaner-burning alternative. Then the federal government abandoned incentives that inspired the purchase.
"We were supposed to transfer a certain percentage of the fleet (to propane use) by a certain date," said Scott Pezarras, financial officer. "It never happened. The whole project just got scrapped."
The township's planned demolition this week of its 40-year-old Ocean Beach I concession stand, closed last year after it overheated, will mark a fresh green start, officials say.
By Memorial Day, the new stand should be up and running — complete with a metal roof to defray cooling costs, walls of blocks made with recycled glass and a $730,000 price tag.
With new government standards and incentives on the horizon, Brick is among many area municipalities "going green" for the sake of their coffers and the environment. But that means spending tax dollars on expensive engineers, environmentally friendly builders and consultants, an industry in full bloom.
Stakeholders say it is the perfect storm for a full-fledged green movement: President-elect Barack Obama is pledging to spend $150 billion over 10 years on renewable energy and energy-efficient projects. In New Jersey, Gov. Jon S. Corzine aims to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions to 1990 levels and draw 30 percent of the state's electricity from renewable energy by 2020.
Municipal projects
From waterless urinals in Belmar to solar farms in Marlboro, area municipalities, utility authorities and school districts are hustling to keep pace.
But will spending to save really pay off?
"The short story is, of course, these initiatives make sense for a municipality because they are institutional owners," said Jennifer Senick, executive director for Rutgers University Center for Green Building. "I think the business case has been made for some time."
Senick estimated that energy-efficient lighting projects "generally are a quick payback," with towns seeing a return on their investment within two or three years. An energy-efficient heating and air-conditioning system could take eight years to pay for itself, depending on the project, she said.
Many of the contracts go to firms that have donated to the political parties. But Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey chapter of the environmental group the Sierra Club, said that even if professionals were paying to play, "it doesn't mean that they won't actually do the right thing."
"It sounds funny, but this is New Jersey," said Tittel, a longtime critic of New Jersey's political culture. "It doesn't mean they won't do the work."
Architect Paul Barlo, chief of Barlo & Associates, the firm working on the Brick concession stand, said fluctuating energy and construction costs and newer technologies make it tough to say exactly how much a municipality might get back for their buck on other projects. He said he expects the electricity cost for the Brick building potentially could be zero. It was designed so that it may later be adapted into structure certified for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, Barlo said. Certification requires a building meet set standards for environmentally sustainable construction, such as energy efficiency and use of recycled materials.
Barlo could not give more specifics about potential savings for the building. That uncertainty can prove a stumbling block for municipalities, he said. Brick, which laid off 47 employees this month, scaled back on plans for LEED certification and a wind generator for the concession stand.
"Clients still wrestle with up-front costs versus rate of return on investment," Barlo said.
Seeking help
As a result, many local agencies are turning to the state and federal governments for help.
Such is the case in Marlboro, where the Municipal Utilities Authority is building a 3-acre solar farm to power its Tennent Road pumping station and a 1.5-acre solar farm at its Harbor Road treatment plant for $8.5 million. Construction began on the farms last fall and is expected to be complete by April, said Peter Wersinger III, the authority's executive director.
The authority expects to take advantage of a $2.4 million rebate from the state Board of Public Utilities. Under another program, the authority also plans to sell the BPU's solar renewable energy certifications to electricity suppliers.
The project is expected to save anywhere from $200,000 to $400,000 annually in electricity costs, Wersinger said. The panels are guaranteed for a minimum of 25 years, according to Wersinger, and would be paid for through bonding over the next 15 years.
He estimated the authority would save about $8 million in electrical costs over the next 25 years with the farms. They also would cut the plants' carbon dioxide emissions by 950,000 pounds and and sulfur dioxide output by 300 pounds.
And big projects mean big payments for professional firms: The authority awarded a $100,000 contract for the project's design to Manalapan-based CMX Engineering, formerly Schoor DePalma. The firm is among the large and politically well-connected engineering companies in the state making their niche in the green space.
Another is Birdsall, which in January 2008 acquired PMK Group, an environmental, energy and sustainable consulting firm — also well known in political circles — to meet the demand for environmentally friendly engineering.
Birdsall, awarded $100,000 to draft Ocean County's energy master plan last year, has tripled its sustainable energy staff. That portion of its business has grown 500 percent in five years, said Bob Gerard, the firm's chief marketing officer.
Hybrid patrol cars
Instead of following the lead of a professional, Fair Haven followed the lead of Westwood, a Bergen County town that was one of the first in the nation to put a hybrid vehicle on police patrol. Fair Haven in December purchased a Ford Escape hybrid for about $30,000. The department expects the SUV to be on the road next week, Police Chief Darryl Breckenridge said.
Westwood saved 14 gallons of fuel per 12-hour shift at $2.40 per gallon after purchasing the Escape in October 2007. The move saved $20,996 a year in fuel costs, Borough Administrator Robert S. Hoffman said.
In Manalapan, the township, the regional kindergarten-to-eighth-grade school district and the Western Monmouth Utilities Authority cut costs by sharing the cost of a planned energy audit. A $100,000 state grant will aid the effort, which will target ways the three entities can save on energy or produce it, Superintendent of Schools John J. Marciante Jr. said.
Other area initiatives include Belmar's waterless urinals on the beachfront and at least four battery-powered Global Electric Motorcars used in the police, code enforcement and recreation departments. Long Branch has purchased $30,000 worth of water-saving shower towers, among other projects. And the Manalapan-based Western Monmouth Utilities Authority is planning a $22,000 study to determine the benefits of converting its sludge into clean, green methane gas.
Adam Zellner, Corzine's former director of policy, acknowledged that green movements have faltered and lost steam before. But Zellner, who is launching his own environmental asset management firm this year, is predicting that this time, the green wave will not crash.
Zellner said that for the first time he is seeing energy and pollution regulations and actual economic conditions "meeting each other head-on."
"In this economy, everyone is looking back and saying, "I can't squeeze labor costs because I've already laid off as many people as I can. . . . Energy tends to be the second leading cost behind labor."
He said he is looking forward to seeing the boom become a cure for many of the state's ills — creating a tough-to-outsource job industry, a more efficient stock of buildings and energy savings that could be invested elsewhere.
"At the end of it, we're left in a better place," Zellner said.
Alesha Williams Boyd:
(732) 308-7756 or awilliams@app.com