Students will learn in comfort

CALDWELL -- Solar lighting, improved air quality, and computerized climate control -- those are just a few features that will be used in two new Caldwell schools.

School district officials broke ground Wednesday on the buildings that are LEED certified, which is short for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

The schools will replace Washington and Van Buren elementary schools, but they won’t be your typical elementary schools.

"These will be the first energy efficient schools in the state and we are pretty proud of that," said Jennifer Swindell, Caldwell School District spokesperson.

The new schools will be the first in the state to meet LEED qualifications. 

There are only 11 buildings in Idaho that meet LEED qualifications -- a rating given depending on energy efficiency. 

"They have a unique structure so they maximize solar energy, the windows will be glazed so the temps will be consistent to provide for a better learning environment, the air quality inside the building will be top standards and we believe the comfort of these buildings will help us retain teachers and educate kids," said Swindell.

Together, the schools will cost $20 million to complete.  They will stand two stories high and be more than 71,000 square-feet.  Their V-shape design was chosen to maximize lighting and provide an optimal learning environment for the 750 students that will attend each school.

"Buildings are going in this direction, it's just everyone wants to be the first to be second, it's tough to be first and so we took the leap, we wanted to be the first," said Swindell.

The older buildings will not be forgotten in the process of going green. Part of the bond to build the new schools will be used to remodel older ones, making them high schools or offices for the district to use.

"Saving money, that's the wave of the future, and with energy costs today, we are glad to be doing this," said Swindell.

Swindell says the two new school will cost about the same as a standard school.