Citizens challenge
Green designation
for Pines' school

By Ken Anderson
News Correspondent

The designation of Northland Pines High School as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold-certified facility has been challenged by a group of area residents.

According to District Administrator Mike Richie, five persons filed a complaint with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) claiming the $28.5 million high school, which opened in the fall of 2006, failed to meet the gold standard requirements.

“They filed a 125-page complaint and, frankly, I was surprised,” Richie told the school board last Monday. “The five are Ron Ritzer, Kurt Hartwig, Pat Smith, Rod McKinnon and Kevin Branham.”

During planning for the new high school, some of the same people claimed a more efficient heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system was available and should have been used.

“This group challenged us all the way,” said board President Tim Gaffney. “Our architects agreed to evaluate the system they wanted, but they would have had to purchase the plans and therefore declined.”

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