I have received several questions concerning the Coastal Education Center (CEC) and the process we will have to go through to get it L.E.E.D. (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified.  LEED for New Construction and Major Renovations (LEED-NC) is a green building rating system that was designed to guide and distinguish high-performance commercial and institutional projects.  It rates projects based on the number of points scored in six different categories: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy & Atmosphere, Materials & Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Innovation in Design.  A total of 69 points is available, with ratings broken into the following levels:

            Certified:          26 to 32 points

            Silver:               33 to 38 points

            Gold:                39 to 51 points

            Platinum:           52 to 69 points

The categories that we are excited about trying new ideas in are Water Efficiency (WE) and Energy & Atmosphere (EA). Two things we are looking at trying under WE are: (1) the use of water from the moat area that enters the existing cistern and is currently pumped away.  This water could be used not only for site irrigation, but also for wastewater in the CEC restrooms. (2) Another opportunity for savings is through the use of waterless urinals. Waterless urinals reduce the amount of water (potable or non-potable) required for flushing and also reduce the risk of vandalism and the spread of germs.  We have already installed a waterless urinal at the bathhouse bathrooms and it is working well.  The EA category was designed to encourage the reduction of energy use for buildings and minimize the use of ozone depleting refrigerants. The part that I am excited about is the development of on-site renewable power.  We will be looking at different types of renewable energy potential such as solar panels and wind turbines.  As things move along I will try to keep you posted on what is happening.

The summer is beginning to wind down now, and I think we are all ready for fall.  The “Tall Ships” caused us some problems with traffic, but everything turned out okay.  During the first nine days of July we had 94,478 people visit the park.  The concerts have again been great and I would like to thank everyone that helped put them on. 

Remember the final reenactment weekend for this year is September 16^th and 17^th.   Please come and join us for this event.  Hope everyone had a fun and safe summer.