The timing of the second wave of Measure A bond projects means Manteca Unified will be the trailblazing school district in San Joaquin County when it comes to implementing new California sustainable green standards for schools.
Any new school construction that is not a remodel and is a structure in excess of 2,000 square feet that is submitted to the state’s architect office as of Jan. 1, 2024 must have:
* solar panels installed.
* batteries to store electricity generated from batteries.
*EV chargers for vehicles installed.
*solar panels on canopies in new parking lots to reduce the heat island effect.
*substantially more shade trees that are now being used for new playground areas.
The first Measure A projects to require those items will be multi-purpose buildings planned for Brock Elliott and Joshia Cowell elementary schools, the second two-story classroom building planned at Manteca High along Garfield Avenue, and the district’s first early education center for kindergarten and transitional kindergarten classes planned on Tinnin Road in south Manteca.
The only other school district in the county with new school construction either underway or in the pipeline is Banta Unified via the River Islands Academy.
The River Islands High escaped the higher requirement given it is already under construction. That said, another River Islands elementary school targeted to break ground in the next few years will need to meet the battery storage and the other requirements.
The initial Manteca Unified projects now under construction using funds from the $260 million Measure A bond are being plumbed for solar under state standards that were previously in place.
Those endeavors are the new vocational education complex and two-story classroom building under construction along Mikesell Avenue at the Manteca High campus and the two-story classroom structure under construction at East Union High along Union Road.
The district — though it was not required at the time — plumbed the new Manteca High big gym to accommodate solar panels on the roof and extended electrical infrastructure to a parking area for future EV chargers.
Manteca Unified — which was among the first to install solar panels — plans to crunch numbers on whether it makes financial sense to add additional solar which may include the Manteca High gym.
The solar/battery mandate could cut into how far the proceeds from the Measure A bond can be stretched to address facility upgrade needs that in an assessment have been estimated to have a cost of $600 million.
There are various financing options that could avoid using Measure A money per se to do the work. But that really depends on a wide number of factors ranging from the market and how private sector partnerships are structured with public agencies in the ever shifting California solar market.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
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