Matt Frye/Sun Tribune St. Patrick School kindergarten teacher Lucy Hock puts new nametags on the back of chairs in her classroom Aug. 12. Hock’s room and one other classroom were updated with eco-friendly carpet, flooring and paint last summer. The rest of the building received those updates this summer.
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Green makeover
St. Patrick School has innovative HVAC system at heart of renovation
By Ray Weikal
For educators at St. Patrick School, it seems somehow fitting that their building is going green.
A comprehensive overhaul of the Northland kindergarten through eighth-grade parochial school was recently completed, just in time for the start of classes Monday, Aug. 18.
The project cost roughly $3 million and includes a number of elements that, taken together, have made the school a lot more earth-friendly, according to Principal Julie Hess. These green improvements include an innovative heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, new insulation and pipes to keep contaminated water run-off from entering nearby waterways.
“We hadn’t really thought about until we started looking around and realized we’d done all these things to help the environment,” Hess said.
To celebrate the project’s completion, the school will host a ribbon-cutting, ethnic festival and “St. Pats Summer Olympic Games,” from 12:15 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24.
The project started in 2005 when school and St. Patrick Catholic Church officials realized that it was time to upgrade their aging building at 1401 N.E. 42nd Terrace in Kansas City North or find a new location, according Deacon Mike Lewis. With support from the congregation and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, funds were raised for a renovation, which began in April 2007.
Neighborliness played a big part in the church’s decision to stay put, Lewis said. The school sits in the heart of one of the last affordable, working class communities that’s relatively close to downtown, Lewis said.
“The stability of the neighborhood was important to us,” Lewis said. “We’re an anchor for a community that’s changing.”
At the heart of the school’s new green features is a cutting-edge HVAC system brought to the project by general contractor John Svetlecic. Built by Diakin, the system uses digitally controlled and monitored, variable-speed motors and advanced heat strips to constantly draw on temperature differences from one room to another. That means the building is being heated or cooled in the most efficient manner, Svetlecic said.
“I wanted to give them a system that’s super efficient,” Svetlecic said.
At roughly $650,000, the Diakin system comes with a premium price tag. The school will potentially see energy cost savings of up to $125,000 per year, Svetlecic estimated.
“They could pay it off in three years, if energy prices keep going up,” he said.
Svetlecic basically donated his normal profit margin to the school for this project, Lewis said. That’s the only reason the school was able to afford such an innovative upgrade, Lewis said.
“John has basically given away his expertise,” Lewis said.
The new building will benefit both the planet and the people in the school, Hess said.
Staff writer Ray Weikal can be reached at 389-6637 or rayweikal@npgco.com.
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A comprehensive overhaul of the Northland kindergarten through eighth-grade parochial school was recently completed, just in time for the start of classes Monday, Aug. 18.
The project cost roughly $3 million and includes a number of elements that, taken together, have made the school a lot more earth-friendly, according to Principal Julie Hess. These green improvements include an innovative heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, new insulation and pipes to keep contaminated water run-off from entering nearby waterways.
“We hadn’t really thought about until we started looking around and realized we’d done all these things to help the environment,” Hess said.
To celebrate the project’s completion, the school will host a ribbon-cutting, ethnic festival and “St. Pats Summer Olympic Games,” from 12:15 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24.
The project started in 2005 when school and St. Patrick Catholic Church officials realized that it was time to upgrade their aging building at 1401 N.E. 42nd Terrace in Kansas City North or find a new location, according Deacon Mike Lewis. With support from the congregation and the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph, funds were raised for a renovation, which began in April 2007.
Neighborliness played a big part in the church’s decision to stay put, Lewis said. The school sits in the heart of one of the last affordable, working class communities that’s relatively close to downtown, Lewis said.
“The stability of the neighborhood was important to us,” Lewis said. “We’re an anchor for a community that’s changing.”
At the heart of the school’s new green features is a cutting-edge HVAC system brought to the project by general contractor John Svetlecic. Built by Diakin, the system uses digitally controlled and monitored, variable-speed motors and advanced heat strips to constantly draw on temperature differences from one room to another. That means the building is being heated or cooled in the most efficient manner, Svetlecic said.
“I wanted to give them a system that’s super efficient,” Svetlecic said.
At roughly $650,000, the Diakin system comes with a premium price tag. The school will potentially see energy cost savings of up to $125,000 per year, Svetlecic estimated.
“They could pay it off in three years, if energy prices keep going up,” he said.
Svetlecic basically donated his normal profit margin to the school for this project, Lewis said. That’s the only reason the school was able to afford such an innovative upgrade, Lewis said.
“John has basically given away his expertise,” Lewis said.
The new building will benefit both the planet and the people in the school, Hess said.
Staff writer Ray Weikal can be reached at 389-6637 or rayweikal@npgco.com.