York High School students ask Planning Board to support "Green" idea

YORK - Hanna Mitchell and Bridget Rhinehart would like to see the town take the lead among communities in the state and incorporate "green" standards when building public facilities.

Mitchell and Rhinehart, who are both students at York High School, presented their goals to the Planning Board on Oct. 25, winning the full support of the board as well as endorsements from members of the community at the meeting.

Local resident and York Beach business owner Joe Lipton applauded the students, describing their presentation as an example of "having the youth of today come forward and tell us what we should be looking at."

Mitchell and Rhinehart explained their goal is to see the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or "LEED" Green Building Rating System incorporated into design, construction and operation of future York public buildings.

Referencing information obtained through the United States Green Building Council, the pair explained that such construction provides an opportunity to save money over the long term while protecting the environment and preserving natural resources.

According to the council, "The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System^TM is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings' performance. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality."

Rhinehart and Mitchell said they would like to have a request on the ballot in May to ask voters to support incorporating such standards into the construction of all future public buildings in town.

Planning Board Chairman Glen MacWilliams applauded the work of the students.

"Any LEED-certified public building would be great for the town of York," he said.

His fellow board members also endorsed the effort. As Tom Manzi pointed out, the timing is perfect with discussions underway for building a new Town Hall and public safety complex in the years ahead.

Also at the Oct. 25 meeting, Planning Board also met with members of the York Beach Renaissance Committee to discuss their continued work on a proposed rezone of the business district in advance of their next workshop together on Nov. 29.

The Planning Board's next application review meeting is scheduled for Nov. 8, and includes a full agenda of issues ranging from a site plan application for York Hospital to the continued discussion of the Highland Farm Phase 2 subdivision.

Also on that agenda are items related to a proposed five-lot Kittery subdivision to be accessed through Woodside Meadow Road in York, including a discussion of the applicant's concerns about board member impartiality with regard to the application.

Representatives of the project's developer, HDV Enterprises, have spoken out recently with concerns that statements made by residents about the project are inaccurate. Lawrence Decato spoke to the public during a recent Board of Selectmen meeting, stating that there will be no negative tax implications as a result of the project, that all students will attend Kittery schools, that the road accessing the homes will be privately maintained and that an agreement to provide emergency services through York to the neighborhood will only apply to just that - emergency situations - and not to general fire and police calls.

"Members of the community, we want this to be a friendly bordering property," he said, adding that the five-lot neighborhood will be no different than any bordering neighborhood between York and its surrounding towns.