Summary

Friends of the Hidden River, a community group comprised of local teachers, partnered with King County on the design of the Center at Brightwater, which is now in construction just north of Woodinville. Jointly they have secured a $40,000 grant from Snohomish County Public Utility District for the installation of a rooftop solar array on the facility.

Story

Solar panels will one day make a powerful impression on students coming to King County’s future Brightwater environmental education/community center to learn about sustainability, thanks to a generous energy grant.

Friends of the Hidden River, a community group comprised of local teachers, partnered with King County on the design of the Center at Brightwater, which is now in construction just north of Woodinville. Jointly they have secured a $40,000 grant from Snohomish County Public Utility District for the installation of a rooftop solar array on the facility. The Center at Brightwater is schedule to open to the public in 2011.

The funding, which is administered by the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, will cover the cost to install up to 25 solar panels equaling approximately 4KW each. The panels are being designed specifically for the building’s power supply needs and are capable of returning surplus electricity to the grid. The grant will also fund the costs to install an educational exhibit linked to the new energy system, as well as materials for on-going education related to solar energy systems.

In addition to serving as a teaching tool, the solar array supports King County Executive Dow Constantine’s goal to produce, use, or purchase renewable energy equal to 50 percent of total County energy requirements by 2012.

“New economic and environmental realities are spurring King County government to become more efficient in how it operates facilities,” said County Executive Dow Constantine. “A public-private partnership enabled us to secure grant funding to cover the cost of installing a renewable energy system that will in turn reduce our need to purchase commercial power. The solar panels will also enhance educational programs around sustainability and environmental education.

“This shows how government can deliver innovative, productive services that make efficient use of taxpayer resources,” he said.  
“The center’s goal is to highlight ways citizens can live more sustainably and keep our community healthy,” said John Schmied of Friends of the Hidden River.  “Partnering with the County has allowed us both to achieve more for our community. At this point, the center will be able to provide a great facility and programs as well as a fantastic 72 acre environmental park for the public.”

Friends of the Hidden River has played an integral role in shaping plans for the future Brightwater environmental education/community center, securing to date more than $1 million in grant funding to date to complete interior finishes, equip laboratories and design the facility to LEED standards. The facility is scheduled to be open in 2011.

King County plans to invest about $8 million to build the Center at Brightwater, which will also provide community meeting space for local non-profit groups. The facility is being built to replace a grange hall that had to be demolished to accommodate Brightwater treatment system facilities. King County currently provides tours of its existing facilities to more than 3,000 students each year, providing environmental education resources to teachers and students across King County.

The County hopes the center will be a magnet facility for innovative environmental learning providing informal and formal meeting spaces for students and the community at large. Opportunity for education in both lab and outdoor settings are geared to inspire the next generation of clean water engineers, researchers and advocates.

The Friends of the Hidden River and King County are working with teachers and environmental groups to pursue additional partnerships and funding for ongoing education programs, curriculum and projects. In maximizing partnership opportunities, the center may meet its educational capacity of serving up to 1,000 students a day.

The Friends of the Hidden River is a dynamic educational organization dedicated to developing and enhancing citizen understanding and community action in environmental education issues in the Puget Sound and surrounding regions. The group works to balance community interests with environmental sustainability by creating educational opportunities and service learning projects related to environmental and ecological stewardship, energy independence, water quality, conservation, and technology. They have raised nearly one million dollars to help create a LEEDs environmental center at Brightwater.